What about feminism?
You know,
Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s legacy reverberates in my mind
Reminding me why I have a voice, a head full of ideas, and a mouth that speaks.
Perhaps she is sometimes a favorite of yours.
No, not how with white feminism comes an opaque door that shuts out the struggles of women of color.
What about medicine?
I’m sure I have told you countless times my fascination with our brains
The only organ that has thoughts of its own.
Perhaps you can tell me for hours at length what fascinates you.
No, not how lack of access to neurological care disproportionately affects black and brown folks.
What about family?
My little brother knows more about countries than I do, and he is only 9.
My little sister is wholly convinced that she is a princess born into a royal family.
Perhaps I could learn about your family’s quirks as well if the time permits
No, not the stereotype that the majority of black families have no father figures to “control” the home
What about our preferred daily courtesies?
We can get up in the morning and send a “good luck” text before the big test
Encourage one another to let our wings soar higher than our imaginations
Tell you to drive safely lest the weather intervenes
Perhaps you should let me know whether you are a morning person or not.
No, not how you might only have to worry about bad weather, while I worry about the police or bad weather.
No, we do not have to incorporate race into every conversation, but we could and maybe we should.
And that shouldn’t be terrifying, because acknowledging apparent racial differences is one way to demonstrate intellectual maturity.
As scholars, we are taught to analyze from all perspectives to advance our understanding.
Race should not be the one facet that we avoid like a giant pothole.
