For many of those who lived through it, the outbreak of COVID-19 brought about a tremendous disruption to daily life. Virtually all segments of our community were impacted in one way or another. And from this, we are beginning to recognize the many different ways that we took things for granted. It took a major disruption to our lives to come to this realization.
When it comes to thinking about racism, it often takes an equally jarring event for the white community to become more aware of its prevalence. For many of us, we were not really aware of the prevalence of police shootings and brutality within the black community until we read about Eric Walters, Michael Smith, and Philando Castille. Our NFL games were disrupted by the silent protests of players who hoped to bring more awareness to the injustices. For many of us, it took books like The New Jim Crow and documentaries like 13th to disrupt our thinking about our criminal justice system today and how it targets people of color. And it took that really difficult conversation during cultural proficiency workshop to recognize that many of the things I say, do, and ignore actually perpetuate and embolden white supremacy.
Growth requires a type of disruption. Far too often, we do quite a bit to avoid the discomfort that disruption often invites. So, we steer away from it. If I have free time, instead of watching a documentary about injustices plaguing our community, I choose to watch that fun action adventure. If I pick up that book, I reach for the entertaining murder mystery and bypass that commentary on the entrenched inequities of our health care system. It is a privilege to be able to navigate around some of our uncomfortable truths, to steer away from experiences and materials that might disrupt my thinking when it comes to race and to isolate myself in a worldview that simply doesn’t acknowledge the ongoing injustices.
Here are some thoughts on the role of disruption in our lives.
Daily Reflections. In my daily thinking, I do my best to celebrate and acknowledge the life that surrounds me. I begin by celebrating what is good and beautiful. I celebrate what gives me joy and hope. But I also devote some time to thinking about the pain that exists around me. Who is hurting? Who is in need? Who have I caused pain? How have I contributed to systems of oppression? How do I envision a better world?
Data Input. As the saying goes, a computer program is only as good as the data you give it. With that in mind, I have to be thoughtful about the types of data I consume. This means that I must discipline myself to seek out diverse perspectives, including those that contradict my own and those that I might avoid because they make me uncomfortable.
Disrupting Others. I must also work to help disrupt the thinking of my students, my colleagues and my community. Whether that is engaging them in discussions about word choices or questioning them on racial assumptions, part of our mission is to share our own journey with others.
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