In the two-weeks that have seen the much needed explosion to an oppressive and suffocating bubble that our American systems and institutions have used to contain and suppress people of color for two-hundred years, I am reminded of my responsibility as a White person to be the one to hold the pin that pops it.

In the month where it seems like my head is spinning out of control from the dizzying overload of information my brain has attempted to process, I am reminded that my head is not the only one spinning.

In a year that has brought a global pandemic to its knees and has pushed each country to its breaking point across educational, political, and economic domains, I am reminded of the privileges I am afforded that will allow me to weather the storm while acknowledging the vast amount of American people who are not afforded those same privileges. I am keenly reminded of the burden that is on me (as a White person) to create a new way of being and living in our society. I am reminded of the importance in not just advocating for change, but in being both vocal and active in dismantling historical systems to which my very presence in them, and benefit of them, have supported the very existence of them over time.

I am hopeful that in obtaining my MSW, and in building a career in the field of Social Work that I will make a positive impact in American society. An impact that I was never able to imagine before now. I hold the commitment close, envision its reality, and anticipate its unfolding.

I’m optimistic.