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 a 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 the world to its knees from the impact of a global pandemic. Where its effects on the United States have pushed the country to a 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. At the same time I acknowledge the vast amount of American people who are not afforded these 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 my responsibility to be 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 and on American society—an impact that I was never able to imagine before now. I hold the commitment close to my heart. I envision its reality. I anticipate its unfolding.

I’m optimistic.