Facebook Publication Date: 5/5/2022 6:05

Let’s start walking, y’all.

With purpose and intention.

In service to our shared North Star: lessening and mitigating the harm endured by black and brown people, perpetuated by white people and white supremacy.

Listen, beloveds.

I am absolutely loving all the new people–including you!– who are coming here kicking the tires, exploring, and making the decision for yourselves if you want to be part of this community where are we learn about race, grace, and particularly and especially for the purposes of this conversation, applied relational ethics.

We are indeed different from other spaces.

We actually ask things of you. We actually ask you to bring your best selves here.

We talk about hard things here at the flat and round table, and one of the ways that we keep it as safe-ish as possible to talk about hard things is that we are mindful of how we talk to each other.

*This is a rehearsal space for how you live your life outside of this virtual living room.*

In the past, I have given wide latitude for bad behavior.

Because of the pace at which we are growing, we simply can’t do that anymore. We can’t indulge funky behavior which only derails from the work we have all individually and collectively chosen to do.

Arguably, I never should have in first place.

We’re going to be doing a hot take on this soon and I’m going to be writing an essay where I will state plainly that one of the first things that people in general, white people in particular–and yes, people of color as well, need to learn at the beginning of any racial justice journey, is a base respect for the leadership of black women.

Here, I serve as a proxy for that.

If you are not respecting me and the space I have curated here, the odds are better than even that you’re displaying the same behaviors outside in your offline life.

Yes, I’d like to change that.

It has been a joy to see all of you.

We’ve also seen some funky stuff.

One of the things that we talk about is that how we relate to each other in comments and responses; it’s at least as important, oftentimes, *more important* than what kicked off the discussion in the first place.

The question that we, as a community, ask ourselves every day is, who are we going to be to and for each other in service to learning how to stand with and for the people whom we say we want to be in solidarity.

Another thing that we say here a lot is that, at any moment, a person has three choices: to be a best-case, a case study, or a cautionary tale.

Who are you going to be? Who are *we* going to be?

We’ll talk about all of this later, but I want to get everybody off on the right foot!

Which is why we’re going to go through the guidelines together as a community as a reminder for those who have been around and as a introduction to those who are new!

We want to learn how to do this work well, because effectiveness is what moves the needle.

Are you with me?

Permalink: https://www.facebook.com/laceonrace/posts/pfbid02EpwVv1hUC7spFS5ZSfUiC6Tuq14C5KGdbWezegYychEm4u3GpJ1BN9daKvv85ze4l

Post Type: Photo

Caption Type: N/A

Is Cross Post: 0

Is Share: 0

Impressions: 2038

Reach: 1943

Reactions: 54

Comments: 13

Shares: 1