I believe that the desire to make one’s life matter is shared by all people. And thank the heavens that each person has her or his own story about mattering. I realized on my 12th birthday that making my life matter had a lot — and maybe everything — to do with contributing to peace, justice and liberation of the true self of every person on Earth. At the time, of course, I did not necessarily put it in those words. In time, I came to realize that the only life I can truly liberate is my own.
I’m more than a little bent out of shape about the fact that some five decades later, I am still unearthing pieces of history that I needed back when I was 12 (or younger) but never got — information that would have gotten me to where I am now a lot quicker. I’m going to talk about those pieces of history on this blog. And I’m going to talk about what I am discovering about institutionalized racism in the United States, my indoctrination into that system as a person of privilege, and the process of liberating my true self — a self that I believe is, among other things, inherently anti-racist.
I will also post links to related articles, books and videos, and may include brief notes about any thoughts or reactions I had.
I am finally beginning to understand just how important this is to me, and I’m ready to raise a little Cain.
