In January, around Martin Luther King Jr Day, someone I met years ago when I was more of an activist made a really thought-provoking post on Facebook.
He asked:
1. What current events do you think people in 30 years may look back on and view as moments that call people to stand up for what is right?
2. Why do you think this is historically significant?
3. What do you hope to tell them you did?
And then he quoted Dr. King:
“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there “is” such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”
One person responded with some great thoughts, but ended with:
“I admit I haven’t done enough to resist, but the time for old white guys to run the show needs to end. We need a wave of younger leaders, people invested in the Earth’s future rather trying to get theirs before they croak.”
I replied to him:
“I do agree that “the time for old white guys to run the show needs to end.” However I think there is always time to find younger leaders, particularly people of color and follow their lead. Or even not younger people! Bishop William Barber II comes to mind. I am following a myriad of amazing people on LinkedIn right now and trying to see how I can plug in.
Finally: Even a single courageous conversation with a fellow white person who might not quite share your viewpoints can make a huge difference! We are powerful as individuals in connection to other individuals. We can all affirm our humanity by connecting with others. We don’t have to wait for the politicians to lead. The song I’ve heard in activist circles: “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for!””
I then shared my own responses to the prompts. I combined Q1 and Q2 (events and their significance).
Multiple:
Our failure to turn the Black Lives Movement momentum that followed the murder of George Floyd into something lasting.
Our acquiescence to and complicity with the rise of generative AI which has moved us from an uncertainty over the veracity of information, to a certainty that we can’t believe anything we see (and the converse: people who believe everything they see). And the related loss of support for the absolutely vital role of creators of art (visual, music, writing…. dance and acting seem to be safe from AI, for now).
Our failure to act after the COVID pandemic and view it as an opportunity to shore up public health systems and start to correct the INCREDIBLE systemic inequalities that it laid bare before all to see. And instead COVID allowed conspiracy theories and science denialism to thrive and grow. So instead of getting better, we got worse.
Q3. What do you hope to tell them you did?
My original answer in January:
I may not be comfortable sharing all the details in public. But I am working on the latter 2 areas (AI and supporting public health). The first is a work in progress but I am connecting with people and seeing how I can plug in to support (and maybe one day stand beside) people of color who are already leading in doing this work of dismantling racism and white supremacy.
My thoughts now:
I have recently come to the conclusion that the task of undoing racism and dismantling white supremacy is too daunting for me to take on directly. In the past I did activism against prisons and mass incarceration. As we know from the 2010 book The New Jim Crow by Michele Alexander (link), those are symptoms of the disease of racism and white supremacy. So I may need to figure out ways to devote my energy to tackling the symptoms rather than the root causes.
But as I advised the other person on Facebook, I do think that we can make progress towards tackling the root causes through one-on-one interactions and through what’s called breaking with white solidarity. That means when you’re in a setting with other white people and hear a racist comment, as a white person you challenge that comment. There is a technique called “calling in,” where you first try to remain in communication with the person and gently point out the harms of their comments. That’s in contrast to the more commonly known practice of “calling out” where you publicly shame someone. That approach might be the right one in some situations, but if you’re trying to shift people’s internal thinking and biases, calling in will have more lasting effectiveness than a public shaming. I watched a webinar by the amazing Loretta J. Ross about this in 2024. She published a book last year called Calling In! I have not read it yet but I have a hold placed through my library.
Her website:
https://lorettajross.com/
Direct link to the page about her book:
https://lorettajross.com/callingin-online
I just discovered that on Wednesday, April 1, 7 pm-9 pm EST there will be a gathering: “Calling In Empathy & Resilience”
Registration here:
https://lorettajross.com/callingin-online/callinginconversations-april2026
I’m registered! I invite you to join me!
Here’s an Iliff School of Theology talk with Loretta J. Ross from January 12, 2026. I watched via livestream that evening!
https://www.youtube.com/live/0TWhxRHdGPs?si=dTWyRLFK5ApnKLZO
A warning: the audio quality is bad for the first speaker (it’s distorted). But if you can tolerate the audio, I’d highly recommend listening because it’s a very thoughtful acknowledgement of the indigenous peoples on whose land the school sits. If the audio gets too annoying, you can skip to 4:35 where the woman who will interview Loretta Ross starts speaking.
I will write in a future post (hopefully!) about what I’ve been doing around public health, as well as the issue of generative artificial intelligence.
Share!
I invite any readers to share your own thoughts on the 3 questions above! If you know me, feel free to text or email me. If we are not connected, I welcome you to leave your thoughts in a comment.
May you be safe
May you be happy
May you be healthy
May you have peace
May you give and receive love and compassion
May you be free
💜💙💚 🌍 💚💙💜
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