We’ve all been in scenarios where we felt as though our voices are not heard. We can all attest to a time where we felt silenced, pushed into a corner or someone turned their head the other way.
I am writing this post as I found myself in a particular situation over this past long weekend where I couldn’t help but ensure my voice was heard.
Living in 2020, we have all become accustomed to the phrase ”locker room talk” and I have found myself pushing more and more to dismantle this corrupt system of oppression. Whether it’s the locker room, the board office, or in the waiting room, we’ve all sat quiet when people have spoken things that do not align with our morals and values.
This weekend was not the case.
I want you, whoever is reading this, to use this as a sign to speak up. To question. To be informed. To assert yourself. To ensure that when you’re confronted in a situation you do not stand down.
So often we choose the easy route. To not ruffle any feathers. The more I think about this path of least resistance the more I think about the girl who was unconscious at a football party over the weekend, the POC girl who’s skirt warranted an unwanted sexual advance, the short haired woman who is obsessively misgendered, the gay man who’s fought too many fights. We need to stand up and stand with those people who continually put marginalized groups on their backs. Who tirelessly carry that torch but are getting tired.
We have to remember that every moment we take to stand up and educate is one fight these incredible individuals may not have to. The time you take to dismantle one person’s misogynistic racist views is a snow ball of board room conversations that change from crude to constructive. The hour you take to educate yourself is one BIPOC chance to not have to point out your blind spots.
We may not be perfect, but we just speak up... we must stand up and we must simply be better.
