I haven't talked about race for years

I haven't talked about race for years.

I'm an African American Studies major, but I haven't talked about race for years.

I was raised in an African American Baptist Church singing Negro spirituals and Kirk Franklin.  But I haven't talked about race for years.

 My mother was born in raised in Louisiana in the 50s, and my father was born and raised in St Louis Missouri at the same time, but I haven't talked about race for years.

I never ate pumpkin pie until college, I only knew sweet potato, but I haven't talked about race for years.

Growing up my black best friend and I would wear bright pink parkas to school trying to blend in with the crowd of other ethnicities, but I haven't talked about race for years.
 

My hair is thick no, my hair is kinky, my hair is coarse, my hair is in an afro, but I haven't talked about race for years.

My skin is brown like cinnamon and Maplewood, but I haven't talked about race for years.

I have lived in small town America for the past ten years, where black people make up less than 3% of the population, and I haven't talked about race for years.

I've learned that many of the dearest people around me are Republicans and Trump-supporters, and I haven't talked about race for years.

I have three tall, brown, handsome, intelligent, successful black brothers and I haven't talked about race for years.

I have countless cousins, uncles and friends who also fit this description, and I haven't talked about race for years.

I have heard of countless incidents of police brutality, racial profiling, and outright murder of innocent black people, and I haven't talked about race for years.

George Floyd is killed by a police officer for no cause I nor the world can see or justify, and now I am invited to talk about race. But I haven't talked about race for years.

How do you talk about something many refuse to admit has any impact on life as we know it at all?

How do you talk about something so fluid and socially constructed?

How do you talk about the root issue behind racism, groupism, elitism, and any mentality that creates an us-versus-them dynamic?

How do we root out favoritism, prejudice and fear?

It starts by talking about it - the black, brown, red, yellow and white elephant that has ever existed in the places where we meet.

It starts by acknowledging it is there, even if you claim not to care what color it is.

It starts by talking about the damage its presence has wrought in the daylight, even if we claim never to have seen its presence the night before.

It starts by talking about the experiences of others whose worldview may be foreign to yours.It starts by being real about the frustration, the damage - to body, soul, property and legacy – this elephant has caused. It starts by acknowledging that a change in action, takes a change in thought which takes a change of heart.

Who or what can change the heart? For me, this is a question that only experience, dialogue, spirituality and faith can answer.