Today, I shared a short reflection of my experience at POCC with the middle school during our weekly chapel service. I usually shy away from this sort of thing, but if I want to be engage more with this, I need to speak up when I have the chance. So here goes:
I had the privilege of attending the People of Color Conference last December. There, I attended a session about how white children are (or usually are not) socialized to talk about race. It made me realized that when I was a child, my parents and teachers never talked to me directly about race or privilege, though that in no way is meant to blame them. Although I knew people were different, I didn’t develop the language or skills to talk about my experiences. And learning to talk about race and privilege is a skill that you can learn.
At the Conference, I questioned why, as someone who identifies as white, I would be allowed or even invited to attend. I came away understanding that my role, as a person of privilege, is to be an ally to those with fewer privileges. In order to do that, I need to develop my own racial identity.
One of the concrete goals that I made after leaving the conference is to talk to my son about race and privilege so that he will grow up with the awareness and skills for understanding his privileges in a world that treats people differently.
Julie Kallio, PhD 