barriers falling down like waters

I have been part of conversations with UU ministers about race where voices were raised and fists clenched in real anger. I have listened to story after story of hateful words and spiteful actions and, perhaps worse, tales of people of color being avoided, ignored, and silenced through “benign neglect.”

I have been privileged to listen to a few of these people gather themselves and return to the fire, re-engaging with the very people who had harmed them before.

I am frankly astonished by the commitment and unflinching open-heartedness of people of all races and ethnicities who choose to do the work of undoing racism. To honor their example of living with integrity, I must commit to the same honesty, the same humility, the same resilience in pursuit of justice and inclusion for all.
It is the hardest work we can do, to even *notice* the barriers in our own hearts
and to begin to dismantle them—-and it is some of the most important work we can do
as we evolve as compassionate and courageous human beings.

So may we be.