Sunday, June 7, 2020
By:
Hello, all.
My first week is in the books, and as exciting as that may be, there are much more important things going on in the United States that warrant our attention. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, along with the injustice surrounding their deaths, have further demonstrated the ever-present struggle Black Americans face in this country, simply because of the color of their skin. Systematically racist institutions and policies have continuously plagued the nation, leaving Black citizens holding the short end of the stick.
For a long time, many of us were satisfied speaking no evil. However, we also chose to see and hear no evil, even when the sights and sounds of prejudice directed at Black people, people of color, and Indigenous people could have blinded and deafened us. In other words, as many others have succinctly and impactfully stated, we were satisfied not being racist. What many of us now know is that that is simply not enough; we must take things a step further. We cannot continue to close our eyes or ears to the injustices around us. We must instead be antiracist, and we must hold ourselves, our families, our friends, and our communities accountable to that end.
Those who have not sinned shall cast the first stone. In other words, change starts with me, and as a person with many privileges, so many of which pertain to my skin color, I have an important role to play. Like many, I have signed petitions and made donations, but there is so much more to be done, and I encourage you to join me.
As a physicist, like all scientists, I learned about the need to actively and consciously look out for and correct implicit bias that could invalidate an experimental result. In a similar fashion, covert, implicit racial prejudice invalidates the American experiment. To eradicate implicit racial biases then, I must actively and consciously look out for and correct them. I must continue educating myself. I must stand up against injustice. I must support those around me advocating for positive change. More than anything though, I must listen. I must listen today, tomorrow, and every day after that because Black Lives Matter every single day.
Although this was probably not the post you were expecting, I think it was the post we needed, or at least that I needed. Not too long ago, I was told that deadlines do not matter unless you write them down; there is no sense of accountability otherwise. I think the same can be said for goals.
Catch you guys next week when I will actually talk about working in Congress and share a fun but important story about listening.
Peace,
Kyle Blasinsky