Category: race
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Ukraine, Race, and Our Double Standards for Empathy
Americans’ reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown the depths our compassion. But our ability to view Ukrainians as like “us” cannot be untangled from our propensity to view white people with greater admiration and empathy than we do Black and brown.
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Manifestation is the wellness industry’s version of the prosperity gospel.
Manifestation can sometimes feel like the wellness industry’s version of the prosperity gospel. Both imagine Jesus and the universe as benevolent capitalists who measure success in coins and job opportunities, granting them to the people who figure out the right way to ask for divine blessings. This can be especially problematic when we forget the role that privilege plays in our success.
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Take Up Space.
One of the messages I would love to give young women, particularly young Black women and women of color is this: Take up space. So often I see women defer to others to confirm their feelings and to validate their opinions. I see them soften their recommendations with caveats, their emails and text messages with exclamation points and emojis so as not to appear too much, too rude. I say this like I’m talking about other people, but I’m not. I’m talking about myself, too.
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Re-Learning Empathy.
When my daughter broke her leg just after the New Year, she entered a wilderness I had not traversed before. I realized I needed to reconsider everything I thought I knew about empathy – starting with the idea that empathy is about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
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How I (Don’t) Do It All
I was at a networking event the other day when a professional woman leaned in close to me after she found out I had three children in addition to my full-time job. “How,” she asked, “do you do it all?” I tipped my head back and laughed. “I don’t.”
well. 