Heart Breaking Current Events
I have struggled to know what to say or do regarding the deaths of Auhmad Arbery and George Floyd. We all see and know their names and my heart breaks for them and because I know there are more just like them whose names we don't know. I also know that the color of your skin does still make a difference as much as I wish it didn't. I know that I don't look suspicious when I walk my dog, when I walk around a store, or when I break into my parents' house because I don't have a key and that the same is not true for everyone.
I know right now that after 14 months of waiting for an adoption match that I don't know anymore who our child will be than when I started. I know that it's possible Garrett and I will be raising a black child in a world where people who look like them will be put down, hurt, or killed by people who look like us, their white parents. That breaks my heart. The higher up we creep on the waiting list the closer we come to knowing who our child will be. I'm hoping and praying that when the times come I'll know how to talk to them about race and privilege.
Right now, the very least that I felt I could do for myself was to retake an unconscious bias test I took in college. For those of you who don't know, unconscious bias (or implicit bias) is prejudice or unsupported judgments in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared to another in a way that is usually considered unfair. As a result of this bias, some people benefit while others are penalized. I needed a reminder of what my automatic reactions are so that I can work on overcoming the bias that operates under the surface of my thoughts and actions. I can't change the world, but I can check my heart.
If you would like to take a test to help uncover your unconscious biases, follow the link below. You don't have to share your results with anyone. This is a tool to get to know yourself a little better and maybe inspire some change in your actions and perceptions.
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
I know right now that after 14 months of waiting for an adoption match that I don't know anymore who our child will be than when I started. I know that it's possible Garrett and I will be raising a black child in a world where people who look like them will be put down, hurt, or killed by people who look like us, their white parents. That breaks my heart. The higher up we creep on the waiting list the closer we come to knowing who our child will be. I'm hoping and praying that when the times come I'll know how to talk to them about race and privilege.Right now, the very least that I felt I could do for myself was to retake an unconscious bias test I took in college. For those of you who don't know, unconscious bias (or implicit bias) is prejudice or unsupported judgments in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared to another in a way that is usually considered unfair. As a result of this bias, some people benefit while others are penalized. I needed a reminder of what my automatic reactions are so that I can work on overcoming the bias that operates under the surface of my thoughts and actions. I can't change the world, but I can check my heart.
If you would like to take a test to help uncover your unconscious biases, follow the link below. You don't have to share your results with anyone. This is a tool to get to know yourself a little better and maybe inspire some change in your actions and perceptions.
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
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