Goal Setting for a Nation

I had planned out my next few blog posts to be focused on health and wellness but with everything going on I wanted to do something more! I wanted to talk about something that is important and needs everyone's attention right now. My initial topic for this blog post was going to focus on goal setting as it relates to fitness but I think the topic of goal setting still applies just with a slightly different focus. 

I have been in complete awe of the tune that social media has taken in the last two weeks since George Floyd's horrific death on May 25th. I finally saw the video the other day and literally could not believe my eyes. I do not recommend everyone to watch the video but NY Times did a really comprehensive break down of timeline of leading up to George being confronted by the store employees to when the police arrived to his death. (Link for NY Times video breakdown). 

George's story is not the only one circulating right now that speaks volumes to the truth about social injustice and racism in America, but it was the story that finally opened my eyes to what is actually going on in America. 

I am a white, cisgender, heterosexual, educated, married female. I know I carry other identities but these are the ones that I realize now that give me privilege in America. This is not to say I have not dealt with difficult situations or had hardships but I am starting to see how I do not have the same struggles as others in my life. What is worse is I am starting to realize that my struggles often do not cause me to fear for my life. I accept that I have been living in privilege and know now that this has made me blind to the struggles that other face on a daily basis. 

Racism in America is real. Again I did not realize this until last week. I did not understand how it is affecting so many Americans. People who are part of our nation and country but yet they fear for their lives on a daily basis, simply because of the color of their skin. I am by no means an expert and I definitely do not have answers to solve the systemic racism that corrupts our justice system and our government. We have a president who cannot open his eyes to what is happening and he is not listening to the people when they are trying to tell him "We need change TODAY!". 

I have identified my privilege and want to do better. If you are a person of color that knows me, then tell me how I can help! If you are white and know me, then let's have a conversation about our privilege and how we can do better to make our society fair for all citizens of America. I was thinking about the Pledge of Allegiance the other day as I was reflecting on protests that were broken up by police brutality. The words were ringing in my head reminding me of what this nation is supposed to stand for, "liberty and justice for all". There was no liberty for George, but I sure as hell hope there is justice for his family and loved ones. 

We have to do better to recognize our faults in the government and its officials that we are supposed to trust. We elect them and believe that they will do the right thing by creating laws and a justice system that protects the innocent and punishes the bad. That system has failed us. So one of my personal goals is to better educate myself on the elected officials in my area and hold them accountable for their actions. I also donated to a group that I believe is making an impactful difference in the fight against social injustice. The Innocence Project, a group doing great work to help those who have been wrongly accused or hurt by our so called "justice system". 

If you are like me and want to do more to create change but do not know how I would highly recommend looking at the groups and organizations you are part of and start asking questions. Questions that may be difficult or challenging. They might make you feel uncomfortable and awkward but thats the point. If you have been living in a bubble of privilege it's time to step out of that bubble and wake up to the reality we live in.  Racism is alive and well and we have to be willing to own up to our own blindness and see the truth. Yes all lives matter but until we recognize that you truly have to mean ALL lives, then that phrase means absolute crap! 

So join me in setting the goal to become more aware by educating ourselves on the social injustice that is happening. Take whatever action you see fit from reading, listening to podcasts, watching movies and television that touch on true stories, getting connected with your local and state officials to see how they plan to create social equity, talk to your friends, family and loved ones about your own biases. We have to start doing better because every life does matter, but we have to mean it when we say it.