African American

It makes so much sense to understand that it was being brave enough to take the beating that made the Civil Rights campaign work so well. It was the bravery that really tugged at our souls and made us open our eyes to what had been going on. I was a white girl in Indiana with parents who never said a racist thing in their lives. I was in an integrated school where everyone got along as far as I knew (and as far as I still know). I was shocked when Civil Rights became an issue because I had absolutely no idea that anyone judged black people differently, that they were treated differently. But I was still a kid then, in junior high. Seeing the attacks at the lunch counters, watching the news when churches were bombed horrified me. Emmett Till still haunts me. It opened my eyes and I learned to listen more after that and to read things that made me more aware of white privilege.

I WILL stand with my African American brothers and sisters. I will stand with LGBT, Muslims, and yes... with women who will likely lose many of their rights as well. I will not go down the road of looking the other way, of normalizing awful things.

I promise I won't let anyone down.