Episode 42: Confronting anti-Black racism with Kimberly McCormick
An incredibly powerful interview with Kimberly McCormick talking about understanding, acknowledging and taking action against anti-Black racism.
Kimberley works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Georgia, is a singer/songwriter, and runs a growing community supporting diabetics. We met in a marketing group on Facebook where I found her to be an enormously inspiring speaker with a powerful way of getting past white defensiveness about our complicity in anti-Black racism.
So I asked her to come and talk to me so I could share her clarity, wisdom and powerful message.
Click here to read a summary transcription of this podcast episode.
We talk about:
- The sadness in the Black community and the roller-coaster of emotions at the moment
- The impact of 400 years of oppression today
- Relief that finally people are paying attention to anti-Black racism
- Trying to understand the weight of the emotion, both sadness and anger within the black community
- Being able to accept when Black people don’t want to talk about what’s going on
- Moving through White fragility and not getting defensive when confronted about racism
- Accepting the message the way it’s conveyed and not trying to tone police
- Allowing Black people the time to exhale and work out where they are with the current situation
- The importance of listening and learning about the situation
- God deciding to take definitive action in 2020 to make humans listen!
- The impact of Covid-19 on getting the world to wake up and take notice
- The impact of 400 years of oppression and stress on the overall health of the black community
- Carrying the grief of one’s ancestors
- Being brave to ask questions and move on if you get it wrong
- Being willing to open yourself up to things you’ve never encountered before
- Being willing to get uncomfortable
- Changing your circle if everyone in it looks like you
- What white people in particular can do now to help change the world, hopefully for good
- How if you want to break the ice you need to be willing to be the ice breaker
And lots more.
You may also read the summary transcription here.
Kimberly’s Facebook Page
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