How Long 'Til Black Future Month? That’s the name of the book chosen for one of our book circles this month. The “How long?!?” expresses frustration we have all known. I can hear the exasperated follow-up questions in my head:
"Why are we still talking about history, and why only one month of it, like Black history didn’t happen in the middle of ALL history?!? Like it wasn’t connected to 'White history' or national history, or world history? Why are we talking about the good old days or the bad old days? I want to talk about what’s next. I want to talk about where all of it’s taking us. Better yet, I want to DO something about getting us there!!"
We know the feelings. We want to see the changes! And we know that not doing the process work ends up with fractures in fragile relationships and even abandonment of good collaborative efforts. We have seen the hurt and disappointment of not doing our prep work. We know about the need for learning, hearing, trusting, planning, trying – and then going back and trying again when it isn’t quite right the first time. The African proverb says it well: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I want fast and far. It’s kind of the American way, right? I’ll do it my way – the only way – or the highway…
Amanda Gorman’s poem for Inauguration Day helps us: “a country that isn’t broken, just unfinished”...“not to forge a perfect union, but ...a country with purpose”...“victory in the bridges we build” - not the battles or arguments or power we win.
When we learn to talk without dominating, to listen without preconceived ideas, to plan from the perspective of the one most affected by outcomes, we have a chance of stepping into and back out of the past, with purpose. We learn to really see - to understand. We have a chance of actually repairing and finishing what’s not yet working.
