A quick story on one of the pivotal moments when I didn’t bite my tongue:

I was one of the only young women of color sitting with my coworkers discussing racism during a staff training. A white woman–who was higher on the staff hierarchy and pay scale than I me–shared about her experiences of reverse racism (!!). Her example was: getting made fun of her dancing for being a white woman.

There was a pause in the room, but no one spoke up until I broke the silence and blurted that reverse racism doesn’t exist. That was the moment I realized that people will stay quiet to avoid conflict and spare certain peoples’ feelings. That was the moment I decided that I would not be afraid of conflict and speak the truth with compassion, grace, and power.