I am a 30 year old mother of twins, a wife and a former teacher. I am by no means a political analyst or an expert in anything really. All I am is an American citizen who is deeply worried about her country. I know 2020 has been a full on disaster for everyone on the planet, but it has been a special kind of catastrophe for myself and my family. This last year both of my parents became unexpectedly sick and both passed away within two months of each other, at 53 and 54 years old. I found myself having no parents before I had even turned 30 and that gives you a very unique perspective on life. With the loss of my parents, the uncertainty of schools with COVID, plus a 3 year old son with special needs, I decided to take this year off to focus on my family and work with my kids. Being home has allowed me to watch the news far more than I ever had in my life. It has also allowed me to follow politics far more than I ever had in my life. The more I watched the more concerned I became about the political climate of our country. I started researching, hours and hours of research, desperate to understand the many hot button issues that I was watching unfold. The more I learned the more concerned I was.
The topic I started with was racial oppression. And I just have to say this, I was ignorant. I am embarrassed by how little I knew. I grew up with blinders and I was so unaware of so many things happening in my country, AMERICA, today in the modern age. The more I learned, the worse I felt. I had thought and said ignorant things like “I don’t see color, people are just people.” I thought I was a good person who didn’t care about race. I thought that was the solution, to not see people based on color. I now know I was part of the problem, not the solution. I didn’t have to see race because race didn’t affect my life. I had suddenly become hyper aware of the difference between ignorance and hate. Ignorance can be educated.
The teacher in me believes in the power of education. America is so polarized on every single issue that no one will ever learn about the other sides points and perspectives. Had I not educated myself on racial oppression I would not understand the outrage that has led to millions of protests across the country. Education changed my perspective and maybe I am naïve but I feel strongly that knowledge and truth can change the world. America is headed down the road to a polarized country fueled by hatred and paved by fear. We desperately need to take a U-Turn and knowledge can turn that wheel. That is our goal here. I do not care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat, I care that your stance is based on truths and real information. Life is not black and white and America is not just red or blue. We can do better and for our children’s sake we have to. I feel empowered by all I have learned the last 6 months, I want to share that with you all!
Uturn Ahead 
Leave a Reply