The time is always right...

White managers/leaders: Please check in with YOURSELF.

I am writing this to all my White folks out there. 

I have started this post a couple of times over. I feel angry and I’m typing loudly and my hands are shaking. And my thoughts are all over the place. And my heart is beating hard. And I’ve asked my 6-year old to keep herself busy for another hour today. And I really need to go to the bathroom but I am holding on that because I want to say this to you. And normally I would tell myself to come back when I am calmer and so that you can hear me, but I am going to say all of this now. There is nothing wrong with what my body is telling me, feeling, or calling me to do. All of what I feel is justified and has a place. 

From the archives: I am a Women's-Studies-major-having woman from Wellesley College. And I have forgotten about gender.

I just came across this piece from my journal and thought that it would be good to dust off in light of the Women's March this Saturday. It's sort of amazing to feel the energy and activism that seems to be rising up from all corners lately.

The community I want...

Even though it's after 10pm and I'm full of fried chicken, I am also energized and hopeful. This is always how I feel after a Swirl dinner and I get to talk to others who similarly want to be honest about the flaws in our society, and think about positive ways to confront them. And this is not about getting together to pat ourselves on the back for knowing better. We acknowledge our own shortcomings and biases too. And our own inabilities - at times - to confront the very things that we also question.

Multiracial families: Counted but still misunderstood

In the past couple of years, I have noticed a certain complacency that I never noticed before, in my eleven years of leading Swirl. The same passion and the same excitement around building multiracial communities had faded a bit. In the one year leading up to the Presidential election, we launched five new chapters (the norm had been a chapter every year or every other year). People were excited by the energy created by Obama's campaign, and they were motivated and eager to be a part of creating supportive and inclusive multiracial communities.

A life of meaning and worth...

One of my heroes passed away yesterday - Derrick Bell, a law professor and civil rights advocate. Years ago, when I read and resonated with his book, Ethical Ambition, I wrote him a note to thank him. I felt inspired by his choices and his courage to stand up for what he believed in, even when personally risky. I didn't necessarily think that I would hear back, but it was important for me to let him know the impact his writing had on me.

We need new vocabulary

Tonight's conversation at the Brooklyn Historical Museum (BHS) was thought-provoking and energizing.

"What Are You?"

Originally published at The Brooklyn Historical Society Blog

Today’s guest post is by Jen Chau, founder of Swirl, a multi-ethnic, anti-racist organization that promotes cross-cultural dialogue.  “What are you?” is one of those questions like “Where are you from, I mean from from?” that people pose (sometimes ungracefully) when they are curious about someone’s racial/ethnic identity. What Are You? is also the title of an upcoming event (Monday, September 26th at 7pm), part of the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations series, hosted here at the Brooklyn Historical Society and co-sponsored by Loving Day.  BHS is learning more about Brooklyn’s overlapping, interweaving communities and we hope you’ll join the conversation here in the comments and at upcoming events.

On Interracial Dating: The Mixed Panel

I was asked by Racialicious to participate in one of their roundtables on interracial dating. I picked the mixed panel, and here's what we had to say (all three parts of the conversation below!).

Practice makes progress

In my years of diversity work, I am pretty sure about one thing. The people who are "good" at talking about race issues are those who have practiced.

As a participant in discussions about race, I have heard certain white individuals (not all) lament, "I just don't know how to talk about this stuff." And then I have heard some people of color (not all) in turn, say, "I am tired of talking about this stuff every day."

Coffee talk with my new "co-workers"

I have traded in a water cooler for decaf lattes with skim.

Instead of a cubicle, I share my space: six laptops to a hulking wooden table with many knots.

I have different co-workers every day, though some are recurring.