There are protests happening in the streets just a few miles from where I currently sit. For good reason. There is also violence happening there, and across this country, which is heartbreaking, wrong, and largely unprovoked against those protesting. The President is out there fomenting further hate, fear, and violence; not acting like the leader we need, or a leader at all. It’s shameful, and I’m ashamed. We should be better at this, and the things that happened to George Floyd and so many other black men and women should not happen, and certainly should not be egged on by those in positions of leadership.

We can, and should do better.

It should go without saying (but it’s not going to) that I support the cause of racial justice and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I’m saying it. Black Lives Matter. No qualifications.

Something I think it a lot of people of my particular hue struggle with, however, is being an ally to the cause in a way that is effective, productive, and not problematic. I worry that coming from me, a cis-het white man of a certain age, statements of support for the movement will appear not genuine or condescending. I worry about this because I am (at least on some levels) aware of my privilege, privilege that I primarily just lucked into by accident of birth. By definition, I can never *truly* understand the challenges that people who are not me contend with, and as a result, I sometimes balk at outward expression on the topic, for fear of doing more harm than good, because this is not about me.

Of course, that last paragraph is all about me, or my difficulty of finding a way to talk about it without making it all about me, which, by the use of the word “my” at all, defeats the whole purpose.

Damn.

I want to be an public ally to my fellow humans of color, just like I’m figuring out how to be a public ally to my LGBTQ+ fellow humans. I think most of us do. It’s hard, but I’m working on it, and want to do so in a way that doesn’t detract from the message.

All I can say is I support you and the message. I’m here.