SPEAKING IN COURAGE

It often starts with a feeling before it ever becomes a moment.

A tightening in the chest as someone’s eyes linger on you a little too long. A smile accompanied by a hint of fear or discomfort. A question asked with an edge of suspicion or belittlement. A laugh that turns sharp when your back is turned. A store clerk’s harsh stare. A joke that isn’t really a joke. A seat that stays empty beside you on the bus. A question that sounds innocent until you notice how often it’s asked, and to whom.

"Because Our Everyday Isn't Ordinary"

These covert racist moments don't always announce themselves with slurs, insults or gestures - but in ‘ordinary’ everyday interactions and conversations - small on their own -  like tiny cuts, barely visible. 

“What you dismiss in a moment can define someone’s entire day, year, or life - choose to see.”

But, they collect in places no one else can see, settling into our lives, affecting the safety we feel, and the sense of self we carry.

This blog rises from the weight of those covert everyday moments - that may feel familiar to some or entirely new to others - and how they are woven into systems, normalized in cultures, and sustained through habits we rarely examine

It speaks of the quiet heartbreak of being misunderstood, the exhaustion of being watched, the ache of being doubted before you’ve even spoken or even how something as simple as a passing comment can bruise a spirit.  

“Invisible harm is still harm - naming it is how we begin to dismantle it.”

These experiences tell the story of how people - carrying a mix of pain, struggle, and resilience - are navigating a world that questions them, and still continue to rise with a stubborn, quiet courage. 

I,m speaking to open hearts - to reveal the complicated, often invisible ways everyday racism shapes a life - because, once you truly see it, you can’t turn away. 

Above all, it’s an invitation - to listen closely, and to understand the world not just as you’ve known it, but as others live it every day.

This is a statement of the strength it takes to keep breathing through it all, the smile shared with someone who understands without needing explanations, the warmth of community & the boldness of dreaming in a world that tries, again and again, to make our dreams smaller.

I want to illuminate the resilience, creativity, and resistance of those who navigate these realities every day.

“When we choose to see the unseen, we make room for understanding, equity, and belonging.”