#always learn

#ReformedMeanGirl

Yep. That’s me!!!!

It happened in high school. From what my brain can remember of over a decade ago (shut up, I’m not old! lol), it was my freshman year that I changed (maybe it bled into the sophomore year).

I was in the ‘popular clique’ known better as the ‘backpack clique’ amongst the adults because we all had those backpack purses that were soooooo cool in the early 2000s.

And I had this epiphany my freshman year of high school where I realized my friend groups weren’t meshing for stupid reasons. And that it meant more being a good person in your core more than anything. Appearances were totally deceiving for the ‘popular kids’ and I was exhausted.

I had been a “buddy” to the SpEd classes before, and when I asked to stop doing that, I was straight up interrogated by teachers about why. It was hard to understand for them that I just didn’t want to draw more attention to these kiddos than was needed.

And that was the start of my understanding and realizing that appearance matters, and that some people don’t choose to be how they are, and that life can happen without any rhyme or reason.

I went to college knowing I wanted to do social work. I had ideals of CPS at that time, but I realized quickly that wasn’t the place for me.

(I wish I could apologize on behalf of all the “popular bitches”. We’re all learning and growing, I hope.)

What is white fragility? - understanding that fragility is not racism, or privilege, or supremacy, but it can promote the ideals of these things.

What is white guilt? - understanding why it arises, as well as the difference between guilt vs shame, and why that’s important.

What is white privilege? - a checklist of 50 items that most POC cannot benefit from or count on. Reading this list is a good way to understand how the current system benefits white people in ways we don’t always consider or see.