7 actions non-black people can take right now.

I want to honestly admit that I am generally someone who tends to politically overcorrect, be overly diplomatic, try to see both sides of a story in every given situation, play devil’s advocate and as a result, i often avoid concretely picking a side, even if heart in heart i know what side i am really on.

To top it off, with immaculate ‘desi’ conditioning i have become somewhat of a people pleaser, non-confrontational, and measured when conducting myself in my public, on social media and in my professional life. Which does not help me be truly honest, open and candid about discussing topics which might be messy, hard, and taboo to talk about in desi communities.

30+ years into life, I finally want to change this about myself. This is my attempt to start being fearless about judgement from people i know (including complete strangers). I want to be courageous about sharing my opinions boldly and firmly, and hopefully in the process learn to find my authentic voice. Not my filtered voice, not my measured voice, not my second-guessing voice — my real voice. And hopefully share it in a respectful, humble, informed, and ‘being curious to learn’ manner.

What is happening (and has been happening for centuries) in America as it pertains to systemic racial oppression, police brutality against blacks and all forms of racism and all other injustices in the world right now is simply wrong. I want to say that out loud and clear. We talk about it behind closed doors, and in the safety of our privilege and the knowledge that it doesn’t affect us directly. But unless we stand up against any form of injustice, in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, workplaces, countries, and the world, nothing will really change.

To be an ally and supporter against any injustice we first need to learn about, educate ourselves on, understand our sphere of influence in the system, and act towards resolution of this injustice.

here are 7 things non-black people can do right now.