We Must Do Better

Today started as a great day. I was on a Zoom with a middle school class of mostly black and brown children from Fall River, Massachusetts. Asked to talk about entrepreneurship, I discussed my own path and how it took me from struggling as a student to becoming a successful entrepreneur. We talked about how everyone’s journey looks different and how people have different challenges and obstacles they need to overcome.

The students asked me questions about making good decisions and what it takes to be successful. Most of my answers had the same backbone: I told them it takes hard work, determination, and grit. We discussed that if you work hard, if you learn from setbacks, you can use these lessons to propel you forward and you can make a difference.

I walked away from the Zoom today feeling good and so optimistic about our future. I felt like I had stoked an ember in a few kids. I felt like the work I do on a daily basis, to help struggling students (overwhelmingly students of color) matters. It was a great day, and I knew 2021 was off to a terrific start for me and these incredible middle school students from Fall River.

Then I watched the news today.

I watched an inexplicable scene of people storming the Capitol of the United States. With Confederate flags and hatred, these individuals represent everything that goes against the very things I believe in. I’m not as naive to believe that racists don't live in this country. What bothers me isn’t only the chaos and turmoil created by these people. It’s the response to it.

I think about all of the Black Lives Matter events held throughout the country, especially in the last 12+ months.  I think about people protesting police brutality but doing so peacefully. I think about people standing up for equality.  I also think about all of these people being tear gassed and arrested. They were met with a brutal violence that harkened back to a different, darker era. They were mostly BLACK and BROWN.

And yet, here we are today - January 6, 2021. White supremacist domestic terrorists stormed the United States Capitol. They threatened not only democracy in this country, but the lives of people who have built their careers fighting for America. The response was shockingly muted. They were WHITE.

How can I talk to students about making good choices, staying focused, and being leaders, but then have them see these events unfold in our nation's capital? It makes me feel like a fraud. Most devastating of all, it makes them question their own ability to make change and make their dreams come true.

We must do better.