glenrockschwartz

Dear Alex It is just seven minutes until your birthday as I begin to type this. I have been thinking a lot over the past couple of days about what to write to you, but haven't gotten started and just as I begin to drift off to sleep tonight on the eve of your golden birthday (16 on the 16th!) the thoughts have begun to come together. So here goes: Worldwide Pandemic   The main reason that is has been so hard for me to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) this year is that you will always remember your 16th birthday as the year we lived through the need for social distancing due to Corona Virus. And while all other birthday blog posts have focused on you, this one will consider more of your place in the world given the insane times through which we are living.  So in typical 16 year old fashion, you and your friends believe yourselves to be invincible and rail against the need for distance. But we self quarantine not because we fear for our own lives. Rather, this

I am the grandchild of slaves. I have worked for huge corporate entities that want to do good and make sure we all have attended unconscious bias training. LGBTQ speak up in these trainings about all they encountered.  So do people of color. It is horrible what they have to endure in their regular lives. I do not speak up. People do not want to hear from me. If I speak up, the hate crimes against me will only grow. I am the grandchild of slaves.   Slaves who were freed in the 1940s, 70+ years ago, only two generations ago.  In those two generations we have embraced our freedom. We are educated. We have bachelors degrees, MBAs, doctorates and post-doctorates.  We are prosperous. We drive fancy cars and live in fancy houses. We have no reason to be afraid and no reason to complain.  We have been given nothing and achieved everything. I am the grandchild of slaves. I appreciate my freedom every day.  I worry about my freedom being taken from me every day. I liv