An image of two hands holding one another. With courage, strength, and hope. Titled “We’re all in this together”.

All around us the world is changing, whether that be the environment, society, or politics. During the past few months, the media has highlighted incidents of police brutality on African Americans, bringing the national conversation once again to the Black Lives Matter movement. Despite the ongoing cases of coronavirus, many entered the streets to protest in support of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Although protests have continued, the officers who killed Breonna Taylor, an innocent woman of color, have not been brought to justice. The purpose of this writing exercise is to explore the effects of discrimination in the lives of others and your own. Consider answering the following questions:

How has the Black Lives Matter movement affected the way you view certain groups of people or society in general? What have you done to support? Or what could you do to support going forward?

Talk about a time when you've dealt with racism. This can be an experience in which you were discriminated against or an event that you witnessed.

How did it make you feel and what do you think you should have done in that situation to improve the outcome?

Consider the opinions of your parents, grandparents, and previous generations on race and the different ways that they talk about and exhibit racism.

Do you think current events have changed the way they think about racism? Or have they reinforced the pre-existing thoughts? Why?
Have their opinions affected what you think? Why?

This prompt was written by by Brittney Adeck, a Words Alive Volunteer