Adam Kol and his anti-racism educator, Ask Alexis, are inviting folks to talk openly about race-based mistakes they have made to embolden others to do the same.

Listening at Sidewalk Talk is an important practice in developing as a person who strives for equity in a way that is not trying to “be a good white person” or “act out trauma vis a vis” injustice. 

Read Traci's personal share of race-based mistakes she has made and what she has learned.

Goodness, or virtue signaling is a thing now that many Americans are facing our history of racism for the first time.  We want to be “seen” as good and good has different definitions cross-culturally.  Here is the challenge, if we need to be “good” the parts of us that are “not good” go underground - we hide them from others and ourselves.  Sadly, we are prone to finding a group of people to hold our “not good” parts for us.

The death and ongoing fight for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery and the countless lives not covered in the media is why Sidewalk Talk listens. We will always will be 100% behind, Black Lives Matter now, then, and in the future in this work. We say often listening is a practice. So is anti-racism.

Mental illness is often spoken about like a personal failing. A better way to think about mental health is to look for what are the “mental illness viruses” we need to treat right now, and prevent going forward. We all play a part in taking care of one another’s mental health just like we all play a part in taking care of one another’s physical health. Sidewalk Talk is both treatment and prevention. We are here to build a society that creates mental health.