Today I sat down and had a conversation. It lasted about 1.5 hrs an hour of which I recorded for this podcast

This conversation was with a friend and an old teammate

He is a teacher, a coach, a father, and a husband

He also happens to be black

My goal with this conversation was to learn, to better understand the struggles of the African American community that I as white middle-class male have never had to experience

My goal was to give him a platform to talk and educate others that are in a similar position as me

My goal was to start a conversation that hopefully leads to more conversations like this

I am far from perfect, and while I was raised in a household that taught me to respect all people and treat everyone equally, I grew up in a community where racism was accepted to some degree and this, in no doubt, shaped my lack of reaction to it and even to a degree, participation in it by making jokes, by not speaking up, by staying in my own bubble.

I tell my clients that change never comes from a place of comfort and at times this conversation was very uncomfortable for me, but I am glad it happened and hope to continue it with Phil and others.

My hope is you listen, truly listen to this conversation and it leads you to have this same conversation with someone of color in your life