We Can’t Fix What We Don’t Talk About

As I do most nights, I settled into my apartment and found a great podcast to turn on. The music for Pod Save the People, a powerful podcast hosted by the inspiring activist DeRay Mckesson, started up. At the very end of the intro, DeRay said something that made me pause, think, rewind, and listen:

“We can’t fix what we don’t talk about.”

Pause, think, rewind, and listen:

“We can’t fix what we don’t talk about.”

I stopped the podcast (I would finish it eventually – the interview with Tracee Ellis Ross is incredible!) and just thought about the power of that sentence.

Day after day, setback after setback, there’s just so much to keep up with in the age of Trump. The pile of issues – racism, sexism, international collusion, transphobia, the crumpling of democracy, anti-Semitism, and so many more – seem to grow taller and taller and crush people with their weight. I feel my Twitter feed pulling the happiness and hope from my heart. Every news alert on my phone shoots anxiety and worry through the veins in my body.

There’s just so much. (Deep breath)

But part of the struggle is staying on top of everything. Just as we must stay vigilant in the streets, courtrooms, airports, and anywhere else freedom and justice is threatened, we must stay informed and we must share our vision for a better world. Every book read, article shared, conversation had, and rally attended moves us closer to our vision of truth, justice, and love. We must be clear on the issues and on our values so that we can raise our voices and speak truth to power.

“We can’t fix what we don’t talk about.”

So, whatever that “it” is for you, let’s talk about it. Together. And let’s fix it. Together. Because the hopes, dreams, and lives of so many people are at stake in this very moment.