Thank you for your wisdom, Steve. As an older white woman, I shy away from writing about racism. (I’ve been called a Karen on the basis of my photo alone.) From what I’ve read by other writers of both my race and others, and the comments their articles prompt, I’d very likely be opening a can of whoop ass on myself if I wrote about racism. I was born entitled (through no fault of my own, I might add) and so my opinion and prospective are irrelevant to some people. I have never lived or worked anywhere where I had much opportunity to meet or make friends with black people, not even in college. Making a point to find black friends seems a little weird. Friendship shouldn’t be forced. So all I can do, for the moment is to read, listen, and try to understand. I do what I can to support voting rights and other initiatives important to the black community. Unfortunately, much of what I read makes me want to avoid black people all together. A writer on Medium recently claimed she could tell if someone was racist within moments of meeting them. Nobody likes to be put under the microscope. Now I feel I have to walk on eggshells for fear or being forever branded a racist. One might charge that only a racist would worry about that, but I beg to differ. When I meet a new person, my first thought is, is this a potential friend? Will they get my jokes? Do we share common interests? Are they fun to be with? I don’t approach new people looking for flaws. That seems to be a bad way to go. If you go looking for flaws, you’re bound to find them, we’re all human. Many seem to lose sight of the fact that there’s good in everyone and people are better in general than the worst thing they’ve ever said or done. The good in people isn’t set at a fixed amount. It can be nurtured and expanded. Just as the bad can. Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for giving voice to what I’ve been thinking.