Many discussions about racial justice repeat the same patterns and center white people’s learning. Repetition is a signal that something needs attention, and that a new behavior is possible. One behavior that I find uplifts everyone in racial justice is centering liberation as the goal.

We’ve had hundreds of years of racial categories, but before that humans were dealing with similar challenges of stereotypes, subjugation, survival, and liberation. Because of the human brain’s negativity bias, many racial justice conversations focus on the first three, but spend little time on liberation.

Liberation is bigger than any individual identity, and it recognizes your choices and wholeness. Efforts for justice mirror the spiritual conversation about wholeness where people are working to recognize the parts of themselves that have been ignored by mainstream society. Where is your wholeness in your racial justice conversations?

There are times for tears and tension, and you deserve to be playful and joyful, even as you do challenging justice work in the world. When you fight for an end to racial injustice, remember the longer journey of your wholeness.

I invite people to imagine the just world they are building, and practice living that out now. Sing and dance alongside your discussion of the world's injustices. Even good people can do harm, so welcome your own healing and wholeness as part of the journey.