Looking for the balance

You know, for a white American who interacts with people of different races, I think you're aware of not wanting to treat them any different, but also, in a way, wanting to treat them different because you want to be cognizant of what their race has gone through or what they might have faced differently from you, you know, you want you want to be sensitive to any of the extra challenges that have been placed in front of them because of their race, whether that's the education they received, their interactions within a predominantly white community, their experiences that their family members have lived.

And so I feel myself that I really want to be respectful and cognizant of those issues while still, you know, making sure that they feel that they're no different from me or anyone else. And so I think that that's something that plays into my decision making and I think that probably plays into the decision making of a lot of people, maybe even people of color interacting with other people of other races, you know. We all just want to make each other feel comfortable and be kind and be accepting. So I think that that's probably the way it permeates into my daily life the most is that you know, I just I try to remind myself of what others may or may not have gone through and make it so that they have the same opportunities and everything I do.