Fighting for Change: What it Means to Come to the Front

 
 

A note from Forthright founder Katie Test Davis

This weekend, as I was taking in the news of protests around the country, I read about a particular chant that resonated with me.

A crowd of people pressing up against a police line chanted “white people to the front”. They asked all the white people who showed up to the protest to use their privilege as a first line of defense.

What a poignant and simple ask. So, yes. I’m a white woman, and I’ll go to the front. Let me start here:

I am outraged that black people like George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are being killed, and without accountability.

It is ugly, it is uncomfortable, and we do not get to turn away.

I am committed to using my privilege and my platform to create a better world.

As a communicator, I know that effective and meaningful outreach and advocacy begins by listening. That asking good questions, the right questions, and then truly listening gets you really, really far in creating lasting change. I ask:

How can I seek to understand your lived experiences? How has history shaped where we are today? How are people truly feeling? Why? What do they value? What is preventing them from taking action? Who is in this conversation, and equally important, who isn’t? Why aren’t they? What barriers must we remove to get them here? What can I do to show up? To go to the front?

There is so much left to learn for me—for all of us—but I’m committed to acknowledging what is wrong and listening to understand.

Learning more about our country’s history and systemic racism is our starting line. I want to use this week’s email to share some of my favorite children’s and young adult books from black authors that have helped me listen and learn. Here are three:

  • The Hate U Give: This book by Angie Thomas does an amazing job of describing systemic racism, how to use your voice and what it feels like to be black in a white-dominated space.

  • Tar Beach: I loved this book when I was little because I identified with hot summer nights surrounded by the love of family. As an adult, I see an escape from slavery and a definition of freedom.

  • Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?: As a child, when people asked me who my hero was, I would quickly say Sojourner Truth. I read this biography of her for a school project and instantly identified with a woman who was willing to speak her mind and take up space. She taught me what bravery looks like, and revisiting her story as an adult is humbling, because bravery doesn’t begin to capture it.

When I founded Forthright to work with organizations that love kids, I had the opportunity to build a company that reflects my values. I chose to build a firm that puts people first. That commitment extends past my own team and our clients, and out into the world and the communities we serve.

What does it mean to love kids?

It means coming to the front, ready to use everything I am and everything I’ve been given to do hard work.

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