Thread by @heysarahcarter

1/ Last thing, & then bed bc #selfcare: I talked w my 10 y/o son about the #KavanaughHearings tonight. I told him what Dr Ford experienced & why it matters that she spoke up. I told him that as a white male, he was growing up w privilege that women & minorities don’t experience

2/ It was a strange sensation, speaking to him this way, realizing that he was growing up w more opportunities than I ever did - than his sister will. I told him that he would be able to walk into a store & not think twice about it bc he is white. His credibility is assumed.

3/ I told him that if his skin were a different color, he might have to think about where his hands were, about whether he was wearing a hoodie, about eye contact. This is white privilege, I told him.

4/ I told him that when he grows up he will earn on average 8% more than his sister for the same work. That is male privilege, I told him.

5/ With tears I tried to smile, watching him take it all in. Make sense of it. An impossible task. But it’s okay, baby, I said. It’s okay bc I know you know the difference between right and wrong. You respect everyone. You will do better than those before you have.

6/ I stood there, folding laundry, trying to explain white male patriarchy to my 10 y/o son and simultaneously realizing that with one vote, my right to vote could be taken away. The constitution can be changed. The Supreme Court has that power to overturn.

7/ I’ve never felt as vulnerable as I do right now. My 10 y/o son may grow up to have more power than I do today. And everything I thought was certain suddenly feels upside down. This is why I speak up nd I will not stop. I do it for my daughter, yes, but I also do it for my son.