49 mins
Marianne Franzese reacted to the murder of George Floyd with horror, grief and sadness. It literally made her cry. When her grown children saw this, they called her out.
“Stop crying. What are you doing about it?”
Indeed.
Most of us were raised to feel the feelings, have empathy, and care for others. But we were not encouraged to get angry, speak out, or disrupt the status quo.
Luckily we still have time to grow. But, we have to be willing to be called out by others, especially our children.
So this week we sat down with Marianne Franzese and her daughter Lili Chasen to have an inter-generational conversation about our role in the fight against racism.
According to Lili, our number one task is to get uncomfortable. This is not easy for us. The pull for equilibrium and people pleasing is strong. But for too long we have been silent and complicit in a racial system that deprives and oppresses black men and women.
As Lili states, “white silence kills.”
It’s time to grow a thicker skin, move past our social conditioning, and build stamina for disruption. It’s time to have those difficult conversations.
Evolution is intergenerational. We need to know our history and the history of our ancestors. We have to be challenged on our present day perspectives by the generations that follow us. And then we collectively step forward into a new future, with new leaders, new roles and new rules.
Kids today. They’ll save us all.
Twisting the plot.
The ideas and suggestions that Lili shares on this podcast are informed by the following black leaders:
Ericka Hart
Monique Melton
Rachel Cargle
Robin DiAngelo
Please follow them and educate yourselves.
