Humans across the globe are finally talking about race.\xa0 Not in whispers, but out loud.\xa0 Real, raw talk that requires self-examination while giving others #permissiontospeak and having the #couragetolisten with an open mind.\xa0 What happens when those dialogues are among family members?\xa0 And what happens when those family members are multi-racial?\xa0 In part 2 of our series "#Courageous Conversations" we find out.
In the wake of George Floyd's death and massive protests confronting police brutality and racism, Tonya Kemper was compelled to act.\xa0 Tonya's birth parents are Black and Sicilian.\xa0 She was adopted and raised by a white family. \xa0 Her brother, Terry Hochstedler, is one of Tonya's three white siblings who says he's never thought of her as his "Black" sister; simply his "sister."
The family had never really talked about race until Tonya pushed the subject front and center.\xa0 She poured out her thoughts and feelings in a letter to her family, called a virtual meeting, and then read it to them.
Tonya reached out to Our Voices Matter to share her story in hopes that it will inspire other families to have their own courageous conversations.\xa0 We asked if one of her siblings might agree to engage in this dialogue, and Terry stepped up.
None of this is easy.\xa0 All of this is necessary, if we are to get at the root of this disease called racism. \xa0