My wife and I had a very difficult and long conversation about everything been going on in this country. She is a health care worker and coming from a mixed-race background has a great perspective on the struggles of black Americans that I, as an immigrant still struggle to wrap my head around. She has been very patient in explaining and helping me understand to some extent the very complex issue of racism in America and I hope and pray every house-hold, regardless of the racial and cultural background have this open conversation as its very important as we live through these defining moments in our lives.

First of all, I want to share my opinion: People are angry at the injustice that happened and sadly, has been happening for quite a while. They have every right to protest and raise their voices as change HAS to happen to move us forward. My hope for the future is that everyone can come together, talk about these issues and think about the world we want to leave behind for our children.

The mistake I did, when I was trying to have this conversation was to find a perfect solution. My wife was quick to point out that this is not a very simple issue with a simple answer. If it were simple, we would not be where we are despite all the struggles for several hundred years. The dialogue is part of the solution, the leadership is part of the solution, changing peoples’ mindset is part of the solution but its not the whole picture. One thing we CANNOT do is keep the status quo, not stand up against racism and not have an open dialogue. So please, talk to your family openly, have an open conversation about how you feel, and seek to understand how others feel.

Unfortunately, all this is happening in the backdrop of one of the worst pandemics in our lives and I hope we can find time to connect with our family virtually, stand with our extended family that is our black community and have the conversation to make a difference.