I’ve been doing my little part in the coffee community for 5 years with KC Coffee Geek and I’ve always made it a rule to stay out of current events, news and politics and to focus on the diversion of bringing coffee content to people, but everyone has a line in the sand and the recent events in the United States, that are reflective of most of the rest of the world, are my line, so I feel a need to have my voice heard through this platform that I’ve built here.
Black Lives Matter to me. I support the protesters and my daily work in healthcare involves weekly volunteering in a community health center here in Kansas City where most of my patients are marginalized, whether that’s due to race, gender, sexuality, age, ability/disability, socioeconomic status, prison record, drug and alcohol abuse, etc. I’ve seen what this does to individuals and I see what it has done specifically to the rich and vibrant black community of this city, and country. I’ve been a member of a profession whose doctors are over 91% white and as a white male myself I’m one trust fund away from being the poster boy for white privilege.
It would be very easy for me to say that I have always lived my life as a non-racist. But that’s not enough anymore and I will do what I can to learn more, help more, and do more for equality for all people as I move forward, whether that’s through my personal life, my professional life, or KC Coffee Geek.