You Don’t Have to Do It All

I had the privilege to hear Austin Channing Brown (racial justice media producer, author, and speaker) interviewed by Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs (mom, writer, collaborator, and award-winning artist and organizer) at Mom 2.0 last weekend.

One of the key takeaways for racial justice and in all areas of our lives was that we don’t have to do it all. Austin asked us to do what we do best and trust that the woman sitting next to us is going to do her best. 

After a childhood of being told I could become whoever I wanted to be, it can be hard to not feel that I have to do it all. I love the idea of trusting others to do what they do best. 

When my oldest started high school, the head of school thanked us for trusting them with our children. He suggested we consider how much we wanted the school to cut our kids some slack when they made mistakes and asked for the same courtesy in return. 

Austin reminded us we all make mistakes. That we should do what we can and learn. That we are not going to solve the world’s problems. That making a difference in even one person’s life is important. 

I greatly enjoyed her book, I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness and she just published a version for kids, I'm Still Here (Adapted for Young Listeners): Loving Myself in a World Not Made for Me. 

She recommends reading books by people of color to help raise anti-racist families. Let me know if you have other book and media suggestions! And check out Austin Channing Brown and Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacob’s websites.