I wouldn’t have known, except….

When I worked for DC Public Schools, people would come up to me after community meetings often and say “I wouldn’t have known about this meeting if you hadn’t...” fill in the blank: "...put this flyer up at my son’s school" or “sent a robo call home” or “put it on your website.”

Often these comments were said as accusations, angrily implying we should have done more to let them know. I started asking people, “How would you have wanted us to let you know," and just listening to their answers, looking for ways to communicate out this information more effectively in the future.

This morning I was snoozing my alarm and saw a notification that a baseball game was cancelled / postponed due to the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright in Minnesota.

I started crying. I thought about a music video I’ve gone back to a number of times since discovering it last year.

One of my first thoughts was to text a friend of mine who is in that music video. Checking the date I felt bad that I didn’t know about this shooting before now, it happened two days ago.

Should I still reach out to my friend? What would/could/should I say?

Then I thought about those people in DC who would come up to me and tell me “I wouldn’t know, except…” this applies to more things than I realized.

What hit me this morning is it doesn’t have to just be negative.

Maybe I don’t know what to say. And maybe it would have been better if I had reached out sooner. But, my friend will never know I’m thinking about him or that his music video has made an impression on my life if I don’t tell him.

One truth I circle back to regularly is this - we don't reach out in love enough.

When you think of someone, reach out.

When you have a chance to let someone know they made a difference in your life, take it.

A text, a note in the mail, an email – they can be what causes someone to say “I would never have known, except” in a way that means “Thank you for letting me know I matter and made a difference for someone.”

I know I referenced this song in a recent post, but it is also applicable here - one person having an idea and acting on it can make a difference (listen to the song Genealogy of Revolution, or read my other post if you want to know more). 

I am just once person. That is a fact. But all the choices I make, including the things I choose not to do, they have an impact on others.

And if enough people do something, we can change the world.

We need people standing up and saying, "Enough, this has to stop. Things have to change."

I want to be one of those voices.

Black Lives Matter.

We have to change power dynamics in this country.

We have to change systems that enable senseless death and violence.

People won't know....unless we tell them.

Say it both ways:

Say "We won't stand for this" to people in power.

Say "I'm standing with you" to those people and communities facing loss.

People won't know....unless we tell them.