The words that we use have power. They can lift us up just as they can beat us down. Words can also have very little power.

Words power come from people having power and using them. Sometimes this power is given by us and other times it is taken from us.

Words that have power over people due to what is taken from said person / people include but are not limited to: Racism, Sexism, Misogyny, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Bigotry. These words are in our everyday environment. Our ability to solve them should include our ability to discuss them and their power over people. The power that was taken from the people it impacts.

Too often when the topic comes up for discussion instead of speaking about it to learn and grow to take the power from those empowered because of it we retreat to a stance of doing nothing. And this doing nothing ultimately harms the people these words impact.

We have grown comfortable with saying we are not this or that while simultaneously participating in the harm caused to others. We are not directly doing the harm but we are not helping others from being harmed.

Blindly saying you are not XyZ or that that ZyX is not a real thing that impacts people does a disservice to those being impacted.

We collectively can do better, we just have to decide to do better. Stop being afraid of those in power because the powerless need more help than the powerful.