For me, the work starts with being genuinely curious about the lives of other people.
I'm curious about the history and culture and lived experiences of other people.
Individual people I know. People I consider friends. People I work with. People I connect with online.
Individual people I don't know. Musicians whose tunes I groove to. Writers whose stories I absorb. Artists whose creativity inspires me. Speakers whose words move me. Politicians who policies motivate me.
Social justice and equity and diversity and inclusion and belonging work requires you learn industry best practices and know your history and understand systems of oppression and familiarize yourself with many other nuances and subtleties.
And.
If you're not curious about the lives of other people – how they live, how they hurt, how they love, how they grow, how they navigate the world.
How they're different than you. How they're not.
If you're not curious about the vast dynamism of the human condition.
If you don't center empathy and compassion and connection and love.
Then are you really doing the work?
I find the more curious I am about other people, the more curious I am about myself.
Who I am. Why I care. What drives me. What keeps me centered. Who I might become.
It all begins with curiosity.