As a white liberal, I’ve tended to exist by doing (what I now understand) as the minimum. I vote Democrat, I disavow the bigots, and of course I’m not racist. But this moment in history requires us to do more, and to truly examine ourselves.

That means taking a hard look in the mirror at my own biases, my own racism and doing the work to educate myself without relying on black people to hold my hand. It means screwing up as an ally, picking myself up and trying again. And again. It means carrying the burden so it can be lighter for others.