Is your heart hurting today after the news?

Is your heart hurting?

Mine is. I woke up with tears – not just because we lost 5 officers in Dallas or even for the families of two more young black men who were killed (Alton Sterling and Philando Castile) but because this keeps happening.

I am blessed to be connected to many of my clients on both Facebook and LinkedIn but reading their statuses during this horrific week hurts. I am white. I have had my own trials and tribulations but I have no knowledge of what is like to be black or walk in their shoes.

As I read one client’s status of how she felt she had to say no to her young academically and athletically talented black son who wanted to take his car to college 3 1/2 hours from their home, my heart hurt. I’ve watched him grow up for the past six years and become a remarkable young man.

As a mom, you always are worried about your children but today’s issues have taken this to a whole new level. She is worried that he might not be safe as a young black male driver. While mom’s worry about children driving, they shouldn’t have to worry about them not surviving a police stop for a broken tail light.

Finding solutions to our differences

Many of my clients are a different race, religion, or ethnicity than I am but it never stopped us from working together and creating amazing resumes and finding ways to help them reach their career goals.

Furthermore, I can’t tell you how much I have been blessed by the diversity of my clients. They enriched me, made me see the world from their eyes, and helped me understand their unique challenges. My business has expanded and grown because of the generosity of people who are different from me. We need to stop seeing colors and distinctions and find common ground.

Is your heart hurting too? Let’s try to find ways to work together. Let this week be the start to move forward.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net