I am a 70 year old white Catholic Christian who has been raising 3 grandchildren for the last 7 years. We belong to a Black Catholic church I read about in a newspaper around 20 years ago. I fell in love with it because of the beautiful Gospel music and the welcoming atmosphere and people I met there. It is probably 90 % African-American/African, but very open to diversity. I joined the choir and my grand-daughter now age 12,joined as well and has sung a few solos, because her sweet soprano voice is much better than mine. She is also part of the praise dance group. The two boys, now ages 15 and 17 have served Mass there and one now plays the bongo drums with the rest of the band that accompanies the choir. They know more about Black History than most kids their age because I teach it to them. They know about Juneteenth and the NAACP and Black Lives Matter, and CRT and why it is important to dismantle systemic racism in America--- and why it is important that they work for justice and inclusion after I am gone.

There is Black art and Black Jesus is depicted throughout our home, including a mural on the side of our garage that depicts Jesus, Mary, Gandhi, Dr. King, Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela as the Peacemakers who were my role models during my childhood, teen years and adult years of my life.

I am the president and co-founder of an annual ethnic fest in our community that has been celebrated for 14 years, but was cancelled for the last two because of COVID. My grandchildren learned by working at this festival about the many cultures in our community that enhance our ethnic diversity in many ways through their cultural contributions to our Beloved Community.

Teaching my grandchildren to be open to all forms of diversity is my most important job, as an antiracist. Yes, we must all be change agents for justice and by becoming antiracists, that is our nation's best chance for healing from our past and present sins of racism.