As a white male descendant of slave holders, I want to share with you about my experience of working to unravel my internalized white supremacy. Speaking to other white travelers who feel called to this journey, I want to ask, what if this very terrain, that so reliably brings up our fears and shame (and perfectionism, self-judgment and anger, etc.) — what if this work actually invites us into the most full-bodied self-love we’ve yet to experience? What if nothing short of such radical self-love will support us to go as far as we know within we’re called to go?

The deeper I’ve gone into this work, along with much that is hard to look at, I continue to find more of myself. More of myself to love, and more of myself to help fuel my love for this work. For me, at the heart of the struggle for racial justice, is my own return to soul, denied alongside the enculturated denial of the soul of others. For this return, I give great thanks. For my own sake, of course. And, because I imagine only our souls can guide the way through this great unraveling toward the world of which we dream.