I know that most of you follow me because of what I share about AWS. I do try to aim for a mix of 80% work and 20% other, and this tweet thread is going to be the latter. I have no idea where it will go, but I need to say something. (1/21)
The events of the last couple of weeks have shaken me to my core. In times like these we are supposed to be able to look to our leaders for some reassurance and some guidance, but that's not going to happen. We need to change. (2/21)
I was raised with little awareness of race, too little in retrospect. We lived in a suburb of Boston, a place where children from the inner city were bused. This was highly controversial at the time but no one talked about it. (3/21)
As an adult I met and later married an amazing woman who happened to be "brown." We did our best to raise our five children to treat others as we would like to be treated, and to extend a helping hand to those in need. (4/21)
Clearly there's still far too much inequity in the world, and we, as individuals, as families, and as human beings need to figure out how to address this. (5/21)
Sadly, I think that too many people think that allowing someone else to have "more" (be it love, attention, happiness, money, or opportunities) means that they have to have less. (6/21)
I disagree: I don't believe that the Law of Conservation of Energy applies to those resources. More for you does not have to mean less for me. There are ways to, as they say, lift all of the boats. (7/21)
Ultimately, change is going to happen because *we*, as individual people, decide to become better than we were before, and also encourage others to do the same. This starts in our homes, offices, neighborhoods, and cities. (8/21)
So, you might ask, what are you doing, Jeff? I am going to share a few things as ideas and suggestions, not to pat myself on the back. There's ALWAYS more to do, and your contributions are welcome. (9/21)
1⃣As a family, we recognize and reward achievements and accomplishments. Good grades, a graduation, a new job, a promotion? That's worth celebrating. (10/21)
2⃣We emphasized the value of learning & education when our children were young. On family road trips we toured college campuses to make sure that the concept of "college" was familiar to all of them. (11/21)
We did this because my parents sometimes mentioned "college" when I was growing up and I had no clue what it was. Turns out that driving through campuses and explaining what happens there is simple and impactful. (12/21)
3⃣Now that everyone has earned their degrees, we support educational programs at the University of Washington and the Pacific Science Center (the "Science in the City" program is one of our favorites). (13/21)
4⃣We have recently found a new way to support local businesses, many of which are half-open and struggling to survive. After making a purchase (coffee, donuts, ice cream, or dog treats so far) we ask if we can buy a gift card and leave it at the shop. (14/21)
Then we share the "tip" on social media and invite others to enjoy on us. We learned this from another Seattleite, and use it to spread joy (and some money) around the community. (15/21)
5⃣We recognize the contributions that artists make to our happiness. In addition to simply patronizing their performances, we try to become super-fans, giving them words of encouragement and support so that they know that they are appreciated and enjoyed. (16/21)
6⃣We keep open minds and try not to become set in our ways. We honor the past, but if the world changes we accept that and move forward. We willfully delete old, useless perspectives and opinions if necessary. (17/21)
We do not hesitate to politely call each other out on this if necessary. If we inadvertently use words, phrases, and gendered references that are no acceptable, we find a better way to express ourselves. (18/21)
7⃣We make ourselves available as friends, mentors, and advisers to those who are just getting started in their career. (19/21)
Some of this stuff is easy, and can be done in a minute or two. Some takes practice & prep, and the rest can take a lifetime. That's fine.
As I said earlier, these are examples and not self-congratulation. There's always more to do. (20/21)
As I said earlier, these are examples and not self-congratulation. There's always more to do. (20/21)
Thanks for indulging me and for reading this far. Looking forward to your suggestions for ways that we, as individuals, can bring about change. (21/21)
