Acknowledging Privilege and Solidarity with Others

I'm a person of color - Filipino-Japanese, living in Ontario, Canada at present. I've had my own minor experiences of being disadvantaged but despite that, I acknowledge how much privilege I've had in life. Now more than ever, I'm trying my best to be aware of this privilege - where I was born and grew up (Manila, Philippines), where I've lived or stayed for a period of time (Tokyo-Japan; Rome-Italy; Berkeley-California; London-Ontario-Canada, etc.). An important part of this effort is to acknowledge clearly that there are many things that I CAN DO, without so much as a thought for my safety while so many people, especially my black brothers and sisters, CANNOT DO SO. I will continue to try my best to struggle so that everyone could experience more fully the respect and safety that they deserve as human persons, without depending on the color of their skin, their background, their gender, their social status, their sexual orientation, etc.

Here's a thought-provoking piece I just received in an email list. It is a good comprehensive list of things that many of us with privilege take for granted, but which were activities that resulted in other people being hurt and even killed just because of the color of their skin. Standing in solidarity with discriminated brothers and sisters, I reproduce the list below:

I can go birding (#ChristianCooper)
I can go jogging (#AmaudArbery)
I can relax in the comfort of my own home (#BothemJean and #AtatianaJefferson)
I can ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride)
I can have a cellphone (#StephonClark)
I can leave a party to get to safety (#JordanEdwards)
I can play loud music (#JordanDavis)
I can sell CDs (#AltonSterling)
I can sleep (#AiyanaJones)
I can walk from the corner store (#MikeBrown)
I can play cops and robbers (#TamirRice)
I can go to church (#Charleston9)
I can walk home with Skittles (#TrayvonMartin)
I can hold a hair brush while leaving my own bachelor party (#SeanBell)
I can party on New Years (#OscarGrant)
I can get a normal traffic ticket (#SandraBland)
I can lawfully carry a weapon (#PhilandoCastile)
I can break down on a public road with car problems (#CoreyJones)
I can shop at Walmart (#JohnCrawford)
I can have a disabled vehicle (#TerrenceCrutcher)
I can read a book in my own car (#KeithScott)
I can be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover)
I can decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese)
I can ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans)
I can cash a check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood)
I can take out my wallet (#AmadouDiallo)
I can run (#WalterScott)
I can breathe (#EricGarner)
I can live (#FreddieGray)
I CAN BE ARRESTED WITHOUT THE FEAR OF BEING MURDERED (#GeorgeFloyd)

/jkk