A few days ago, I found myself at an intersection, both literally and figuratively. I saw a young man in a motorized wheelchair halfway out into traffic, his wheelchair had stopped working. I sat there thinking, “I really should do something. He needs help. I really should do something. It’s time for me to do something.” For some reason,I hesitated, for some reason I was worried what people would think about me so i hesitated. Thankfully another motorist hopped out of his car and helped get the young man safely across the road.
The last several weeks following the murder of George Floyd, I’ve been thinking deeply about the disturbing amount of racism that is not only rampant throughout the world but in my own communities. I had a lot of good thoughts, wished for a lot of good things to happen, yet as with the young man stranded in traffic, I hesitated, I didn’t look for a solution, I figured someone else would hop out of their car to carry my part of the load.
Recalling the moment at that intersection still pains me. Not taking more decisive action to fight against racism pains me. Hesitating to do good pains me and I’m ready for a change.
So I thought deeper. Why do I hesitate to do what I know is right? Why am I so fearful of taking action?
Is it because deep down I crave social acceptance and I fear losing my “fans?” Do I fear driving a deeper wedge between myself and family members that don’t see eye-to-eye with me on racial issues? Am I worried that I would offend people in my digital analytics circles and they wouldn’t want to work with me?
The answer was that it is ‘ALL OF THE ABOVE.’
But no more.
As I sat at this intersection of my life, as if meant to be, a message from Eric Peterson, Founder and CEO of Analytics Demystified, hit my inbox. He had been thinking deeply as well and he was ready for action. He said he was going to start raising funds for a worthy cause, Black Girls CODE, and wanted to know if I would join him.
Learn more about Black Girls CODE here: https://www.blackgirlscode.com/
YES! No hesitation this time.
I’m ready to stand up, I’m ready to replace hesitation with action. I’m ready to do what I can with my time, talent, and resources to help those that the system was designed to keep down. I’m ready to be an anti-racist!
Here is what we are doing:
My first step will be helping to provide a greater opportunity for some very bright black girls who want to become coders but face a more difficult hill to climb than others due to hundreds of years of racist public policy that was designed to hold them back. So, on behalf of myself personally and 33 Sticks, I am donating to Black Girls CODE, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is working to increase the number of women of color ages 7 to 17 who are innovators in STEM, leaders in their communities, and innovators in technology.
And so here we are, ready to take action and Eric and I would like your help.
Here is how you can help:
We are asking each of you reading this to join us in donating to Black Girls CODE and to rally for others to do the same.
To encourage your donations, Eric and I will match dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000 USD in donations over the next 14 days.
Our goal is to work with you to raise $40,000 USD for Black Girls CODE to help bring more diverse voices into technology and to create opportunities today that have the potential to positively impact the world in the future.
To help us and to take advantage of our $20,000 matching efforts is simple:
- Decide how much you can contribute, knowing that Eric and I are matching you dollar for dollar
- Go to www.blackgirlscode.com and make your donation
- Once you make your donation, either forward us your donation confirmation email (which is also your tax donation receipt), or simply take a screenshot photo of the receipt or the ‘thank you’ page and forward to blm@33sticks.com. But make sure the amount is showing so that we can match it!
- Track our collective progress online at https://tinyurl.com/demystified-33sticks
No donation is too small! If you can give $5 it’s like giving $10! If you can give $50 it’s like giving $100!! Eric and I are confident that if we are able to rally our communities to raise $40,000 for Black Girls CODE that together we can have a positive and meaningful impact on their efforts to make our little corner of the world a more diverse, a more inclusive, and an overall better place.
It’s time for us to stand up, it’s time for us to fight for racial equality, it’s time for us to move from good thoughts to good actions. It’s not fair to wait for someone else to jump out of their car to help someone who needs our love and support. Now is our time!
Please join me. Thank you.
-jason
[author] Jason Thompson [author_image timthumb=’on’]http://i2.wp.com/33sticks.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/jason_250x250.jpg?zoom=2&w=1080[/author_image] [author_info]Jason is the co-founder and CEO of 33 Sticks. In addition to being an amateur chef and bass player, he can also eat large amounts of sushi. As an analytics and optimization expert, he brings over 15 years of data experience, going back to being part of the original team at Omniture. [/author_info] [/author]