I talk a lot about racism in the United States. I recognize that many people are ignorant of racial issues in the US and therefore my words may strike a hurtful chord. They may think I’m unfairly harsh towards the systems and institutions that oppress People of Color. They may be hurt when I speak broadly of the need for white people to wake up to the suffering experienced by PoC. Ultimately though, your hurt feelings don’t matter when weighed against the lives of People of Color-Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Indians-who feel the force of a racist and oppressive system every day in a multitude of ways. All of my criticisms…all of my complaints…all of my outrage…it all stems for a desire to see this country BECOME BETTER. I want fewer people to suffer. And I view *all* of us as people. I view *all* of us as equal. I don’t want white people to suffer. Nor do I want black people to suffer. Nor do I want Indigenous people to suffer. Or Asians. Or Latinos. I was all of us to prosper. I want all of us hale and hearty and able to pursue our dreams as far as we desire…beyond even, if we so desire. I want everyone to have equal opportunities, and I want this country to work to ensure that everyone has access to the same tools to succeed in life. To do that, this country has to level the playing field. We cannot continue to allow only white people (and male, cisgender, heterosexual ones at that) to be the ones who wield the majority of social, political, religious, and economic power. That power must be spread among everyone. So that no matter your race no one is left behind. And while the vast majority of my criticisms focus on the sexism and misogyny that pervade society, or the homophobia and transphobia that devastates the lives of LGBT people around the country, or the pro-white, anti-PoC racism that permeates society and leads to the racial disparities present in the criminal justice system, it doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore other forms of intolerance and injustice (if I’m aware of them).