Flipping The Page of Racial History

It has certainly been an interesting and at times tense week amidst the protests taking place here in Denver and across the nation. But yesterday, I stumbled upon a social media post on Instagram that brought me a sense of peace and solace. 

This was posted by a friend of my Genevieve, who lives with her husband and two kids in San Leandro, California near San Francisco.

Unbeknownst to her, she is one of my favorite people on the entire planet. 

In 2008 while the HR Director at a Community Health Center in Northern California, I hired her to work for us as a Patient Services Representative position. 

I recall her interview well. As was customary given our need for someone bi-lingual, I asked another staff member versed in Spanish to sit in on the interview. Both I and the staffer were stunned when this while girl Genevieve in perfect pronunciation,  flow, and cadence, busted out several conversational phrases in Spanish. It was at that point that I knew we had the right person for the job. 

One day, Genevieve asked if I would be open to us carpooling together given the distance we were traveling each day to work. It was during this windshield time that we had some of the most amazing conversations about society, culture, and life. I actually tried to bust out some Spanish from time as we were conversing but honestly I don’t think she was too impressed. 

One of my fondest memories was taking my daughter Gwen to an art sale Genevieve held a few months after the passing of her Mom, who was an artist. Gwen was totally mesmerized by all of the paintbrushes, canvases, and other art supplies on display for sale. I suppose it’s not ironic that Gwen now is a soon to be graduate of the Denver School of the Arts. 

Let all of this serve as a powerful reminder of the impact we can all have on our kids, race and otherwise