1. When big things are happening in the world, it can be hard to know how to respond, hard to make meaning out of one's everyday work. Here are some thoughts on a few ways to do that:

2. Many White Westerners think of time as a line that goes into the future. Another way to think about time is as a circle that humanity traverses together. Some parts are smooth. Others are bumpy.

3. When we get to the bumps, we aren't the first to be there & we won't be the last. One way to think about the current bump is that folks have also been here during Reconstruction, during the rise of Nazism in Europe, & other times.

4. Not to say that those times are identical to now, just that the issues we're grappling with are similar, & we're grappling with them because they haven't been resolved yet. We're going to keep having the chance to resolve them - to smooth the bump down - until we get it right.

5. We're going to get to a different part of the circle at some point, but if we haven't gotten rid of the bump, we'll come back to it again and have to work on it again. The more we can smooth it now, the less bumpy it will be for those who come after.

6. It can be tricky to know what smoothing the bump looks like, especially if you aren't a big actor (like a politician or a very visible organizer). One thing that can help is looking for ways that your life positions you to smooth out bumpy parts where you are.

7. This is an academic account, so here are some academic possibilities: Is it your role to share resources for URM students like @nm_yucel, @tweetsbymidge, & others? To lead/help with/participate in internship programs like @mwkraus, @CydneyDupree, and others?

8. To share scholarship with the public like @hakeemjefferson, @NeilLewisJr, & others? To write to people & encourage them to get involved? Elections happen all the time & places like http://postcardstovoters.org  & http://votefwd.org  are active in non pres.-election years too.

9. Is it your role to protest? To call your elected officials?

10. What about closer to home? Is it your role to speak up at work, with friends, at home? It can be helpful to practice in advance, like literally saying "I'm not comfortable with that" or "I don't agree" to yourself in the mirror until the words are comfortable in your mouth.

11. Is it your role to comfort people you love who are particularly impacted by the racism on display right now? Check in with them? Mail them cards? Leave brownies on their doorstep? Is it your role to just let yourself be loved right now?

12. Is it your role to prepare yourself for bigger contributions later? The people who are visibly making a difference now have been laying the groundwork for years, doing the work when no one was paying attention. Studying & advancing in your career can be prep.

13. Not every role is for everyone but everyone has a role. Everyone has things only they can do b/c of their unique skills & perspective. What are your things? How can you leave the place where you are better than you found it? How can you practice for what you want to do later?

14. The Jewish idea of tikkun olam can be a helpful framework. The idea is that humans partner with God to repair the world. We are not God & any one person's work isn't going to get us all the way there, but everyone has things to do where they are that only they can do.

15. Hesitating about the last tweet b/c you obviously don't have to be Jewish or religious to do the work & appropriation isn't cool. Leaving it in case it's a useful spiritual framework for anyone but happy to hear if that's not an ok way to talk here (still learning Twitter!).

16. It can also be helpful to think about what it's time for. @TheRaDR talks about the work as a relay race. You figure out what's yours to carry, run with it for a while, & then tag someone else in. Can't do the work, or enjoy the one life you have, without rest.

17. Super important to know when it's your turn to run & when it isn't. Some people think it's always their turn & some people think it's never their turn. It's always your turn sometimes.

18. Anyway ... those are some weekend thoughts. Please feel free to add your own. /End