Kay:

Dang Questers you have made it to the 300th episode!

Shi:

300! It’s like some Sparta stuff.

Kay:

Man, if these are only five minutes long, I mean, you guys listened to 1,500 minutes of the Mentorship Quest at this point.

Shi:

Bravo!

Kay:

Bravo! Well done. We’re coming in on our second year of Mentorship Quest and it’s been wonderful to have you guys here on the journey. Today is our final quote here in Black History Month.

Shi:

We started the month with the Michelle Obama quote so it seems only fitting to end with her counterpart, the ex-president Barack Obama, and his quote for us today rounding out Black History Month is, “We should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”

Kay:

This quote hit me in a way this particular year that I don’t know if it would have hit me maybe even just three or four years ago. In 2020, I think many of us saw the expectations that we had for our country begin to crack and crumble. The divisions were wider than they’ve ever been before. The racial disparity within our justice system has never been clearer. The virus really brought on, I think, another layer that really showed what was the difference between those who have wealth and those who don’t, those who have rights and those who don’t, those who are allowed in this country and those who don’t. There were some things that came up that were like (*the sound of brakes*), I don’t know if I’m very proud of that.

Shi:

We want to be proud of it. That’s what Barack is telling us here. Like, be the person your dog thinks that you are. Be the person you’d be proud to be, be the person that your kids will be proud to say that you led the way and blazed the trail, even when it’s hard. I think in a year like this, in the last 15 months or so here in the US it’s become more clear that it’s been like this for a long time, and I think that was part of the shattering of the image for so many of us, especially us white folk that maybe knew that there was systemic racism or, or understood that there were statistics around black people being less wealthy and having less access and housing, having more issues, and being more targeted and profiled. But seeing it all come together while we were in quarantine and captivated by these images really I think brought that stark realization to light, and then that realization that it wasn’t new. In fact, it’s been here for pretty much ever.

Kay:

Well, as children who grew up in this country we were taught in school that America is the greatest, the freest, the most innovative country in the whole wide world. We do believe that these things are still true but what we didn’t realize is that that dream was really only there for those who are white and middle-class or up. So, to see it so starkly has been interesting, but in order to know where we want to go, we have to have a really clear picture of exactly where we are. I love that, at least through 2020, I feel like the veil was lifted a bit on the state of our country and now we have the opportunity to do what Barack tells us to do and make sure that this country lives up to our kids’ expectations.

Shi:

Well, and as we close out Black History Month, this is a great idea for all of us to resonate with. Black history is American history and this is the story of America and we shouldn’t brush it under the rug. We should embrace it so that we can be better and so that our children can live in a better world. Our children expect us to act like adults. I know, a shocking concept! They expect us to act the way we tell them to act, to be mature, to listen to others, to share, to meet in the middle, to find common ground, to be able to collaborate and work together, and that everyone deserves an equal shot and equity at the resources that are available in our country. If that’s what we are preaching to them and teaching to them, then let us be that in our practice and in our adulthood as well. Let us act like adults, the way they expect us to, which is exactly what Barack is telling us here. So, to remind you, Barack Obama tells us, “We should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children’s expectations.”

Kay:

Alrighty, guys. So, today you’ve got a #FocusFriday Quest. This Friday and throughout this weekend, your quest is to place particular attention and focus on the legacy you leave based on the actions that you take today. Now, this is for whether you have kids or not, but we want you to strive this weekend to be the person that you’ll be proud to look back on six months from, one year from, or even a decade from today. Are you ready?

Kay & Shi:

Let’s quest!