Black Lives Matter: A Letter to the TwentyFree Community

Dear reader,

I am protesting against the violence, racism and police brutality that the black community in America has faced for far too long. I want to make it very clear – Black Lives Matter.

I will not tolerate any racism in my community, and I promise to use my platform to discuss and spread diversity. If this bothers you, I invite you to leave immediately. Do not leave a comment, do not pass go. Leave.

I want to let you know that I am an ally to the black community.

I am open if you need anything – don’t hesitate to email me at becky[at]twentyfree[dot]co or on any social platform @twentyfreeco.

What does this have to do with money?

Everything. Money and race are inextricably linked. So are money and gender. So are money and a variety of other factors. Personal finance educators do a huge disservice to our communities if we ignore how impactful these factors are to personal finances.

As you may know, I started the Find Your Freedom Podcast to share the voices of women in a personal finance community that I felt was largely ignoring the realities of how gender and race are intertwined with money issues like income, access, education, and generational wealth. That is why I ask every guest to share their background and early financial life as part of their story.

Why am I talking about politics?

I’m not. Being anti-racism, anti-murder, and anti-brutality is not a political issue. It is a human issue. Saying black lives matter is not taking a political stance. It is valuing the lives of other human beings, which is a moral issue, not a political one.

Diversity

A core value of TwentyFree and the Find Your Freedom podcast is diversity and inclusion of all kinds. That’s one of the reasons I started the podcast – to add women’s stories to a largely non-diverse conversation around money.

I seek guests that represent many types of diversity, including race, sexual orientation, and background. However, I have to acknowledge that despite overt intentions of diversity within this podcast, I have failed to adequately represent people of color.

My Promise

I promise that I will do better. I promise that I will not just talk about how much I care about diversity and representation, I will take action to ensure that the voices of women of color are elevated and shared. I promise that I will use my platform, and my privilege, to speak out and take action against injustice in the world.

I promise that I have your back, and that I see and I feel your frustration, pain and outrage. I stand in solidarity, as an ally to the black community. My ultimate goal is to disassemble systemic racism any way I can.

To be clear: I am not perfect. I will stumble. I encourage you to correct me when I am wrong, but I do not expect others to educate me. I am learning every day and taking action on what I learn, as I always encourage every one of my readers and podcast listeners to do.