By Rachel Reeser
“It was a walkout,” Mom said. “For healthcare employees against racism, in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. I was a bit disappointed; there were only four of us.”
It’s an odd thing to tell your parent that you’re proud of them when I am usually on the other side of it. My mom never paid much mind to activism, not out of malice, simply because it just didn’t seem to affect her. As my sister and I grew up, we began engaging in meaningful
conversations with her—challenging her prior conceptions. One wonderful thing about my mother is her willingness to listen and grow, even when challenging her worldview. She began seeking out information on her own and talking to others who didn’t see eye to eye with her. Despite all of this, I was still surprised when she came home this summer and told me she
participated in a protest at work.
When she walked in the door and said that to me, I was in awe. What she did was small, inconsequential in the grand scheme, but she stood for what was right while others sat in their offices and did nothing.
“I’m proud of you,” I said. “Momma, I am so proud of you.”
Rachel Reeser is a political science and policy studies major slated to graduate in 2022. In her free time, she can be found doing embroidery or cuddling her elderly house cat.
