Page 18 - APAP - Inside Arts - Summer 2020

When this article was sent to me by a the status quo and discomfort with power might be
trusted colleague and friend, I couldn’t make it through the first read, because I couldn’t see the text through my
tears. (We’re talking ugly crying y‘all.) I can’t recall a time that reading someone else’s words resonated so deeply inside of me it brought me to my knees. My experiences as a woman leader of color in the arts and in the legal/policy sectors have always been challenging: the self-criticism, the microaggressions, outright racist behaviors, imposter syndrome and the like. But it wasn’t until reading this piece that I had
to acknowledge, and reflect maybe for the first time, that often it’s my own people who are harder on me, and that perhaps my constant state of disrupting
causing me to get in my own way. I offer this article
as a reflection for all leaders of color, but more importantly, for those working alongside them, to provide insight, understanding, and to raise awareness that the battles your leaders are struggling with may be deeper and more nuanced than you know. Have grace, show compassion, and realize they are not just fighting for you or against the system but possibly also battling themselves.
MICHELLE RAMOS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ALTERNATE ROOTS
16 INSIDE ARTS SUMMER 2020