Bobby Washington

02/08/21 • 64 min

Today I am in conversation with Mr. Bobby Washington. He is a pastor at the multicultural East Denver Church of God. He is also a successful businessman owning and operating two nationwide businesses. Bobby has a Chinese mother and African American father and lived abroad during his childhood. His life experiences give him a unique point of view about racism in the U.S . I was captivated by his story, his gentle manner in conveying the truth, his honest perspective about racism, and the kindness that radiates from him.

There were several takeaways from my visit with Bobby. I especially appreciated his insight into the word "we", how it's used for a lot of things, but not in relation to racism. It's like we don't want to own our part in it, look at ourselves, and deal with it. I love how he said, "Why can't we walk together with that too?" We are willing to carry the honor of our past collective victories as a country, but not our past collective failures or injustices. That's a heavy truth that needs more unpacking and honest reflection.

Bobby's bubble analogy made me smile since I recently heard the exact same metaphor from my friend Rama in Season 1. Opening our bubbles, or spheres of influence, to others is another way of encouraging inclusivity. Being more loving has never made anyone feel left out. But putting labels on people gives us many reasons to exclude.

Lastly, I was impressed with Bobby's confession about how he carried a chip on his shoulder for years. And really, who could blame him? But he was humble and teachable enough to see that carrying that chip was not moving him forward...only love and forgiveness can do that. May we all carefully reflect on our own lives and be willing to admit the anger, resentment, or hurt we're holding onto so we don't negatively project it onto others, just as Bobby did all those years ago. By letting go of that chip, he wasn't saying that all the injustices he experienced were okay, they were still painfully raw. But he didn't focus on them anymore. He changed his focus and in doing so changed the trajectory of his life to helping others affect positive change in this world.

Bobby's life reminds of MLK's quote: "There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies." Thank you for choosing to live a life of love when it would be easy to succumb to hate. May we all choose love, as Bobby has.

Bobby's Quote: "A gentle word turns away wrath." The Bible, Proverbs 15:1

East Denver Church of God

Bobby's Quote: "A gentle word turns away wrath." The Bible, Proverbs 15:1

East Denver Church of God

Previous Episode

Myriama Smith Traore

I first learned of Myriama through a mutual friend who sent me her article, "Seeing Color." . In it, Myriama says, "Now is the right time to educate yourself on the reality of black lives and how you can become an effective advocate for racial justice. You can start by seeing color." She is a thoughtful, kind, expressive young woman and thanks to her incredible parents, she is especially wise beyond her years. I commend her for taking the time to share her heart, fears, and experiences with us. It is a very vulnerable position to be in and I applaud her courage.

From my time with Myriama it's evident to me that she lives out her favorite quote. She is such an inspiration to me with her calm, gentle, patient ways. I am in awe of her parents and the love, wisdom, and acceptance of others they modeled to their beautiful daughter as she was growing up. Not that her life was without struggle. I see how those hardships, anxieties, and inequities were used as teachable moments that helped her grow in grace and wisdom. They made her a stronger, better person. But those insensitive remarks, stereotyping, and cruel behaviors still caused great pain. She just chose forgiveness, love, and education as the ways of healing those wounds. I see you Myriama. I see what you're going through and I stand with you. May we all find it within ourselves to be gracious to one another and to live as intentionally as Myriama has.

Myriama's Quote: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." MLK Jr.

Myriama's Newspaper Article: "Seeing Color"

Myriama's Roster Page at Saint Louis University

Atlantic 10 Conference's women's basketball Player of the Week

Next Episode

Precious Pioneer

Precious has a contagious optimism and a gift of expressing herself with eloquence and grace. In today's episode, we discuss what it means to be a strong black woman, what passive aggressive comments look and feel like, as well as what it's like growing up biracial in the United States.

I want to give a huge shout out to Precious' parents for raising such a self-aware, well-adjusted, conscientious young lady who knows who she is and where she stands. She tackles tough problems with action, assertiveness, and kindness. Precious takes her impact on the world seriously. She's out there on all these social media platforms not just to hear herself speak, but for the greater good. She knows the impact her words have on others and is purposeful about spreading kindness, awareness, and happiness (and what says happiness better than great cooking tips, recipes, and advice?!). I love how she refers to it as the butterfly effect.

If you want to learn more about Precious you can find her podcast titled, "Precious the Foodie'' wherever you listen to podcasts. I also encourage you to check out her website where she has links to fantastic articles, TEDtalks, and podcasts in learning more about anti-racism. Be sure to check the show notes for the links to all of Precious' social media sites.

Mother Teresa says, "Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless." I see this lived out in the life of my sweet guest today. May we all be cognizant of the butterfly effect we have on people's lives and choose kindness every chance we get, like Precious has.

Precious' Original Quote: "Kindness never goes out of style.The more you put good into the world, it naturally becomes a better place to live, not just for you, but for everyone."

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