Guinan, a refuge, person of color, and woman, came to Picard, a straight white man, and told him “This is fucked up in a way you cannot understand, because you are incapable of seeing it from my perspective. But you have to trust me and help me fix it.”
And you know what? He did. He made a very difficult call, and a painful sacrifice in order to put things right. All based on his trust in a close friend who could see things in a way he couldn’t.
Could any metaphor be more appropriate to our current situation? Listen, straight white guys. Right now, our black friends, LGBTQ friends, immigrant friends, Muslim friends, and female friends are playing the part of Guinan in our lives.
White supremacy is ascendant in our halls of power. They are scared. They are hurt, even traumatized. They know something terrible has happened, will continue to happen. They see it more clearly than we can, because their lived experiences and place in the structure of society gives them perception that we cannot share, even if we empathize.
They’re asking us to listen, to trust their perspective and perception. And then to use our considerable power to help them put things right.
We need to hear our Guinans. Then, it’s time to be Picards.