My name is Jaron Scott. Welcome to my 3 point TED Talk on what I’ve learned during the intersection of COVID and racial tension in America...

Point 1: The emotional fatigue that resulted from childhood stories/experience and began to spike and compound, beginning with seeing Trayvon Martin murdered, has led to a reluctance to pay close attention to the media’s inhumane & open display of yet another murdered black body.

A few weeks ago I felt shame for being too tired to give large amounts of attention to another one of us being killed. Then I learned that A LOT of black Americans have been walking with the same emotional fatigue. And the fatigue is collective. And it’s ok for us to be tired.

Point 2: There are definitely people who deny the existence of racial problems in America. And they reject altogether what black Americans have constantly said to experience. “Because MLK and changed laws.”

Those who refuse to understand the black American experience will begin a conversation that seems like questions out of curiosity on the surface but it’s really them an attempt to prove a point out of certainty.

I’ve learned its cool to not waste time talking w/these ppl.

Point 3: As a black American leader, I have God-given permission not to be reduced to someone’s black guy who only talks about race issues and makes them feel good about their heart for “diversity” (which is tokenism )

Gods gifted me to talk about race, but not just race.

I’ve learned to frequently pick up a book that’s about the Holy Spirit and not one about race. Read an article about basketball and not about race. Have a convo about shoes and not about race.

For the sake of my mental health and longevity.

In conclusion:

Ive learned that God has definitely shaped and placed me to lead out on race in my context, which is a joy and privilege. But a life/leadership that’s fixated on and reduced to racial issues in the US will kill me in my 20s.

And I plan on growing old w/my wife