Welcome! I'm Rachel and I really appreciate you being here.
A bit about my background - because it's so relevant to my purpose for creating this space:
I grew up outside of Boston but have lived my adult life in New York City. My dad was Black. My mom is white and Jewish. My father played professional football for the Boston Patriots in the '60s and '70s. My mother is a former educator with almost 40 years of elementary classroom experience. Writing has always been a part of my life but I chose a career in publishing and sports marketing before deciding to leave the corporate world and focus on raising my babies.
My mom and I lost my dad to a heart attack when I was 12 years-old and my half sister passed away suddenly just six months before him. As tragic as these loses were, they forged the foundation for the uniquely tight bond that my mom and I share. She is not just my role model, but my best friend and I see the world as I do because of how she raised me. She also plays an incredibly important role in my children's lives. I have three of them - 8, 6 and 4 years-old.
My mom gave me the gift of The Golden Rule: Treat everyone the way you want to be treated. It remains the consistent message in my own home.
So why this and why now?
The current racial and social climate has prompted me to share my experience in hopes of bridging a gap between the two worlds I grew up straddling. Raised in a predominately white environment, I constantly negotiated my black and white worlds. As a mother of Black, Jewish children, now being raised in a suburb with much less diversity than we were afforded in New York City, I feel an urgent responsibility to contribute to the landscape that may make this world safer for them.
I published something that I wrote about talking to children about race. That piece led to a number of constructive conversations and ultimately, my desire to continue engaging in dialogue around culture, parenting and partnership (here, in my own little digital space) in hopes of having an impact.
I enter humbly and without ego; with the goal of fostering a community that connects, supports and inspires those who become a part of it.
Why might you stick around?
Hopefully for utility...and some fun!
My goal is to share resources, books recommendations, conversations and writing intended to help navigate some of the challenges we all face as parents, particularly in the context of race and culture and the messages we give our children.
I also plan to share some other things that are important to me as a woman and mother, and I hope that sharing a bit of me, my life, my experiences and my perspectives will help forge some connections, answer some questions and bring some of us together.
Thank you for being here and being part of the conversation and community!
