It’s hard to believe, but A Striving Parent turns a year old today. A year ago, after the Charleston massacre of 9 Black people praying in a church, I started this blog because I had no idea where to start as a white, cis-gender, heterosexual, affluent mother who cared about racial and social justice, but had remained on the sidelines for far too long.

A year later and A Striving Parent’s birthday is not a cause for celebration, but it serves as an opportunity to reflect and welcome new parents to the fold. After the horrifying deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castille, I’m observing many white people I know, online and in my day-to-day life, begin their own journey towards action. I’m at once encouraged that so many parents in particular are trying to figure out how they can combat white supremacy in the context of their families and I am incredibly saddened by the level of brutality and injustice it takes to propel a person like myself to that point of reflection.

Yet here we are and I remain hopeful that with action, change is possible. I do not pretend to be an expert on anything other than my own experience, but after a year of researching and applying strategies on how to be a more conscious parent, I thought I’d share some of what I’ve discovered along the way. This list is especially for parents who are just starting to think about the intersections between parenting and racial and social justice advocacy.

Here are 10 of the lessons I’ve learned as a white parent striving for racial and social justice, in no particular order:

The past year has shown me that the process of striving for racial justice as a white parent is not linear and it has no end. For those of you just starting your own journey towards conscious parenting, you are not alone. Keep going. For those of you who have traveled alongside me this past year, thank you for the support, the feedback and the personal growth your participation has afforded me. The work continues.