Our Voices: Written by your neighbors. Please respond like a good neighbor.

The stories appearing today during the third installment of the Our Voices Project are written by your neighbors.

Last summer, when people watched George Floyd die before their eyes or when they learned that Breonna Taylor was shot in her home by an officer who was last employed in Lexington, our society began to have a shift in understanding and compassion. These horrific killings of unarmed Black people -- and the summer of demonstrations that followed -- brought increased attention to persistent issues of racism, social justice, inequity and more in Lexington and nationally.

It is important to understand the events of last summer in context. For centuries, people of color have described these issues, but many of us have not listened enough - or at all. For decades, we’ve been able to see the impact of systemic racism play out in data - from homeownership rates, to law enforcement encounters, and beyond. Yet, it’s taken many of us far too long to respond.

We know that Our Voices is not a complete solution to these issues, but we hope it gives a broader platform to people who are already addressing them. Our Voices presents first-person stories about the personal experiences of our Lexington neighbors, in their own words, about racism and inequity in our community, whether it be in housing, economic opportunity, education (today’s focus), health or policing.

These stories are not just written by random people on the internet. These writers could live across the street from you, be your boss, or be a teacher of your child. The pieces these writers are producing are statements of lived experience - not arguments or talking points or policy positions, but stories of actual people’s actual lives.

While this may seem obvious, it bears repeating: Please be a good neighbor as you read and respond to the perspectives and stories presented here.

On the last round of this project, some Our Voices writers received targeted harassment in the comments sections, especially on social media. These ranged from the clear and obvious use of highly offensive racial epithets, to the more insidious, such as saying people of color “need to work harder.”

The partners in this project – the Herald-Leader, CivicLex, Key Newsjournal/Key Conversations and RadioLex – took steps to moderate and address those comments and we stand behind these writers who have bravely stepped forward to share such personal stories. It is important for community institutions to stand behind the people who have not always had platforms that we do. We’ll do so again.

But having to take such steps detracts from the larger point of this project, which is focused on broadening our collective civil discourse (emphasis on civil) on these critical issues that continue to haunt our community and so many others.

We know that what people say in comment sections bleeds into the physical world. For many people of color, constant harassment in comments sections can lead to serious mental health outcomes. We also know that sometimes people act on the vitriol that they put on the internet.

While not everyone will empathize with those that experience structural racism every day, we ask that people read the stories and take an opportunity to put themselves in other people’s shoes before they comment. And if you do comment, ask yourself - if you spoke publicly about your family, education, or home, how would you want people to respond to you?

The Our Voices Project partners are the Herald-Leader, CivicLex, Key Newsjournal/Key Conversations and RadioLex.