Week 5 Countdown - Day 33: 25th Day of Dallas County Shelter in Place

Yesterday as I was flipping through Facebook I kept seeing this quote - and it was attributed to Brene Brown, when it actually was spoken by Sonya Renee Taylor.

We know this now because Brene Brown herself yesterday tweeted that these words are not hers in this tweet:

I thought the quote was incredibly powerful when I read it - and I still do - even if Brene Brown did not say it.  But her tweet took me in an entirely different direction for today's post.

"Attribution matters." ~ Brene Brown 4/16/2020

At a time when information floods the airways, what is our role and responsibility in making sure that if we choose to pass something on, that we make sure that piece of information is true and accurate?  Are we irresponsible when we do not 'fact check" each and every item that we choose to relay again?

At the very least should we add a disclaimer that we have NOT Fact Checked what we are pandering to our friends and family?

Brene Brown is a researcher from Texas and has spent a good part of her career studying Vulnerability, Shame, Empathy and Courage. You can learn more about her history on Wikipedia if interested. Wikipedia - Brene Brown.  She has done a number of Ted Talks and written numerous books as well as Audio Books.  Last year after a friend of mine had me watch her Ted Talk on vulnerability, I bought her Audio Book "The Power of Vulnerability" which has been a spectacular and eye opening book to listen to.    In summary, I am very impressed with her ability to research something, and then work it through and relay back to her audience what is key in it all.  She has a gift.  I am thinking that she likely has A LOT of her own words regarding what is going on in the world right now.

The fact that she did not allow beautiful and poignant words to be passed around as hers, when they were not.  Just impressed me even more.  

So who is the woman who did speak these words?  According to Wikipedia Sonya Renee Taylor "is an author, poet, spoken word artist, speaker, humanitarian and social justice activist, educator, and founder of The Body is Not An Apology movement."  I had not heard of her prior to seeing this quote on Facebook.  But she is definitely someone I am going to read more about.  She has the ability to put together words in a way that are exceedingly powerful.

From her quote - the part that really spoke to me and caught my eye was this:
"We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment.  One that fits all of humanity and nature." ~ Sonja Renee Taylor, 2020

On those words I leave you all for the day and I am off to work! Happy Friday.