I facilitated my final PWO Community event for the year this past Saturday, and as I prepare for my yearly “hibernation,” something’s been off. I’ve been trying to name the feeling, to place the source of this restlessness. This year is ending with far more clarity than it began, but there’s still this nagging, unsettled hum underneath everything. And then it hit me: The world is on fire.

I’ve spent years watching the consequences of white men guessing, and sometimes outright making shit up, while holding immense power over our economy and society. Take my time at the Chicago Stock Exchange. I witnessed decisions that determined billions of dollars in value based on theories and assumptions that were often incomplete, inaccurate, or self-serving.

A recent article in The Washington Post, Trump's Attack On DEI May Hurt College Men, Particularly White Men, highlights a paradox: Trump’s attacks on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs are framed as protecting white men, but they’re actually setting them up to fail. DEI initiatives aren’t about exclusion, they’re about creating structures of support that allow all students to succeed. And many of those who benefit most from these programs are men, particularly white men.

After I shared my recent reflection on being labeled “intimidating,” a member of the PWO Community offered this response. He affirmed something I already knew, that for many white men, it’s the first time they’ve encountered a Black woman who says “no” without softening it, explaining it, or reshaping herself to protect their comfort. But what struck him even more was the amount of grace he experiences inside the PWO Community. And here’s why that matters:

At yesterday’s Beyond the Supremacy Myth event, one of the cohort members made a comment during his pitch that I’ve heard more times than I can count: “Kim’s not as intimidating in person as she appears online.” I’ve been thinking about that because it’s never just about me. When white men describe me as “intimidating,” “aggressive,” or “too much,” what they’re actually bumping up against is this:

I just held my first live Beyond the Supremacy Myth event and all I can say is…WOW. For years, I’ve been championing a world that is supremacy-, coercion-, discrimination-, and exploitation-FREE. I’ve been naming the harm, challenging the conditioning, and pushing white men in particular to confront the Myth of White Supremacy and choose something better for themselves and the communities they claim to care about. And today? Today felt like home.