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Jennifer Borget of Cherish 365 Talks Inclusion, Self-Education and More

“Appreciate your individuality and the uniqueness of everyone else that's in the world.”

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Cherish every single day. That's what Dallas-based photographer and Cherish 365 blogger Jennifer Borget strives to do as a homeschooling mom of 3. Jennifer stopped by The MomForce Podcast to talk about her experience as a Black woman married to a white police officer, raising a multiracial family. She also shares some incredible resources that she has used within her own family to teach about inclusion and diversity.

How can we embrace differences?

“It's important to recognize our differences and what makes all of us unique and special and not just in terms of race, but our experiences and how we interpret things.”

Why is it important to improve ourselves not only publicly but privately as well?

“I think with social media, we have this expectation of all of your work needs to be on display. You know, like as you do the work, we want receipts, but that doesn't need to be the case. I think a lot of the work is a personal thing and it's a lifelong thing. It's not like: I read these five books and I'm done—I've graduated. I did the work. I'm now a better person. I never have to learn anything else again. Doing the work is a lifelong process and it's about learning about others. It's about trying to be a better person. I mean, every day I can try to be a better person than I was yesterday. I think that is a part of doing the work, trying to understand and be empathetic of other people... that is a part of doing the work, but that's not something that you just get in one day."

Your thoughts on being "colorblind"?

“I think we hear people say, 'Oh, we're all humans, I'm colorblind. I don't even notice that you're different than me. And, you know, we're all just the same.' But the thing is, we aren't all the same, but that's okay. I think trying to make it seem like we're all the same is almost implying that there's something wrong with being different.”

You have great advice for helping kids be their authentic selves, what have you done with your own family?

“They're their own people, they aren't just spawn of me that are now growing as clones. They are themselves. They're their own individual person and I am their parent that is helping to raise them to adulthood and facilitate and give them what they need and nurture who they are, but not make them who they are.”

You capture everyday moments with your kids so beautifully, how do you do it?

“The main thing is trying to refuse the urge to ask them to pose or smile or say cheese and just capture them, doing whatever they're doing. And if they're doing something that they love even better, because then they're probably already smiling or if they're really focused at something, capture that.”

Listen to the full MomForce Podcast episode for more of Jennifer's ideas. Check out her blog for more resources on teaching diversity and inclusion. Follow her on Instagram.

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