As a white woman at the head of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, I often ask myself this question. I am privileged. I come from privilege. Does anyone really need to hear what I think?

The short answer is no. There are very few things, if any, that I can contribute to the conversation that haven’t already been said. Because my experience as a white person has already been the dominant narrative for so many years.

So…where does that leave me? Sitting in a corner pretending like the world is fair? That’s not my style. I volunteered to head the DE+I Committee at my office because I believe I can start the conversation. But I don’t think I’m the right one to finish it.

Let me explain. I don’t mean that I can just bring up hard topics and walk away, expecting someone from a less privileged background to finish my work for me. But I can use my position as a white person to start difficult conversations without coming across as threatening. I can open the door and invite people in, but I need people from different backgrounds to join me.

I can never fully understand what marginalized people go through. Which is why we need their voices to be heard. I know it’s unfair to ask even more of these people who have already been put through so much, but I believe that it’s the only way to grow.

My voice is not the one that needs to be spotlighted. We’ve heard enough about white guilt, white women’s tears, and performative allyship. What we need is to create space for those voices who have traditionally not been spotlighted. To hear them out when they ask for help and to make changes to harmful behavior.

If you’re in a conversation about diversity that only includes people of the same race or background, you have a problem. And if that conversation is multicultural but only the white people are speaking, you still have a problem.

I’m not going to solve racism with a silly blog post that only my family and future employers will read. But I will continue to reflect on my place in the diversity conversation. There’s a time to speak up and a time to shut up, and I’m doing my best to know the difference.