Dehumanization never begins with violence - it begins with a word, a joke, a label, a story told one too many times until faces turn into categories and hearts grow numb. It starts small, when we say they’re all the same, when we forget names, stories, and eyes. Watch for it - when people are called animals, threats, or problems to be solved. That’s the language that dims compassion. But most who repeat it are not monsters - they’re afraid, searching for someone to blame. 

Fear makes the world smaller, but empathy opens it again. So when you hear the language of less-than, pause. Ask a question. Tell a story. Remind the room we’re talking about people. Because every time we defend another’s humanity, we protect our own, and that is how light stays alive in the world.

Gratefully yours,
Gloria Santiago, Owner