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To chip away at the humanity of select groups is don’t always remember to prepare for the day
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to chip away at humanity itself. when the bully is no more. We will need a vision
As long as the trauma, the pain he causes, is for that time too. If we don’t have a vision for our
present, the work of exposing the bully will be desired future, how can we plan to achieve it? If
present. We identify what props him up and we you cannot imagine it, you cannot fight for it.
remove it: If he is propped up by the death of a When we confront the bully, we are confronting
people, then empowering and rescuing become our fear and reclaiming our imagination. There
part of that exposure. If he is propped up by are those who cannot imagine a block without a
Changing the World
artificial division or the propagation of false bully. We must all imagine the block without a
information, then partnering together and bully, otherwise we cannot get there.
focusing on truth are part of that exposure. If he When I am most in fear of succumbing to
is propped up by his effort to pull us apart, to the bully, of allowing him to redefine my space,
widen the gap between winners and losers, my world, I am reminded that the street existed
then standing in solidarity with the before the bully did. We were free before we
disenfranchised and oppressed becomes part were enslaved. We are born to love before we
of that exposure. If he is propped up by a shift know pain.
in the focus of the work, then reminding When I was nine, I didn’t know how to
ourselves of our main objectives becomes part challenge the bully. I thought I was alone. The
of that exposure. task of conquering my fear, of exposing him,
When we think about engaging and 25 loomed so large in my mind’s eye that I was
defeating the bully, we must remember that it overcome by it. If I hadn’t gone to Ferguson and
isn’t just about getting home, it’s about thriving, stood toe to toe with other protesters on the
and that our goal is not to switch places with the streets calling for justice, naming our bully, and
bully, but to end bullying. saying enough is enough, I’m not sure I’d have
This is by no means an easy task. The the courage to confront him today.
presence of the bully is difficult to overcome and In each generation there is a moment when
the residue is difficult to shake. I stress the young and old, inspired or disillusioned, come
importance of imagining our ideal world because together around a shared hope, imagine the
we naturally gravitate toward methods for world as it can be, and have the opportunity to
achieving our desired outcomes. Indeed, we focus bring that world into existence. Our moment
on tactics — how do we beat the bully? — but we is now.

Understanding and Interpreting

1. Reread paragraphs 1 through 3. Which details of Mckesson’s experiences with the bully stand
out most to you? Why do you think they stand out, and how do they affect your understanding
of Mckesson’s personal story as evidence?
2. While the majority of the first half of the essay focuses on Mckesson’s experiences with his
literal bully, in paragraph 4, he writes, “Of late, I’ve thought about the bully in the context of our
present world versus the world that we aim to create for the future, and considering him has
transformed the way I think about both.” Describe the shift Mckesson makes here and explain
why it is important to his argument.
3. Explain what Mckesson means when he says that a bully “wants his tyranny to become the
norm” (par. 8).

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