I will begin by saying something that may surprise some people: I did not want to watch the Tony Awards this year. Yet there was no suitable substitution, and curiosity eventually won.
As I watched the performance from Ragtime, one particular line struck me deeply: "No Negroes, No Immigrants."
The line itself is historically significant within the context of the production, but it forced me to reflect on something larger. When I hear language that highlights discrimination, especially from communities that often advocate for sensitivity, inclusion, and acceptance, I find myself reevaluating my priorities, my choices, and even the circles I travel in.
For years, people have judged me based on their assumptions about my political connections, particularly my association with President Donald Trump. Frankly, I have grown accustomed to it.
What many people fail to understand is that I am living proof that reality is often more complicated than political narratives. Many people look at me and immediately assume I am Black. Others make assumptions about my beliefs, values, and experiences without ever taking the time to ask.
How you think about me is not my business.
What becomes my business is when people decide who I am before they know me.
Many people seem determined to classify Trump as a racist. Yet my own experiences do not fit neatly into that narrative. My life has been shaped by opportunities, relationships, and experiences that challenge the assumptions others make.
That does not mean I agree with every decision President Trump has ever made.
I didn't agree with every decision President Obama made either.
The difference is that some people believe they already know who I should be, how I should think, and how I should act based on their own expectations.
I reject that premise entirely.
While some people spend their time judging others, I often wonder: What are you doing to improve yourself?
What goals are you pursuing?
What challenges are you overcoming?
What contributions are you making to your community?
It is easy to criticize. It is much harder to build.
The 2026 Tony Awards may be my last. Not because I cannot tolerate different viewpoints, and not because I expect everyone to think as I do.
Rather, I am increasingly concerned about a culture that seems more interested in labeling people than understanding them.
We have reached a point where disagreement is often treated as hostility, and where assumptions replace conversations.
Yet there is an old principle that remains true:
By judging others, we invite judgment upon ourselves.
I have learned to respect people whose beliefs differ from my own. I celebrate the right of people to practice their faith, express their convictions, and live according to their conscience. Whether I personally agree with them is secondary to respecting their humanity.
The world would benefit from a little more listening and a little less condemning.
That is what I took away from the Tony Awards this year.
Not anger.
Not resentment.
Just a reminder that understanding others begins with the willingness to see them as individuals rather than categories.
