Black Lives Matter
I am a white American woman on board with Black Lives Matter + Black Trans Lives Matter and all related organizations who aim to expose truth + injustice and equalize the pursuit of health, happiness + peace for all. That’s my general statement. Now I must learn to self-police my ethical follow-through, every day, from now through eternity.
“I’m listening. I’m holding you in your pain.”
These are the words a person who self-identifies as BIPOC (Black or Brown | Indigenous | Person of Color) and LGBTQ+ (Lesbian | Gay | Bisexual | Transgender | Queer or Questioning | Gender Fluid or Non-Binary) who is expressing anger + sadness about racial + gender bias, injustice + inequity wants + needs to hear - from every person listening, and especially from every white person.
“I’m listening. I’m holding you in your pain.”
These are the words that I (as a CIS white person) strive to feel + say to anyone expressing pain - and especially to someone self-identifying as BIPOC or LGBTQ+. It doesn’t matter that I did or did not say these words before. I need to say them now + for ever more. I need to say them - and mean them - and confront my inner biases that keep me from being sincere in this quest. This is how I (as a white person) can best redeem myself. It doesn’t matter that I think or don’t think I need to be redeemed, I do.
“I’m listening. I’m holding you in your pain.”
After expressing this, it’s best that I step out of the way - set aside what I consider to be my own needs, my own reactions, my own comfort - and listen. The person speaking may say things - directly or indirectly - that bring out my discomfort. It doesn’t matter. It’s most likely this person who I’m listening to has been uncomfortable every day of their life. I must listen, endure discomfort, and offer solidarity + compassion. We are of the same Source and they have endured much more than I can imagine. I owe it to this person - to grow myself up.
The time is finally here for each + every one of us to work on our inner demons + speak up in solidarity. all day. every day. from now on.
Change is happening. We are in a pivotal period in human history. In order to follow this pivotal change all the way through to an equitable world, every person is needed. We are each being called to see the brokenness of our world, of humanity. We are all being called to take action to fix it.
In 1963’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote:
Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability, it comes through the tireless efforts of those willing to be coworkers with God;
Without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.
We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.
The time to do right is over ripe. Yet, the fruit still hangs + we must - right now - pick it. The Social + Racial Justice train is begging us to climb aboard.
Stephen Dinan of The Shift Network wrote: “As a white man, I confess that it has been daunting at times to fully step in on this front. It’s messy. It’s hard. I make mistakes. I have my own blind spots. Sometimes things blow up and I don’t know how to address them. Sometimes I get strongly critiqued and I’m not sure how to respond.”
As a white woman, I relate to Stephen’s growth pains. I appreciate his advice: “Not to try to solve, defend, or offer solutions, but to actively listen — and commit to go further.”
If you are white + cisgender (person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth), standing on the platform wondering how to get onto this train, let this post be your porter. Welcome aboard!
SELF-EDUCATE
The History of Race
You may want to start your education with a basic understanding of Critical Race Theory. Georgie Williams’ article: What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)? is a good overview, and includes book references to bring you deeper in to the know about the “how” and “why” of systemic racism.
The Shift Network’s 2020 Summer of Peace and Transforming Racism series, featuring mostly BIPOC leaders - all free:
Mutima Imani - social justice visionary, master trainer, facilitator, global diversity specialist (view now)
Aliah MaJon - “Riots, Racism and Reproach... Is Healing Still Possible?” (view now)
Kaira Jewel Lingo - "Inclusiveness & Intimacy: Calling on Our Ancestors for the Healing of Racialized Trauma" (view now)
Spring Washam - "We Won't Be Turned Around: Following in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors" (view now)
Don Samuels - "Minneapolis: Ecosystem Resistant to Change" (view now)
TED Talks to help you understand about racism in America
NPR: Why Cities Are Still So Segregated
Subscribe to + Read articles in Them to “Get the best of what’s queer”
Remember those who’s lives were taken - causing BLM (Black Lives Matter) + worldwide conscious uprising: Say Their Names and add 15 more, of the 27+ deaths in 2020 in the Transgender/ Gender Non-Conforming community
Documentaries | Non-fiction Books that have been effective for me:
13th (90-minute Netflix documentary) by Ava Duverney
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin/ Raoul Peck
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
Waking Up White by Debby Irving
Eyes on the Prize PBS mini-series
The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the making of American Capitalism by Edward Baptist
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
a reading list of books put together by Ibram X. Kendi, that “force us to confront our self-serving beliefs and make us aware that ‘I’m not racist’ is a slogan of denial.”
Fictional Books |Movies (based on real events) that have positively affected me:
DONATE
If you have the means, there are many resources — from bail funds to GoFundMe fundraisers for victims — that would benefit from your donation.
Help George Floyd’s family cover funeral and burial costs as well as provide support for his children
Support Ahmaud Arbery’s mother and immediate family as well as their continuing legal battle
Support Breonna Taylor’s family and their legal battle
Black Trans Lives Matter: here you’ll find a few ways to materially support the Black transgender and gender nonconforming community
Donate to your local bail fund, or split your donation across 40 community bail funds to help jailed protestors. Some bail funds that have seen an influx of donations have been requesting that donations be sent elsewhere; this document keeps track of such requests and other details
Donate to the Bail Project, a nonprofit organization trying to lower incarceration rates through bail reform
Donate to the Emergency Release Fund, which supports trans protestors by posting bail for pretrial medically vulnerable individuals and anyone who identifies as LGBTQ
Donate to Campaign Zero, an organization that works on specific policy solutions
Donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which fights for structural change
Donate to the Ida B. Wells Society, which supports journalists of color
Donate to Communities United Against Police Brutality, which offers numerous resources to support the fight against police brutality
Donate to Reclaim the Block, which aims to redirect Minneapolis police funds to other areas of the city’s budget
Help demonstrators facing tear gas at protests in Minneapolis by donating to a gas mask fund
Donate to a resource in this Mutual Aid Document, which lists not only bail funds but individuals purchasing supplies to help keep protestors safe, and other fundraisers
FOLLOW | HIRE - for yourself or your company:
Dereca Blackmon - speaker, facilitator, activist
Leesa Renee Hall - author, storyteller, social historian, playwright, creative word artist
Nicole Lee - attorney, diversity, equity and inclusion expert, leadership coach, nationally recognized speaker, strategist
Nikka Karli on Instagram: @nikkakarli
YouTube video: The Impact Of Anti-Blackness In The Bodies Of BIW
POC & White creators who are here For Change
Rachel Cargle - public academic, writer, lecturer: rooted in the intersection of race + womanhood
Rachel Ricketts - racial justice educator, lawyer, healer, speaker, author
Rachel Rodgers - kickass live FB response to “the good white liberal response”
Resmaa Menakem - healer, author, trauma specialist
SUPPORT BLACK-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS
FinImpact helps small businesses find funding. The company has honed in on the extra need to support Black-owned businesses, especially at the current time. Click here to learn how the current BLM movement and the Covid-19 pandemic are affecting Black-owned businesses and how you can support them (both financially and in solidarity). Click here to check out even more Black-owned businesses to support and… THANK YOU!
UNDERSTAND MENTAL HEALTH Issues facing the Black Community + find RESOURCES HERE
FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY
Scholarships for African American students
Really GET INVOLVED
As bystanders, we need to be vigilant and aware of what disrespect, harassment, and hate violence look like in order to be able to stand up and intervene when people need it most. To be effective, be prepared. Click here for Bystander Intervention Training
For my fellow Vermonters who want to act locally, puruse: Vermont Racial Justice Alliance. Join, follow, and/or donate to the Roots Social Justice Center (the Root prioritizes People Of Color leadership and shifting resources to People of Color-led racial justice work), and/or Lost River Racial Justice [currently a majority-white organizing group and an affiliate of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)] - who strive to maintain strong accountable relationships with people of color-led organizations
To become a Pen Pal to someone who’s incarcerated, Click here
Take it DEEPER STILL
If you’re white, confront the ways you benefit from White Supremacy (taken from: How to support Black Lives Matter and the protests against police brutality Where to donate, where to volunteer, and where to protest by Karen Han, Emily Heller, and Petrana Radulovic)
Many white people have responded to the most recent examples of police officers murdering Black Americans with some form of shock, saying things like “I can’t believe this is happening in 2020,” or “This isn’t America.” But police violence (and many other forms of injustice) is and has always been the reality for Black communities in this country. White supremacy pervades every corner of our society, and it’s up to white people to actively work to dismantle it.
The first step is for white people to educate ourselves on white privilege, on the experience of being Black in America, and on how to be anti-racist. But that doesn’t mean calling up Black friends and asking them to share their experiences. Instead, seek out resources on your own, especially from Black educators who are voluntarily doing that kind of work. And, most importantly, pay them for their labor. Here are a few places to get started:
Peggy McIntosh’s essay “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” is a good primer on the often unnoticed privileges that white people are afforded simply by virtue of being white.
Activist and writer Rachel Cargle is creating resources “to both provide education and inspire meaningful action.” Her platform is called The Great Unlearn, and you can support her on Patreon.
The book Me and White Supremacy by writer and speaker Layla Saad invites readers to examine the ways in which they personally benefit from white supremacy “so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on black, indigenous and people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.”
Mental health activist Myisha T. offers courses and workshops, as well as one-on-one coaching, through her Check Your Privilege program, “a guided journey that deepens your awareness to how your actions affect the mental health of Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color.”
SKIN DEEP… Cancer Awareness + Prevention for People of Color
PROTECT YOURSELF ONLINE
Are you an online activist for BLM and other organizations and endeavors working toward equity? Learn how to protect yourself from cyber attacks by reading cybersecurity researcher Tom Read’s article: “How to Safely Support Black Lives Matter Online” HERE.
ADD TO THE CONVERSATION
What would you like to add to this list? What has been helpful for you?
Keep the conversation going…