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Black Lives Matter

Ami Ji Schmid

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:

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.

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

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

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…