Over the years, I’ve talked about the time my dark-skinned dad and I were fishing at a stream in New Hampshire and white men surrounded us, got aggressive, and called my dad the N-word. I was eight or so. I am very white and I had never seen overt racism before. When I was a couple years older, I volunteered for Jesse Jackson and saw it again and again and again, so much so that they wouldn’t let me do doors with the other workers because they were protecting me, the random, little, white kid.
I have always been shocked at my white friends’ shock that racism exists in big ways and small, in our society and ourselves.
That’s it. Because this is not about me and it damn well shouldn’t be. It’s about learning, growing, and doing what we can do to be active allies in making our communities and our selves better, united, equitable, and just.
It’s Be Brave Friday and here is a work in progress because aren’t we all works in progress?
Be brave, friends. I am so sorry when you are forced to be brave and proud of you when you choose to be.
Here are some links where you can help, many of which come from Inside the Kandish (linked below)
Donate:
If you’d like to help the families and people who loved George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor
Organizations doing good work:
Communities United Against Police Brutality,
The American Civil Liberties Union
Protest:
Vice has a great list of the following precautions that you might want to check out if you’re protesting.
Places To Learn:
The Brown Bookshelf’s Anti-Racist Resources for KidLit Rally 4 Black Lives.
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Bowtie Leadership founded by Dr. Todd Jenkins
Dr. Jenkins’s motto is inspired by St. Augustine.
“The world is like a book… those who do not engage, unravel, and connect to better one’s self and others, only read one page.”
