Black Lives Do Matter
The events that have unfolded these past weeks about innocent black lives lost have put a pit in my stomach. Feelings of sadness and outrage have been a theme lately—people who should still be here but aren’t due to a messed up judicial system and oppression. The images and pictures I’ve seen are present in my mind.
I was going to post a climbing article this week, but it didn’t feel right, not while all of this is going on. So, I’m writing something else.
I acknowledge that I am a privileged, white woman, and there’s a lot of unlearning I need to do. And a need to educate me to be anti-racist. We, as white people, have racist biases, whether we realize them or not. It’s time to stop being silent because that’s what’s killing black people.
I want to start a conversation. However, I am not an expert in any topic about anti-racism. I’m trying to learn. If I am wrong, please call me out so I can acknowledge it and educate myself. It’s an uncomfortable issue, I know, and it will be for a long time. Don’t expect it to get any easier with the way white people are continuing to treat black people. It’s wrong on so many levels.
We need to stand up to racism and do more to be allies. Do more than just share posts and donate money (although that is helpful and supportive). We need to change the system. Talk to people about racism. Protest and march. Read up on Black issues. Please support Black causes and businesses, local and national. Vote the racists out.
I’m building lists of resources to help teach and inform about anti-racism below. I’m also going to list accounts to follow or donate to if you’re able. On a related note, if you have the means, please financially support these accounts. If you know of any good ones I don’t have, please let me know so that I can add them. #blacklivesmatter
Resources
Instagram Accounts
- @wildginaa
- @laura.edmondson
- @meliseymo
- @bleavitt8
- @cktyourprivilege
- @rachel.cargle
- @thegreatunlearn
- @mireillecharper
- @theconsciencekid
- @ibramxk
- @vasu_sojitra
Books
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- White Spaces Missing Faces by Catrice M. Jackson
- White Tears, Brown Scars by Ruby Hamad
- So, You Want to Talk about Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- White Fragility: Why it’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Podcasts
- NPR’s Codeswitch
- 1619
- Pod Save The People with Deray
- The United States of Anxiety
- The Stoop
Videos
- 13th
- When They See Us
- Central Park Five
- American Son
- The Hate You Give (This is also a book.)
- See You Yesterday
Donate
- George Floyd Memorial Fund www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
- I Run With Maud www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
- Justice for Breonna Taylor www.gofundme.com/f/9v4q2-justice-for-breonna-taylor
- The Bail Project secure.givelively.org/donate/the-bail-project
- Black Visions Collective www.blackvisionsmn.org/
- Reclaim the Block reclaimtheblock.org
- Color of Change colorofchange.org/
- NAACP www.naacp.org
- @unicorn.riot