This has been a historic summer. In addition to the pandemic with its health, financial and even political consequences, many in the United States are struggling to make the world a safer place for everyone, regardless of skin color. I live in the Portland metro area where protests acknowledge Black Lives Matter nightly.
Barbara J Love says:
“All members of a society play a role in keeping a “dis-equal” system in place, whether the system works to their benefit or to their disadvantage.” https://www.barbarajlove.com/
We are each on our own journey. There is much listening and learning and action to be done.
Some white people say they are tired of all this talk about race. Looking at situations from a different perspective, learning new vocabulary, hearing stories of injustice, cruelty, and worse, takes emotional resources. Our emotional resources are running scarce in 2020. The work is hard-hard and necessary.
My skin is white, I don’t worry about:
-my safety when I get pulled over
-my husband or son’s safety if they come into contact with law enforcement
-people following me in a store
This is not true for my brothers and sisters of color. As a white person, I have a choice to learn my role in the “dis-equal” system that I have ignorantly benefited from.
There are so many resources. People of color need all of us to examine the role we play in our “dis-equal” system. Please learn and support their work when you can.
Here are a few I use often:
Dr. Sandra Chapman DEI Resources on Google Drive -Dr. Chap has worked in schools for over 30 years and done a lot of equity work including her own lived experience. http://www.chapequity.com/resources.html
103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice: link provides practical ideas and is updated regularly https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
21 Day Racial Equity Challenge-“Conventional wisdom says it takes about three weeks to form a new habit, so Dr. Eddie Moore, Dr. Marguerite Penick-Parks and Debby Irving developed the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge to help all of us cultivate self-awareness and intentionality to effect social change.”
https://mlpp.org/21-day-racial-equity-challenge/
Listen and learn. After careful thought, act. Practice self-care and stay engaged to make the world a safer place for all.