03/06/2020
Black Lives Matter. Yes, all lives matter too. But now is not the time for that. Black lives are important and need to be amplified and honored because for centuries the voices and lives have been oppressed by the system that was designed to oppress them.
Protesting helps but there is so much more work to do.
Here is a list of how to start-
Read:
White Fragility, Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism by Robin DiAngelo *Some criticism: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/dehumanizing-condescension-white-fragility/614146/
The People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Women, Race, and Class by Angela Davis
Watch:
13th (A documentary about mass incarceration and how it is an extension of slavery.
I am not your Negro by Raoul Peck, based on writer James Baldwin's book, Remember this house.
Support in other ways:
Clean-up efforts in your local (South Side Chicago) neighborhoods.
Support black owned businesses to help equalize economic disparities- EatOkra is an app that helps find black owned restaurants
Learn about culture and history:
James Baldwin (writer)
Kerry James Marshall (artist)
Angela Davis (activist, writer)
Toni Morrison (writer)
Lauren Halsey (artist)
Kehinde Wiley (artist)
Kara Walker (artist)
Ta-Nehisi Coates (writer)
Ralph Ellison (writer)
Maybe go on Youtube and find some video clips if you just want to dip your toes into this rich and beautiful culture.
There are so many resources that you shouldn't rely on the black community to find for you. Do the work. Do the emotional labor. People are tired.
The popular book aims to combat racism but talks down to Black people.
