Silence is Not an Option
The MLK sign on the left is a very old sign. Sergio made it years ago. How many more protests will we use it for?
Yesterday I yelled to a bunch of people through a bullhorn. It was uncomfortable. This was a group of people I do not know. They were all gathered at a prominent street corner in my neighborhood for a protest. They were gathered there because my neighbor and I invited them to protest. Inspired by the Kneel for Nine movement out of Wisconsin, and inspired by our kids, my neighbor and I - having never started or hosted a protest before - entered into this endeavor with trepidation but also commitment. Two white women with privilege. Will we do something wrong? Probably so. Should we try anyway? Hell yes. (See below for tips on how we made sure we didn’t completely screw it up.)
And so we did it. And it was good. Hundreds of us all up and down a main thoroughfare in our neighborhood kneeled for nine minutes in honor of the life of George Floyd and so many others. I am struck by just how sobering that nine minutes was. And how kneeling in the hot sun on the hot sidewalk like that for nine minutes - lined up with so many neighbors - forced me to think and feel in new and different ways. In uncomfortable ways.
Trying to explain to my hot and cranky children why we were doing this made me uncomfortable. And just doing this at all made them uncomfortable. Not having a good answer when they asked why there were so many names on the Say Their Names sign made me uncomfortable. Realizing that it’s not enough just to do a protest that makes me uncomfortable … made me uncomfortable.
But I am going to do the work. (And I’m going to share with you all my book lists - you can best believe that.)
Anyway, enough about me. I am white so I need to hush up now. I need to listen more than I speak. But through The Beginning of Your Life Book Club, I have this space where I have built relationships that I am leaning on at this time. Leaning on to learn and leaning on to push.
So I’m going to give you a push and then I want you to go listen to black people and anti-racism experts.
My push is this: do something that makes you uncomfortable. Wherever you are in your journey. Take that next step. Whatever we have been doing - those of who thought we were activists or advocates or allies - clearly it hasn’t been enough. So keep doing what you’ve been doing but take the next step.
And if you’re uncomfortable you’re on the right track.
IF YOU’RE WHITE AND WANT TO START A PROTEST PLEASE NOTE: it’s important to center and elevate black voices and messages. This is not about you. Look for a local chapter of Standing Up for Racial Justice and work closely with the other organizations near you that are black-led and already hard at work, especially Black Lives Matter. (We followed the guidance of Kneel for Nine - and we consulted with our local SURJ KC chapter which offered a training on how to show up as a white person.) Also - read as much as you can. Here are two current articles that I recommend specifically related to white people’s activity in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder. There is so much more out there than this. Keep reading. Keep learning.
Are White People at Black Lives Matter Protests Helpful?
How White People Can Be Allies
For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies - This one is a little bit older but still relevant. I have been guilty of #4 too much.
Oh, and here is a course that I just found tonight (haven’t taken it yet! But would like to.): How to Show Up in BIPOC-Only Spaces Without White Centering by Layla F. Saad