BLACK LIVES STILL MATTER

As the year comes to an end. I’ve had a lot to reflect on from this year.

Many times in the last several months when I go to sleep, I look over at my husband and I think about Breonna Taylor. It makes my stomach turn.

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I think about someone I love, being shot in their sleep, and how it would feel to not even see justice for it. Like that life didn’t matter. I would feel angry. I would feel trapped.

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We have a lot on our plates right now. Everyone is drained. But, my white friends, think about how drained the Black community was leading into all of this.

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Think about the fact that now, they’re dealing with everything we’re dealing with, but with a layer of pure outrage, despair, and exhaustion on top. The Black community and other POC communities are getting hit hard by Covid.

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This summer can’t be a fleeting moment of advocacy and allyship. We have a responsibility as allies to hold people and companies accountable. Companies made a commitment to fight against systemic racism.

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We have to hold them to those promises, because a big check and a public statement isn’t enough. What have they done since this summer? We have to keep asking. We have to keep pushing.

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Fighting systemic racism doesn’t just make the world a better place for the Black community- it makes the world a better place for all of us. Valuing equality & diversity will propel our country forward.

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We must do everything we can so Black people can take a seat at the table. I say “take a seat” instead of “giving them a seat” because it’s not ours to give. We took all of the seats already. And the table. And the room the table is sitting in.

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The first thing we have to do is work at recognizing our own bias. We all want to jump in and say we’re not racist, but even with the best intentions, & even without knowing, we do things that are racist. If you can’t examine your own bias, you’ll never be able to fix it.

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So what’s at the top of my mind? I keep thinking of Breonna. I keep thinking of Elijah McClain’s precious life that was stolen from him. I will never fully understand, but empathy can be a powerful force to action.

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EDUCATE YOURSELF. Learn more about the history of the Black community in the US. There’s so much to learn that we are never taught in school. It’s our responsibility to learn. It’s not the responsibility of our Black friends to teach us.

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DO SOMETHING. Pick a cause that feels right to you. I personally focus on education- how we educate our country about the real US history & systemic racism, and also how we support education initiatives for the Black community- especially in STEM programs

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There’s so many other great causes & you can pick the one that feels right for you. Don’t let go of this. We have many, many years of work ahead of us, not just a couple summer months. If nothing else right now, set a goal for educating yourself each week. Stick with it.

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Shoot me a message if you want to chat or want to explore ways to get more involved.

#BlackLivesMatter - yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

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