Day 9: Do Something!
Welcome Friends and Family to Day 9,
Here’s hoping you got to view the documentary 13th (on Netflix). Following it is an interview with Oprah and Ava DuVernay the filmmaker and director which is really compelling as well. Ava DuVernay discusses how and why she chose the direction in which she was led. We had a rich and wonderful conversation with some of you on ZOOM tonight. Maybe we’ll try to do it again. It was most varied and rich.
Ava DuVernay says that the institutions that have brought us to where we are today, are cyclical and durable. That’s a good summary. The second part of her thought is that given that institutions and outcomes are cyclical and durable - they stay entrenched because enough pressure has never been applied to break up and dismantle them. What methods of pressure can we envision that would deconstruct these harmful practices that keep racism alive and endanger the lives and potential of our African American brothers and sisters.
Today we’re doing research, inspired by 13th. Yesterday we compiled a list of the elected officials that represent us, today we plan to begin researching their campaign funding sources. We are particularly interested in connections to ALEC but also to other lobbying groups. We also plan to research their voting record on topics related to dismantling Racism and institutions that reinforce negative outcomes. We also recognize that we can’t do everything in a day, but today we’ll do something.
Yesterday (Monday) Charlotte’s City Council defunded chemical agents as crowd control. Please join us and MB Nix today (Tuesday) on ZOOM from 12-1pm EDT. MB will share her research on Charlotte’s budget and City Council Member Braxton Winston’s passed proposal in response to the unrest. MB’s research is specific to Charlotte, however the structures, policies and ideas discussed apply broadly and may help those of you from other jurisdictions navigate your own city council’s response. Link
Change is happening and we’re so glad to be part of the movement with you. Thank you for your commitment!
Peace,
Beth and Camerin
“Please know that people of color are having to alternate speaking up and resting now. Teaching people that you’re a human is frustrating. We will sometimes go silent to recover. In that space, keep doing the work on your own. Learn, donate, speak, question.” - Wanda Ebright, Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Studies, Winthrop University
Upcoming Virtual Events
Join us Today (6/9) 12-1pm EDT: MB Nix will share her research on Charlotte’s budget and City Council Member Braxton Winston’s proposal in response to the unrest. MB’s research is specific to Charlotte, however the structures, policies and ideas discussed apply broadly and may help those of you from other jurisdictions navigate your own city council’s response. Link
Tues 6/9, noon-1:15 pm EDT “Breaking Bread Together as We Work for Justice and Healing: A Lunchtime Discussion with Candler School of Theology Faculty and Local Clergy.” Register
3:30 -4:30 Tuesdays for Nurture: The Urgency of Now. Register: https://ucc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cyfB8C9gShilbhyGXu-eTg Now is the time to push beyond public protest to systemic change. Join with Bishop William Barber & Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chairs of the Poor People’s Campaign, and Sandy Sorenson, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy for the National Setting, to talk about a moral agenda for Election 2020
6/10 White People: Reconnect to Our Spirit and Our Humanity to Interrupt White Supremacy
Reading/ Watch/Listen List:
Read: Downtown Detroit’s Corporate Calls for Diversity and Inclusion and Diversionary and Dismissive. https://detroitpeoplesplatform.org/2020/06/04/downtown-detroits-corporate-calls-for-diversity-and-inclusion-are-diversionary-and-dismissive/
Read: Thoughts in an Unrest State: https://www.charlotteiscreative.com/thoughts-in-an-unrest-state/
Watch: Anywhere with Catbear a children’s discussion on the protests: https://vimeo.com/426572046
Watch: “Protesting in 2020: A Message from the International Civil Rights Center & Museum” - The museum made from the Woolworths’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC @20 minutes long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvM6Gqj5Uro&feature=youtu.be
Watch Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 9p: Oprah Winfrey to host two-night special with black leaders, “Where Do We Go From Here?” Guests will include politician Stacey Abrams, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, director Ava DuVernay, "Selma" actor David Oyelowo, Color of Change founder Rashad Robinson; and NAACP national board member Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II. Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Oprah: Celebrities react to the death of George Floyd: 'We must act' the special will air on OWN and all of Discovery’s 18 networks, will stream for free on the Watch OWN and Discovery Family apps, as well as OWN’s YouTube, Facebook and Instagram pages.
Watch: Talking to Children about Racism and Social Justice: https://www.facebook.com/DrKhyatiYJoshi/
Resources:
Day 8 Actions and Reflections from the group:
Today I watched “The Daily Show”- Now called “The Daily Social Distancing Show” with comedian host, Trevor Noah.” On June 8, Trevor Noah did a critical interview with the director of an activist group in Minneapolis. Minneapolis has today announced some form of defunding the police. Trevor Noah’s show airs at 9am, 11p and 1a daily on Comedy Central Network. His show is the perfect combination of comedy and hard hitting facts. His show on June 8 was powerful with lots of information regarding the issues that we are thinking about today. It has helped me in formulating my thoughts about police departments and criminal justice systems. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=trevor+noah
I did a meditation relating to unease or feeling low. The state of our world is feeling heavy on my shoulders with the pandemic, racism and police violence. It was good to acknowledge the feeling and give myself permission to feel that way.
I watched/listened to the service at the National Cathedral which directly spoke to the horror of how our government is responding to the protests, all grounded in scripture. And, how imperative it is that we all stand for each other. (At least, that’s what I got from it). Finally, I’m reading a novel about a Korean/Brazilian girl and an African-American girl. It is very light, but definitely includes cultural norms for each character. It was listed on “We need more diverse books 2018”. THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL by Maureen Goo.
Today I took my 15-year-old daughter to downtown Atlanta to join the BLM protest there.
Today I watched the film 13th and joined in tonight’s Zoom conversation to discuss.
Today I read about police activity and policies in Evanston, IL (my hometown) and watched an interview about racism hosted by a business friend and a black police professional. Very impactful.
I watched LA92 last night, which is a documentary about the riots that were sparked by the Rodney King assault by four white LA police officers in 1991. It was shocking to me to realize how bad those riots were and how little our leaders did to change anything that sparked them. In fact William Barr was our AG then as he is now. This film is a couple of years old, but National Geographic distributes it and it is available on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime as well as other platforms. They screened it as part of a live event yesterday. I also watched a round table after the LA92 airing that included the filmmakers, Jelani Cobb, Jane Elliott, Aja Taylor, Dream Hampton and others. It was a discussion about if things will be different this time, some were hopeful, others were not. The film is very hard to watch and NOT for children.
I have felt really uncomfortable today. I think a black friend mis-understood my intentions and I am sitting with that and it is hard. It is hard not to just throw all this to the wind and #Netflixandchill. I am thankful for this initiative to keep me on track.
As I learn more and take the time to see, I feel the pain more each day. I'm embarrassed how little I've felt it up to now.
I have written our city counsel, mayor and governor. As you know we are making some progress. There is a promise to "dismantle the police force". I am hopeful that Minneapolis black community leaders can be the first to redesign what public safety looks like. There is a lot of worry in the white community, but there is a big difference between the white people who live in the city versus those who live in the suburbs. There are already white suburbanites saying they won't come to town any longer to shop or go to ball games. Many city residents are saying good, stay home if you don't get it. I have a glimmer of hope, we can find a better path
I just wanted to share something that happened today that I was glad to witness. I work a store in a strip mall and for about an hour and a half there were 3 police SUVs parked in front of our store with 3 officers (one black, 2 white) talking to 2 black women. They were dealing with an incident that happened at our neighboring store, a clothing for young women. I went in to The Boutique to ask what was going on, walking past the 3 officers and 2 women. The manager shared that the teen girl had run away from her foster home and come inside the store. While there, the older black woman had encountered her and took her on a shopping spree trying to comfort her while contacting the police to get the girl help. It was HOT out. Those men had been talking to them for a really long time. I took some cold, boujee la croix out to them all and could see the anguish and despair on the teen girl's face but was so gratified to see all these adults investing to make a difference. I don't know what will happen but as a mom my heart broke for her while also thinking that if there is ever a time she will be helped it might be now. I am hopeful for change.
My Sunday reading was the article from the New Yorker magazine by Rebecca West entitled “Opera in Greenville.” It was published on June 7, 1947. It described the court trial in Greenville wherein numerous white males were acquitted of the murder by lynching of an African American man Willie Earle. This was the last lynching on record in upstate South Carolina. The trial, as described by Ms West, doesn’t measure up to modern standards of justice. The article depicts prejudice and race baiting by the lawyers. (A few of the lawyers were still active, and quite famous, when I entered the SC Bar Association in 1977.) The article is quite long. I was assigned to read it many years ago, so I thought it worthwhile to read it again as a mature person. Fortunately, the scenes depicted would not be allowed in 2020 but it’s still instructive as valid criticism of our historic judicial system. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1947/06/14/opera-in-greenville
I got the girls some chapter books. The Nikki and Deja series, and Jada Jones series. I’ve had some really good conversations with them this week, and we’ve talked about last night how it’s not enough for us to just believe that people should be treated equally, no matter what. We talked about how we have to actively do our part to make sure that people with different skin colors are not treated differently anymore by anyone at any time.
This is a social media post from this morning. More has happened since.
So what has protesting accomplished?
👉🏾Within 10 days of sustained protests:
Minneapolis bans use of choke holds.
👉🏾Charges are upgraded against Officer Chauvin, and his accomplices are arrested and charged.
👉🏾Dallas adopts a "duty to intervene" rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in inappropriate use of force.
👉🏾New Jersey’s attorney general said the state will update its use-of-force guidelines for the first time in two decades.
👉🏾In Maryland, a bipartisan work group of state lawmakers announced a police reform work group.
👉🏾Los Angeles City Council introduces motion to reduce LAPD’s $1.8 billion operating budget.
👉🏾MBTA in Boston agrees to stop using public buses to transport police officers to protests.
👉🏾Police brutality captured on cameras leads to near-immediate suspensions and firings of officers in several cities (i.e., Buffalo, Ft. Lauderdale).
👉🏾Monuments celebrating confederates are removed in cities in Virginia, Alabama, and other states.
👉🏾Street in front of the White House is renamed "Black Lives Matter Plaza.” i.e. Donald Trump now resides on “Black Lives Matter Plaza.”
Military forces begin to withdraw from D.C.
Then, there's all the other stuff that's hard to measure:
💓The really difficult public and private conversations that are happening about race and privilege.
💓The realizations some white people are coming to about racism and the role of policing in this country.
💓The self-reflection.
💓The internal battles exploding within organizations over issues that have been simmering or ignored for a long time. Some organizations will end as a result, others will be forever changed or replaced with something stronger and fairer.
Globally:
🌎 Protests against racial inequality sparked by the police killing of George Floyd are taking place all over the world.
🌎 Rallies and memorials have been held in cities across Europe, as well as in Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.
🌎 As the US contends with its second week of protests, issues of racism, police brutality, and oppression have been brought to light across the globe.
🌎 People all over the world understand that their own fights for human rights, for equality and fairness, will become so much more difficult to win if we are going to lose America as the place where 'I have a dream' is a real and universal political program," Wolfgang Ischinger, a former German ambassador to the US, told the New Yorker.
🌎 In France, protesters marched holding signs that said "I can't breathe" to signify both the words of Floyd, and the last words of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man who was subdued by police officers and gasped the sentence before he died outside Paris in 2016.
🌎 Cities across Europe have come together after the death of George Floyd:
✊🏽 In Amsterdam, an estimated 10,000 people filled the Dam square on Monday, holding signs and shouting popular chants like "Black lives matter," and "No justice, no peace."
✊🏽 In Germany, people gathered in multiple locations throughout Berlin to demand justice for Floyd and fight against police brutality.
✊🏾 A mural dedicated to Floyd was also spray-painted on a stretch of wall in Berlin that once divided the German capital during the Cold War.
✊🏿 In Ireland, protesters held a peaceful demonstration outside of Belfast City Hall, and others gathered outside of the US embassy in Dublin.
✊🏿In Italy, protesters gathered and marched with signs that said "Stop killing black people," "Say his name," and "We will not be silent."
✊🏾 In Spain, people gathered to march and hold up signs throughout Barcelona and Madrid.
✊🏾 In Athens, Greece, protesters took to the streets to collectively hold up a sign that read "I can't breathe."
✊🏾 In Brussels, protesters were seen sitting in a peaceful demonstration in front of an opera house in the center of the city.
✊🏾In Denmark, protesters were heard chanting "No justice, no peace!" throughout the streets of Copenhagen, while others gathered outside the US embassy.
✊🏾 In Canada, protesters were also grieving for Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black woman who died on Wednesday after falling from her balcony during a police investigation at her building.
✊🏾 And in New Zealand, roughly 2,000 people marched to the US embassy in Auckland, chanting and carrying signs demanding justice.
💐 Memorials have been built for Floyd around the world, too. In Mexico City, portraits of him were hung outside the US embassy with roses, candles, and signs.
💐 In Poland, candles and flowers were laid out next to photos of Floyd outside the US consulate.
💐 And in Syria, two artists created a mural depicting Floyd in the northwestern town of Binnish, "on a wall destroyed by military planes."
Before the assassination of George Floyd some of you were able to say whatever the hell you wanted and the world didn't say anything to you...
THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT, AN AWAKENING...MANY OF YOU ARE BEING EXPOSED FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE. #readthatagain
Don't wake up tomorrow on the wrong side of this issue. It’s not too late to SAY,
"maybe I need to look at this from a different perspective.
Maybe I don't know what its like to be black in America...
Maybe, just maybe, I have been taught wrong."
There is still so much work to be done. It's been a really dark, raw week. This could still end badly. But all we can do is keep doing the work.
Keep protesting.
WE ARE NOT TRYING TO START A RACE WAR; WE ARE PROTESTING TO END IT,
PEACEFULLY.
How beautiful is that?
ALL LIVES CANNOT MATTER UNTIL YOU INCLUDE BLACK LIVES.
YOU CANNOT SAY 'ALL LIVES MATTER' WHEN YOU DO NOTHING TO STOP SYSTEMIC RACISM & POLICE BRUTALITY.
YOU CANNOT SAY 'ALL LIVES MATTER' WHEN BLACK PEOPLE ARE DYING AND ALL YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT IS THE LOOTING.
YOU CANNOT SAY 'ALL LIVES MATTER' WHEN YOU ALLOW CHILDREN TO BE CAGED, VETERANS TO GO HOMELESS, AND POOR FAMILIES TO GO HUNGRY & LOSE THEIR HEALTH INSURANCE.
DO ALL LIVES MATTER? YES. BUT RIGHT NOW, ONLY BLACK LIVES ARE BEING TARGETED, JAILED, AND KILLED EN MASSE- SO THAT'S WHO WE'RE FOCUSING ON.
🖤🖤🖤BLACK LIVES MATTER🖤🖤🖤
IF YOU CAN'T SEE THIS, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM.
*I do not know the original author*
Copy & paste & share widely!
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