Day 3: Listen


Good morning! 

Thanks for continuing to join us on this challenge.  We are so excited by the great response and look forward to doing this work together.  What cool things happened as you honored the #BlackOutTuesday Event?    Recap: Do one actively anti-racist thing everyday for 30 days.  We will post what we are doing, feel free to do the same thing or find something that better suits you.  We would love to have dialogue: let’s share ideas, resources and support.  


Peace,

Beth and Camerin


Day 3: 

Today, due to other commitments we are doing different things.  We invite you to join us on either or both or something different if you prefer.    


  1. This event at “The Gantt Center” (African American Art Museum) in Charlotte seems very compelling. June 3rd: The Gantt Center Unmasked: We Can’t Breathe   I, Beth, am able to attend it and have registered.  I’m am also very concerned and interested in the kinds of training our police are or are not receiving to identify and work on their own implicit bias. This link will take you to the webpage about the event  and here is the description of what will be discussed and considered in this presentation.   “For this special public conversation, we discuss how policing continues to be a historical weapon of racial discrimination and control. We point out the barbarous methods of police in America, and how they uncannily hold a 400-year pattern of systematic oppression. We discuss the lack of accountability and inconsistent training of police across the United States, how this deficiency of responsibility has resulted in countless Black lives suffering a powerless fate of fatal abuse. We ask ourselves the tough questions of the future of Black America for generations to come. We culminate the conversation with multi-level actionable items that we all can enact to dismantle a system that has been doomed from its inception.”


  1. If social media is your spot and you want to build on the momentum of yesterday’s #BlackoutTuesday campaign.  Yesterday we heard about the “Amplify Melanated Voices” (#almplifymelinatedvoices) movement which runs through June7th with the purpose of amplifying black voices and allowing their stories and experiences to dominate the media narrative in this moment. More info here. 

We are seeking clarification on when and where to use the Black Lives Matter hashtag and will keep you posted.  Until then we suggest using the words “Black Lives Matter” without the hashtag.  


  1. Planning ahead for  Thursday, Another event: Addressing Systematic Violence Against African Americans in Contemporary America is being sponsored by “Religions for Peace.”  It also seems very compelling and though I think the event is full at this time. But you can check it out on facebook live and put it on your calendar.   


  1. If neither of these events suits your interest we believe you will find a number of great ideas in this article.   75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice

   

         



Day 2:

Reflections: 

Marching on the MLK day event is not enough.  Helping kids in our neediest school learn to read is not enough.  Greeting black neighbors on the Lakewalk the same way I greet white neighbors on the Lakewalk, is not enough.  Taking pride in my own actions to resist racism, is clearly not enough.  But what is enough?  Or maybe that’s not the question.  Maybe the question is simply “what’s the next thing I can do to combat racism?”

Other Actions people took: 

  • I read Ethics Daily everyday and have for years. It’s broad in scope but a lot of the articles are pertinent to race. It’s a start  https://ethicsdaily.com/

  • I wasn’t aware that there was a bipartisan effort to stop supplying local police departments with surplus military gear. Sounds like another push we might want to support: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/us/politics/police-military-gear.html 

  • Today I contacted my state representatives. 

  • Today, I'm going to join some old colleagues at the 4:45 protest. I've invited my team to join.

  • My report for today is that I changed my FB profile picture to the black circle (no small feat for a Luddite like me😉), and we got our laptop repaired by a black business owner.

  • Petition the President of the United States to proclaim a national day of “Mourning Against Racial Injustice” on June 19th, the traditional day of celebration for African Americans over the end of slavery, where flags will be flown at half-mast.

  • Contact your member of Congress demanding legislation that defines racialized police violence as a hate crime.

  • I attended a Listening session with a black dance/ spoken word artist from Nashville. I had meaningful phone conversations with white and black friends and family- checking in and sharing insights. 

  • I emailed my boss to suggest that we (she) make a statement about the deaths of black americans and how our organization will respond. I think she would've gotten there on her own - but my prompting made it happen right away.

  • Today I read The Invisible Knapsack.  It revealed how very complicated this issue is, suggesting many reasons for not tackling it head on.  Hard things are hard.  The Invisible Knapsack list could be extended to include just about any action or inaction we as white people take.  Just sitting here writing and not fearing the response to my words is a privilege.

Resources: 

From @thirdspacesomatics: Embodied Racism a Brief Somatic Guide for White People. 
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6I6Cip4Ar/?igshid=oluoi22u3p9h

Headed to a Protest: Keep these things in mind (from the ACLU) https://www.aclu.org/news/free-speech/know-your-rights-while-protesting-police-brutality/

 A REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE

We are interested in the best way to continue to share and archive information.  We’re thinking a blog might work.  We don’t know much about that or other options.  If you have thoughts or resources we look forward to hearing from you.  If you have experiences with blogs or suggestions for another platform, please pass along your expertise for where we might put together all of the great ideas and resources we’ve been gathering and are adding to each day.   Thanks so very much.   

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