Many of us are trying to understand everything that's going on or at least find ways to express our disillusion with some of these so called leaders. This pandemic can be fixed. Budget cuts in education can be fixed. The economy can be fixed. But hatred towards my skin tone apparently has trouble being fixed. The recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and several others of black and brown skin, have sparked even more dialogue in the wake of this pandemic because we are all at wits end because it's too much. How many times does #BlackLivesMatter have to be said, chanted, tweeted or written for some people to actually wake up?
I'm stressed. I'm sad. I'm upset. I'm lost. I'm confused. I feel hopeless. And within all of that, I try to find a morsel of joy in doing things for myself and interacting with the people in my life. Because the pain of knowing my mother, my dad, my sisters, my brothers, my aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, co-workers, church members and students are all at risk of being hated or experiencing unnecessary hate overwhelms me all the time. So in the wake of this, yes, I currently have many emotions and must have my guard up.
Right now we see several people with the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter or #EnoughIsEnough. But what are you going to do in the next few weeks when things slowly begin to quiet down (which I hope they won't, but we know the truth)? Are you going to continue to talk with your children about racism in America? Are you going to acknowledge Juneteenth as an actual holiday and celebration of the emancipation of all black folks in America? Are you going to begin supporting black art and works in your community, on television or online to show that their voices are significant and have power? Or are you going to quiet down with others until the next uproar? Or for some, are you going to continue to appropriate our culture for your own gain and yet not speak against the hatred we constantly receive?
Really contemplate why you're eager to speak now, but don't let it stop you. Let it continue to ignite because it's needed. Let it help you become more involved in the matter and not nonchalant. I may not be the protesting or rioting type, but I'm the supporting type. I'm the donating type. I'm the petition type. I'm the volunteering type. I'm the voting type. I'm the educating my students type.
And right now in many ways some 'leaders' are trying their best to control, interrupt or better yet terminate our voices. My voice is needed! Is yours? Yes! So determine how you can advocate for black voices or justice for people of color and be that voice. It Matters.
If you want to support others who amplify voices of black people and those who seek to bring justice to the communities of people of color, check out some of the blogs, organizations and websites below. These are a few I follow, support or receive information.
ARTS:
Black Table Arts: blacktablearts.com
Color Creative: colorcreative.tv
Film Family: filmfamily.org
Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company: truecolorstheatre.org
EDUCATION:
Education with an Apron: educationwithanapron.com
Love Tanesha: lovetanesha.com
Teach for the Culture: facebook.com/teachfortheculture/
Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: https://nmaahc.si.edu/
JUSTICE:
Color of Change: colorofchange.org
Know Your Rights Camp: knowyourrightscamp.com
Black Lives Matter: blacklivesmatter.com
NAACP: naacp.org
Ways You Can Help: blacklivesmatter.carrd.co
National Center for Civil and Human Rights: civilandhumanrights.org
If you know of any other voices, please share. Be safe. Be blessed. Be hope.
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