Listen.

Where do I even start?

Just when you thought this year couldn’t get any worse right?

I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to be black in America right now. Even being white, I’m of course rattled and stressed by these occurrences on top of what was already maybe the most stressful year I’ve ever had to live through so far.

Being white in America means I am on the outskirts of this movement. It’s not about me or people like me. Because people like me aren’t in pain. We are not persecuted day in and day out for just existing. The focus is on the black community because black lives are the ones that are at stake.

And being white does come with privilege. I could write a whole post on this concept alone, but what it boils down to is that I never have to worry about my race in any of my interactions. The fact that I never have to think about it is privilege. With this privilege, it would be relatively easy for me to turn my head and dismiss this movement, or to participate on a mere surface level.

But I can’t. I can’t do absolutely nothing because of one simple reason: exposure.

I can’t turn my head now because of my exposure to black lives and the education that has given me. I can’t stay silent because I’ve asked my black friends questions, I’ve invested in their lives. I listen and participate in their recommendations. Every time our justice system fails a black american, I can’t help but think about them. What if it were them? It would rip me apart. I would be livid that someone I love was mistreated so heinously. I’ve been exposed to their families, their generosity, their laughter, their culture, their pain, and their love. I can’t turn my back on that.

Even if you don’t have any black people in your life - you still have the ability to be exposed to their experiences. Social media and the internet are bursting at the seams with black americans sharing their feelings, their pain, as well as resources to get educated and get exposed. Exposure may not seem like much, but it creates a personal connection. It creates emotion and emotion is difficult to ignore. And that makes it so much harder to hate, and even harder to stay indifferent.

Participation in a cause like this can take many forms. No one expects you to march or donate if you’re not able. But what simply will not fly is not being educated. There are too many resources out there to not take the initiative. There are documentaries, podcasts, books, articles, and social media graphics that all can provide a starting point wherever you are in your journey. I’ve linked my absolute favorite resources down below.

Because as someone who will never know what it truly feels like to be a black american - I MUST listen and learn. At the end of the day, no matter how many black friends I have, I will never know what it feels like to live life in America as a black person. Which means I will never be able to speak to what it truly is to live life in America as a black person.

So my responsibility in all of this is to listen. It’s to read. It’s to absorb. It’s to use the privilege I do have to protect and amplify the voices that do know what it feels like.

Could I do more? Always. But I participate in ways that I feel I can make the most difference. I donate money, buy from black businesses, gather resources per posts like these, call out people who antagonize, I listen to my friends, and perhaps most importantly - I keep my mind open. I am willing to learn, to be corrected, to discuss, to educate myself, and to concede when I am wrong.

You don’t have to be perfect, that’s not the ask. The ask is that you fucking try.

Education Resources to Get started

https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_(film)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/30/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race

https://www.amazon.com/White-Fragility-People-About-Racism/dp/0807047414

My fave influencers with TONS, literally TONS, of content to get you started

@rachel.cargle

@laylafsaad

@ibramxk

Here are the orgs I donated to but there are so many more!