Anti-Racism at Home
Juneteenth celebrates the “end of slavery” in America, two and a half years after the emancipation proclamation was actually signed. It also reminds us that 155 years later, Black people in America still have to question that “free” status as they fight to survive in a corrupt system. We never marked the day before, but as a family, we are working together to do so now.
For the past few weeks, our days and nights have been full of research and conversation about textbooks leaving out and changing the written history of violence against Black people, how systemic racism favors white people, and the role of all non-Black or those passing as non-Black in that system. This period in time is painful, angering, exhausting, and, when you're honest with yourself, not all that surprising.
This heaviness many of us are feeling for the first time is a sign of our privilege and acceptance of racism up until now. By leaning into the ache you're feeling, you might find a new way of life. One that takes more intentionality, accepts discomfort as a necessary tool, and requires action to see a world working together for the betterment of all.
It's easy to say our children deserve better. It should be evident to us by now that our friends, neighbors, fellow humans, and their ancestors deserve better as well. Black people were promised change (time and time again), but it never came.
It's not time for things to "go back to normal" and I hope that never happens. Reject racism and help bring necessary reform to our country.
Understanding the History:
— Watch: The Tulsa Race Massacre
— A Timeline of Events That Led to the 2020 'Fed Up'-rising
— How Racist Policing Took Over American Cities, Explained by a Historian
— Watch: 13th on Netflix
Understanding #BlackLivesMatter:
— Black Lives Matter From the Start
— Watch: Unwritten Rules for a Young Black Man
— Watch American Son on Netflix
— Listen: It’s Been a Minute, about police union power and the fears of Black motherhood (check out episode “Not Just Another Protest”)
— Listen: Ear Hustle, about the stresses of life in and after prison (check out episodes “Kissing the Concrete” and “Nobody Comes Back”)
Raising #AntiRacist Children:
— Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race
— Watch: Is My Skin Brown Because I Drank Chocolate Milk? with Beverly Daniel Tatum
— Become a patron of The Conscious Kid on Patreon: parenting through a Critical Race Lens
Things to Do:
— Donate to BailProject.org, especially if you can’t get out to protest yourself
— Donate to Black Lives Matter and support their mission to Defund the Police
— Donate to JoinCampaignZero.com, working to end police violence
— Buy from Black-owned bookstores or other businesses, like kido
