Can We Make This Moment the Turning Point?
My heart has been heavy since the tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and it has been difficult to write on this blog. I have spent the last few weeks feeling grief and outrage and a sense of helplessness. I think back on all the racial violence and police brutality over the years and it feels like there has been no progress. It is very overwhelming and I can’t imagine how it feels for the Black community.
In processing these emotions, I have tried to focus on what I can do to help. It seems like such a deep-rooted issue stemming from hundreds of years of structural racism, wired into the foundation of our country. How can anything I do make an impact? But if we all do our small part, I want to believe maybe we can slowly start to make some difference. It feels like the world is finally awake to the injustices that have been going on for a very long time, and we should all do what we can to help. If you are looking for ideas, here are some of the things I am planning to do. If you have other suggestions, please let me know!
Listen and Learn
I want to acknowledge my blind spots and look for ways to educate myself and learn more about the perspectives of Black people. There are many books I want to read and here are a few I have in mind for the short-term:
I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness: I listened to a podcast with the author, Austin Channing Brown. I learned a lot from the interview and am looking forward to checking out her book.
The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness: I have a deep interest in mindfulness and feel it can be an important tool in addressing many of the problems we face, both individually and as a society. Rhonda Magee, the author, will also be participating in an upcoming Wisdom 2.0 talk called ‘Healing Racism in America’. I will add the link here soon if it is available publicly.
Stamped from the Beginning & How to Be an Antiracist: I listened to an interview with this author and it gave me a lot to think about. He is the Founding Director of The Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University, as well as a professor of history and international relations.
These are two books I’ve read that I highly recommend:
Just Mercy: This book just shattered me. It’s an important read and opened my eyes to the appalling degree of unfairness and racial bias in the criminal justice system before reading this. The stories are heartbreaking.
Between the World and Me: This is a beautifully written book in the form of a letter from the author to his son. It had a profound impact on me and is a powerful depiction of the state of race in our country.
Support Causes That Need Funding
I’ve donated to the following organizations:
Bail Project is a national fund that helps pay bail for people in need, including protesters. After a client’s case has ended, the bail money is returned to the fund to be used again, so your donation goes a long way.
Anti Police-Terror Project is a local Bay area group run by Black leaders focused on building a sustainable model to eliminate police terror in communities of color.
Equal Justice Initiative provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. It was founded by Bryan Stevenson, the author of the book ‘Just Mercy’ that I mentioned above.
Ever Forward Club is a mentorship program for young men of color (middle-school and high-school age). The founder of this organization was a speaker at a mindfulness conference I just attended and I was very moved by the mission and his authenticity. I also want to look into volunteer opportunities since this is based in Oakland.
Some other organizations that you could consider include Campaign Zero, Fair Fight, and the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Increase Political Engagement
It gave me some hope to read President Obama’s post, and I borrowed from his title in my post. As he points out, one of the most important things we can do is elect the right leaders at the state and local level. One organization I highly recommend is Sister District Project. They have a focus on ending gerrymandering and winning state legislative elections. Their leadership is very impressive and they have a highly data-driven and strategic approach to choosing which state races to support. In the past, I’ve written postcards for candidates in Arizona and Pennsylvania and they have a very high success rate with the candidates they support. I used to be more involved and had dropped off in recent months, but it feels more important than ever to become more engaged in their work.
A resource called 8CantWait went live recently that highlights 8 common-sense laws that will make citizens safer and reduce incidences of police violence by 72%. The site allows you to select your city and shows which local policies are enacted where you live and provides contact information for local leaders so that you can call for the changes requested here. San Francisco already has these 8 policies enacted but if you live elsewhere, check your city.
Attend Protests
I went to a protest this past weekend and was overcome with emotion several times. I felt so many feelings, seeing the huge number of people come together to march in solidarity to demand justice. My eyes filled with tears as the crowd chanted the names of people who lost their lives to police brutality.
Throughout history, public protests have been important to the visibility and success of civil rights campaigns and can be a powerful way to drive change.
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Black Lives Matter. There is a lot of work to do. Let’s all reflect on how we can stand up for racial justice and do our part to make change happen.