Black hand touching white hand
World

Speaking Up > Staying Silent

Hanna Porterfieldby
Leave a Comment on Speaking Up > Staying Silent

Yesterday I posted on Instagram sharing my thoughts on the severe injustice happening in the United States, particularly racism against Black people.

I’ve felt exhausted watching the news but it is NOTHING compared to the exhaustion of their suffering for hundreds of years without a change. If your social media feeds this weekend have been filled people sitting in their privilege and posting photos of pool parties or relaxing with fancy takeout, rather than using their online real estate to raise their voice and take a stand, you are either frustrated like me or part of the problem. If you haven’t taken a scroll through Twitter or don’t know the differences between the peaceful protests and the racist riots happening around the country, please read on and educate yourself.

What has been going on in the US in regard to race is NOT ok and we all (read: WHITE PEOPLE) need to do our part to speak up. Don’t ask your Black acquaintances how they’re feeling, don’t as them how you can help. The onus is on YOU to educate yourself and create change. If the unacceptable murders of Black people are *just now* at the top of your mind due to current news, truly sit and acknowledge that the fear of this reality is *always* at the top of mind their mind.

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”

Desmond Tutu

This week, I’ve been trying to come up with the words I want to say to talk about this issue and keep deleting and retyping sentences. Instead of figuring out the most “perfect” post, below find some resources to take action (all found on social media, shared by POC, or by simple Google searches — again, it is not acceptable to ask POC to explain to you the issues of racism in today’s society). I’m also including some of my saved Instagram posts which better articulate my sentiments and the sources of where I am furthering my knowledge of the deep injustices in this country and the world.

Let’s speak up. Even if those around us seem to agree, or *majority* of your friends are already speaking up too, changing even one person’s view on race is worth the fight.

Every day, I pray for the safety my fiancé Elorm, who loves me unconditionally and works relentlessly for our future. He is a determined and accomplished professional, goes to church every week and prays at home, is amazing and silly with kids, is my workout buddy and motivation, and has the biggest smile in the world; it scares me to think anyone could see him as anyone else. I pray for all of those who live in fear of racism and senseless actions against them every day, that they one day may not carry that burden. This is why I’m speaking up.  🖤 #blacklivesmatter

The only way to change the situation is to continue to educate ourselves (and journal about and talk about) and put in the work, standing up to injustice. Below are some resources, many shared in the larger bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein in May 2020.

Books to Read

Here’s my GoodReads bookshelf on books about race that I’ve read and that are on my personal list to read regarding race, and some I’ve already read: bit.ly/racebooks I would love additional suggestions, too.

Things to Watch

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • Insecure
  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO
  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

Podcasts to Listen To

1619 by the New York Times, About Race, Code Switch by NPR, Pod Save the People.

Accounts to Follow

Donate

Put your money where your mouth is and donate to antiracism organizations such as the ones listed and others.

“White privilege doesn’t mean your life hasn’t been hard. It means your skin tone isn’t one of the things making it harder.”

@courtneyahndesign on Instagram

White people will fail in their attempts to be good allies, and they need to prepare for this in advance. This is critical to their path of becoming an anti-racist person. Black people are not expecting perfection from white people. We know it is not a question of if they will mess up but when they will mess up. What I have been saying over and over is, when white people mess up, what will they do then? Will they retreat? Will they give up? Will they lash out? Will they push blame onto others? Or will they use this as an opportunity to learn what not to do and commit to doing better?”

Leslie Mac, activist and community organizer; in Refinery29 article Black People Need Stronger White Allies — Here’s How You Can Be One

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAq9_0uJary/

View this post on Instagram

I’ve had this series idea in my mind for quite a while now…so here it is! As a Korean-American, I can’t speak to the unique experiences of other marginalized groups in the US, but as a fellow minority I empathize with your hardships, acknowledge your struggles, and will continue to amplify the voices of all POC 💕 UPDATE: turning off comments as the amount of conversation here is blowing up my alerts and the amount of mental effort required to keep up with everything has been very straining, as well as the conversation here is quickly turning aggressive and derisive for everyone. Please DM me if you have specific concerns/questions about the series(but please do a google search first)! Please see my repost rules highlight before sharing ✌️ 〰️ #blackhistorymonth #whiteprivilege #privilege #checkyourprivilege #racialequality #illo #illustration #digitalillustration #procreate #illustrator #illustratorsoninstagram #draweveryday #sketchbook #digitalart #drawingoftheday #ladieswhodraw #womenwhodraw #pdxillustrators #illustratorsoninstagram #womensupportingwomen #feminist #designer #womanownedbusiness #portlandartist #womenofillustration #femaleillustrator #femaleartist #womanartist #femaleartists #womenartists

A post shared by courn ahn (she/her) (@courtneyahndesign) on

View this post on Instagram

You can’t fix something you can’t see. ❤️ Solving present-day race issues doesn’t start with ignoring race altogether – it starts with acknowledging it (and all of the implications that come along with it). ⠀⠀ I wrote this last year and it still feels relevant so I’ll share it again: ⠀⠀ “For me, seeing in color means a few things. It’s seeing people the way God made them – seeing them in their fullness. Yes, that includes their ethnicity… but also their passions, their fears, their favorite things. All of it! When you say ‘I don’t see color,’ I hear ‘I’m choosing to ignore parts of you.’ And if you don’t see me, you can’t fight for me.” #blackhistorymonth ❤️🖤🤍🤎

A post shared by DANIELLE COKE (@ohhappydani) on

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAvYyaaj0hX/

View this post on Instagram

The number one response I get when I talk about our white privilege. I understand all life matters, but all lives are not equally in danger. If both my sons were playing and one broke their arm and one didn’t I would not give them the same medical treatment. I would take care of the one in more danger. It would not mean one mattered more than the other, it would mean one needed my aid faster. It’s not a competition or a confrontation. People come in this space who don’t even follow me and just start nonsense in my comments. Today I’ll just block, no one needs to be triggered by ignorance. Take care of each other. . . It’s been brought to my awareness that @rachel.cargle posted an article in Harpers Bazaar that my post is very similar to. I HIGHLY respect her, financially support her work, and learn from her and probably even read the article at the time and it just stuck in my consciousness. I had zero intention of ever trying to be credited with her work, I only was trying to silence the non stop stream of voices. Either way it’s not okay and I acknowledge that and take responsibility for not citing her.

A post shared by Jess Bird🌈 (she/they) (@blessthemessy) on

View this post on Instagram

Want to play a more active role in being an ally? Here are a few practical action steps on how to navigate race conversations in a helpful way: ⠀⠀ ❤️ LISTEN – allow POC to be heard. As we share experiences and explain things, give yourself the chance to learn, understand, and empathize without interrupting or making excuses. ⠀⠀ 💛 AMPLIFY – POC don’t always have the opportunity to have their work or words shared to vast audiences. Help their messages reach the people who need them by using the platform you’ve been given to highlight them. (And PLEASE give them credit for their work! 😉) ⠀⠀ 💚 SPEAK – Witness injustice? Call it out. Hear a microagression at work? Correct it. Share your knowledge with those who don’t know, and assist us in the work of racial reconciliation. ⠀⠀ Did these help? Have any questions about this? Leave a comment and let me know! 🚦 ⠀⠀ P.S. @jakedudley and @juliamatastern you are my favorite allies. I pray the future looks a lot more like you. Honoring you today.

A post shared by DANIELLE COKE (@ohhappydani) on

Want more? Check out “75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice“

By Corinne Shutack via Medium

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: