Civic Reeducation: Black Lives Matter and Taking Action Here and Now.
Sentiments are not enough. Shock, heartfelt grief, horror-- not enough.
Today the supreme court said that you can't be fired for being LGBT. It doesn't feel like a victory or a celebration. It feels like meeting your absentee dad when you're 36. Like, yes. It's good. But... isn't this ridiculously late?
Black lives matter.
Why is this a debate?
Whiteness bestows privilege. Your life may be hard, but it's not because you're white.
So taking action in support of black liberation today, as a white person, feels like today's supreme court decision. Yes, it's good. But no cookies for timeliness.
The news is unreliable. Fox is faking images, and all outlets are showing things through their own political, ideological, and corporate lenses.
It's a lesson: we need to be eye witnesses. We can trust our own eyes... and that's about it.
What a strange time to be alive-- we all have little electronic eyes recording what we witness. We can see through others' eyes.
It's distorted, it's limited. It's patchwork.
There isn't a coherent true story about this moment in history across our country. Just millions of eyes, millions of witnesses. Active and passive participation, support, observation...
I'm realizing: what can I do on a national level? On a regional level, on a state level? What can I do in my county, my city, my neighborhood, my family and myself?
Well, first thing. I need to educate myself on the systems that exist, how they are functioning, what the advocates for marginalized communities are asking for from those systems.
This is a big reeducation.
Today the supreme court said that you can't be fired for being LGBT. It doesn't feel like a victory or a celebration. It feels like meeting your absentee dad when you're 36. Like, yes. It's good. But... isn't this ridiculously late?
Black lives matter.
Why is this a debate?
Whiteness bestows privilege. Your life may be hard, but it's not because you're white.
So taking action in support of black liberation today, as a white person, feels like today's supreme court decision. Yes, it's good. But no cookies for timeliness.
The news is unreliable. Fox is faking images, and all outlets are showing things through their own political, ideological, and corporate lenses.
It's a lesson: we need to be eye witnesses. We can trust our own eyes... and that's about it.
What a strange time to be alive-- we all have little electronic eyes recording what we witness. We can see through others' eyes.
It's distorted, it's limited. It's patchwork.
There isn't a coherent true story about this moment in history across our country. Just millions of eyes, millions of witnesses. Active and passive participation, support, observation...
I'm realizing: what can I do on a national level? On a regional level, on a state level? What can I do in my county, my city, my neighborhood, my family and myself?
Well, first thing. I need to educate myself on the systems that exist, how they are functioning, what the advocates for marginalized communities are asking for from those systems.
This is a big reeducation.
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