A friend and I were talking the other day about how big companies have been pledging donations to organizations like the ACLU, the NAACP and etc. in support of black lives and racial justice. My friend thought it was a step in the right direction. I felt like a step in the right direction would have been an annual, if not a monthly pledge.
To be honest, I’m skeptical of the swelling support for black lives, concerned that this wave will soon level off. Folks will go to a protest, make a donation, share stuff on social media, and then the momentum will wane. It’s happened plenty times before and it’s frustrating. All of a sudden, the media’s doing “breaking news” and “special investigations” on headlines like, “White Privilege in America,” as if it’s the latest trend.
So let me tell you now before the disappointment sets in: Nothing about activism is trendy.
It’s not cool. It’s not buzzworthy. It’s exhausting. It is influenced mostly by anger and outrage – two emotions I personally prefer not to feel. The work is ongoing; what’s more, people too often die doing this work. So while yes, it is gratifying to see donations made, and white allies protesting on the frontlines, I’m not going to give a round of applause.
Also, where have many of these companies and allies been? Police brutality didn't just begin.
Activism requires a constant effort. If you’re white in America you don’t have to think about race as much as people of color do; we live the reality of racism (a reality we’ve been lamenting over for centuries) every damn day. We don’t have the privilege to decide not to live this reality, which is why we’re in this fight every damn day. And it is so important for you to keep this in mind because we need you to stay focused.
Please, don’t just post the pictures you took at a black lives matter protest on social media. Please, don’t just read a book your black friend recommended called, “How To Be An Anti-Racist,” or, “White Fragility.” Please, don’t just pledge a lump sum of money or uplift a black-owned business. Do all of the above, and more. Consistently. Regularly. Every. Damn. Day. We are in the fight to end centuries of systemic and institutionalized racism.
I always say to my clients that the hardest thing we ever do – the hardest decision we ever make – is to fully commit to and invest in a cause, whether that cause be for racial justice, against police brutality, or tackling our own implicit biases. Now is the time to do hard things.
Check your weekly horoscopes to see how you can be a part of the movement for black lives according to your Zodiac sign, and don’t forget to read for your Ascendant sign too.
So let me tell you now before the disappointment sets in: Nothing about activism is trendy.
It’s not cool. It’s not buzzworthy. It’s exhausting. It is influenced mostly by anger and outrage – two emotions I personally prefer not to feel. The work is ongoing; what’s more, people too often die doing this work. So while yes, it is gratifying to see donations made, and white allies protesting on the frontlines, I’m not going to give a round of applause.
Also, where have many of these companies and allies been? Police brutality didn't just begin.
Activism requires a constant effort. If you’re white in America you don’t have to think about race as much as people of color do; we live the reality of racism (a reality we’ve been lamenting over for centuries) every damn day. We don’t have the privilege to decide not to live this reality, which is why we’re in this fight every damn day. And it is so important for you to keep this in mind because we need you to stay focused.
Please, don’t just post the pictures you took at a black lives matter protest on social media. Please, don’t just read a book your black friend recommended called, “How To Be An Anti-Racist,” or, “White Fragility.” Please, don’t just pledge a lump sum of money or uplift a black-owned business. Do all of the above, and more. Consistently. Regularly. Every. Damn. Day. We are in the fight to end centuries of systemic and institutionalized racism.
I always say to my clients that the hardest thing we ever do – the hardest decision we ever make – is to fully commit to and invest in a cause, whether that cause be for racial justice, against police brutality, or tackling our own implicit biases. Now is the time to do hard things.
Check your weekly horoscopes to see how you can be a part of the movement for black lives according to your Zodiac sign, and don’t forget to read for your Ascendant sign too.
