Black Lives Matter
Hello my friends,
Today’s blog post is a little different. This is to help educate you on what we need to do to become an Ally.
I encourage each of my white friends here to educate yourself & get uncomfortable right now. ⠀
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It is not enough to say we empathize with POC, but still view their experiences from what we believe it is like for them. ⠀
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We must put ourselves in their shoes, we must LEARN what it is like so we can truly empathize with them. ⠀
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White people:⠀
We must get uncomfortable. ⠀
We must learn. ⠀
We must do better. ⠀
We must grow. ⠀
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All lives do matter, but until black lives TRULY matter it means nothing. ⠀
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Today I did one of the hardest rides I’ve done with Peloton. It hurt so bad and I was so uncomfortable physically, mentally and emotionally. I sobbed through most of it. ⠀
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During that ride @tune2tunde said these words multiple times: ⠀
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“I will not sugar coat my words because when I sugar coat my words I can not invoke change!” ⠀
NOW is the time to make a change my friends. ⠀
I have added some resources for you to read through in order to stand up and educate yourself so that we can help movement and see a change in this country. It is not enough to NOT be racist, it is important that we understand we must be ANTI-RACIST.
The point of this blog post is not only to help educate you, but also to help you learn that you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
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Books:
I am currently working on educating myself through books and audio books. If you are looking for some of the books that I list below they are most likely sold out on Amazon. If you aren’t able to get them at a local bookstore, Audible or the ebook version is always a good option. Do whatever you can to educate yourself now instead of waiting for the books to be back in stock.
Here are a few of the ones I plan on reading.
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor By: Layla Saad (I am currently listening to this on Audible)
White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk about Racism By: ROBIN DIANGELO
Why are all the black kids sitting together in the cafeteria? By: Beverly Daniel Tatum
These are just a few of the books I am starting with.
Find more Here: 20 Best Books About Anti-Racism to Educate Yourself
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/g32745719/best-books-about-anti-racism/
Instagram Accounts:
There are so many Instagram accounts to follow to educate yourself on Black Culture, Micro-aggressions, Black History & how we can do better as white Americans.
These are a few of the accounts that I enjoy following to learn from. Have I watched some of their IGTV’s and felt uncomfortable? YES, but that is the exact point. My friends, we HAVE to get uncomfortable, we have to LEARN, we can’t avoid this because if we do we aren’t creating change. These are just a few accounts that I will share with you:
@ohhappydani
@berrionlberry
@daniellebayardjackson
@ivirlei
Netflix movies/series:
It is easy to pass by these titles on Netflix because we don’t want to know and don’t want to feel uncomfortable. However, these are just a handful of titles we as White people need to watch so that we can understand what it feels like to walk in the shows of our Black brothers and sisters. I am committing to watch all 5 of these documentaries and I challenge you to do the same.
Explained: The Racial Wealth Gap
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
When They See Us
13th
Who Killed Malcom X?
Places to donate:
There are a multitude of places you can donate to help the #blacklivesmatter movement. I did not want to pick and choose a few so instead I want to link a website that lists them for you.
The great thing about this site is it separates them into categories.
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/where-to-donate-for-black-lives-matter.html
I challenge you this week to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Listen, learn and make change happen.
