There is much to navigate at this moment in time- questions of racial and social justice are profound, and only getting louder and more complicated.
Delia
We are often asked: ‘What do I do’? What can I do?
Our June blog offers a few suggestions to support you continue your anti-racism journey and let the joy flow.
This work is many things – challenging, unrelenting, rewarding, affirming…
The struggle is real…
The longer days and warmer temperatures mean that it is indeed
“Summer, summеr, summertime… Time to sit back and unwind…” (channeling some DJ Jazzy Jeff and Fresh Prince vibes circa 1991)…
In that spirit and in the spirit of the season, we encourage you to continue your work to enhance your racial literacy and embrace the joy at the same time.
Knowledge is power.
We are all on our own anti-racism path.
…. Anti-racism is a life-long journey. It is not a destination.
Unlearning and learning are interconnected processes essential to enhancing y/our racial literacy.
Anti-racism is a journey of becoming – if you will – it involves both individual and collective participation.
Embrace the processes and possibilities of expanding your horizons.
Commit to an intentional practice of engagement and reflection and pass that gift on to others.
Conversations can be meeting grounds– sites of disruption and of possibility…over time conversations can create community, solidarity, and advance movements for social justice.
Wishing you a safe, joyful, and rejuvenating July and August.
See you in September!
Marcia
The most important thing I’ve learned over the last two or three years is that I’m a more effective anti-racist leader when I have disciplined practices of rest and joy. This isn’t something that I came up with on my own- teachings of seasonality, play, joy and rest are found in many Indigenous cultures. Activists and thought leaders like Audre Lorde and Tricia Hersey write about and give us permission and instruction in how to embody. It is our work to learn and believe these are acts of resistance to white supremacy culture and embody them for ourselves too.
Summer reading list:
bell hooks (2001). All about love: New visions. New York: William Morrow.
Tracey M. Lewis-Giggetts. (2022). Black joy: Stories of resistance, resilience, and restoration. New York: Gallery Books.
Audre Lorde (1978). Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power. Listen to the audiobook read by the author (YouTube).
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (2013). Islands of decolonial love: Stories and songs. Winnipeg, MB: Arbeiter Ring Publishing.
Sophie Williams (2021). Anti racist ally: An introduction to activism & action. New York: HarperCollins.
Community Engagement: Attend/Participatein (at least) 1 (gotta start somewhere!) fun diverse community event: think National Indigenous Peoples Day, community and street festivals, local community owned restaurants, book readings at McNally. Get creative!
Listen to a podcast:
Episode 48 – Leading while Black – An Exclusive Conversation with former police Chief Peter Sloly.
Kimberlé Crenshaw, Intersectionality matters!
Watch:
Indivisible: Why race, gender, and LGBTQIA+ justice cannot be separated: Under the Blacklight.
Chimimanda Adichie: The danger of a single story.