This is an essay relevant in all sorts of ways, to all sorts of organizing. Today it appeals to me in the aftermath of recent deaths, arguing for ways to be a peacemaker in a time of hatred.
Category Archives: web
Bearing witness but never finding justice
Dr. Emilie Townes offers a compelling reflection this week on what it means that we continue to bear witness to injustice, without ever finding justice.
Allies and solidarity
Here is a piece that was first published back in 2013 offering a strong critique of the liberal use of the word “ally.” I still agree with Chescaleigh’s offering of “5 tips for being an ally” — one of which is that “ally” is a verb! — but I think this piece offers some important pushback on the use of “ally” when it means only personal perspectives rather than actual action.
More on white fragility
Here’s an even more concise piece by Robin DiAngelo on “white fragility.”
Seeing whiteness exercises
Reggie Williams offers some ideas for ways to help students “see whiteness.”
Self care for people of color after trauma
It is very much worth noting this advice on self care for people of color after trauma. And in perhaps the same vein, this advice for white people on ways to process emotion without bringing the white tears.
#PhilandoCastile
This morning we woke up in MN to the latest killing of a Black person by a police officer. This time it was Philando Castile, shot in his car in front of his girlfriend and her 4 year old daughter. Words fail.
As always, we will try to post useful pieces at this blog. In the meantime, here are a few to begin with:
- a litany for those who aren’t ready for healing
- Campaign Zero (ten point platform for ending police violence)
- MN ACLU Mobile Justice app (to make documentation easier)
- Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Eizabeth Eaton’s, statement
- Stated Clerk of the PCUSA, J. Herbert Nelson II’s statement
- Statement from the St. Paul Public Schools (where Philando worked)
- Statement from Lutherans of African Descent
Jesse Williams at the BET awards
Jesse Williams, known for his work on the hit TV show Grey’s Anatomy, took time at the recent BET Awards to speak bluntly about systemic racism, and the need for transformation in the US. There’s a great collection of his talks at the Zinn site, but here’s the speech from the award ceremony:
Myths about sharia
Given the intensity of the Islamophobia being stirred up by this year’s political campaigns, it can be helpful to engage some common myths. This piece does a very nice job of that in relation to Islamic understandings of sharia.
Enjoying instead of appropriating culture
Here’s a lovely illustration of how to appreciate another person’s or community’s culture, rather than seeking to appropriate it. The difference matters! It’s the difference between approaching and learning vs. assuming and taking.