George Floyd was murdered by a policeman and that’s horrible and should never have happened to him or any other human being. Then violent and non-violent protests erupted across America centering on police brutality and Black Lives Matter.
A black man politely asked a white woman to leash her dog in Central Park and instead she called 911 and said he was threatening her and she needed police help.
Good thing all of this was caught on videotape and shared so we, the majority-white privileged people, could get outraged about it.
I’m not making George Floyd or the lying 911 caller the reasons why I’m in this fight for human rights. (BUT it did bring many issues to the forefront again, much like what occurred in LA in 1992 with the Rodney King beating …but in 1992 when all of the hubbub died down, no real change happened. ). I'm in this fight because it's the Christ-like thing to do. I am outraged at the injustice and inhumanity of it all.
I’m not making George Floyd or the lying 911 caller the reasons why I’m in this fight for human rights. (BUT it did bring many issues to the forefront again, much like what occurred in LA in 1992 with the Rodney King beating …but in 1992 when all of the hubbub died down, no real change happened. ). I'm in this fight because it's the Christ-like thing to do. I am outraged at the injustice and inhumanity of it all.
I can sit on social media all day and preach to the choir or message people over and over that saying Black lives matter does not negate that all lives matter. But am I doing any good?
I have friends and family members who are posting on social media, protesting in the streets, getting teargassed and rubber bullets shot at them, donating $ , educating themselves on systemic racism and white privilege, and having tough conversations with friends and family. Some aren’t paying attention at all..and just want everything to return to “normal.”
I have a diverse group of family and friends. We differ in race, religion, politics and sexual orientation. There are a lot of opinions flying around.
I was getting all caught up in all of this, so I had to stop and re-center myself and ask….. “So where is my sphere of influence?”
Answer:
It’s with my little family.
This is where I can teach and speak up for injustice and inhumanity where ever we find it whether with race or sexual orientation.
With this in mind……
We have decided to do a family study club…like a book club…where once a month we assign a movie/book on injustice, racism, inclusion etc… for all of us to watch and then come together at the end of the month to discuss. We are calling it our Anti-Racist club. (AR club). When it’s your month you decide the video/book and choose the discussion time. You can make it as serious or kid-friendly as you would like.
June is mine and Wayne’s month and we are watching/reading JUST MERCY. It’s a well-made movie that shows the systemic racism that needs to be routed from our society.
July may be more kid-friendly using the "Sneetches" book by Dr. Seuss and talking about inclusion. You get the idea.
As Brenee Brown said, "It’s not enough to just teach our children to be nice and kind and hope that translates into not being a racist. There is no connection. Not talking about race only teaches that our family doesn’t talk about race; that we don’t want to have the difficult conversation."
Around all of the Racism and White privilege here is my take….
We need to lay down our defenses. Repentance needs to happen which means a change of heart. Something like, “ I’m sorry. I was indifferent. I was apathetic. I didn’t listen. I’m ready to learn and love.”
Then..
We must move from I’m not racist to being anti-racist. We need to be our brother’s keepers.
Ask yourself…..How are black men/women treated in America who are not LeBron James or Beyonce type celebrities and think would I trade places with them?
IF the answer is NO, then how can I help create a society where I would say yes?
I have friends and family members who are posting on social media, protesting in the streets, getting teargassed and rubber bullets shot at them, donating $ , educating themselves on systemic racism and white privilege, and having tough conversations with friends and family. Some aren’t paying attention at all..and just want everything to return to “normal.”
I have a diverse group of family and friends. We differ in race, religion, politics and sexual orientation. There are a lot of opinions flying around.
I was getting all caught up in all of this, so I had to stop and re-center myself and ask….. “So where is my sphere of influence?”
Answer:
It’s with my little family.
This is where I can teach and speak up for injustice and inhumanity where ever we find it whether with race or sexual orientation.
With this in mind……
We have decided to do a family study club…like a book club…where once a month we assign a movie/book on injustice, racism, inclusion etc… for all of us to watch and then come together at the end of the month to discuss. We are calling it our Anti-Racist club. (AR club). When it’s your month you decide the video/book and choose the discussion time. You can make it as serious or kid-friendly as you would like.
June is mine and Wayne’s month and we are watching/reading JUST MERCY. It’s a well-made movie that shows the systemic racism that needs to be routed from our society.
July may be more kid-friendly using the "Sneetches" book by Dr. Seuss and talking about inclusion. You get the idea.
As Brenee Brown said, "It’s not enough to just teach our children to be nice and kind and hope that translates into not being a racist. There is no connection. Not talking about race only teaches that our family doesn’t talk about race; that we don’t want to have the difficult conversation."
Around all of the Racism and White privilege here is my take….
We need to lay down our defenses. Repentance needs to happen which means a change of heart. Something like, “ I’m sorry. I was indifferent. I was apathetic. I didn’t listen. I’m ready to learn and love.”
Then..
We must move from I’m not racist to being anti-racist. We need to be our brother’s keepers.
Ask yourself…..How are black men/women treated in America who are not LeBron James or Beyonce type celebrities and think would I trade places with them?
IF the answer is NO, then how can I help create a society where I would say yes?
This is the work.
This happens one heart at a time.
This happens one heart at a time.
We are also celebrating Pride month around here.
We are having a RAINBOW PARTY for the grandkids ( adults as support) To talk about inclusion and why all colors are important..you can’t have a rainbow without them. We are also sharing some LGBTQ kids books on Harvey Milk etc…. We will have colorful food, do a service, craft, wear colorful outfits and talk about why we fly the Rainbow Pride flag and what that means.
We are working on talking about all of this with our children and grandchildren. This is where I may do some good.
We are encouraging hard, uncomfortable conversations and starting to work on the hearts of our next generation.
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