Here’s something I’ve been chewing on…

Here’s something I’ve been chewing on… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
In order to dismantle & break free from the white supremacist delusion (a term I (cough) *just* learned yesterday from Sonya Renee Taylor, who I strongly recommend you follow)… ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
…one must talk about it.
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I’ve had a lot of heady, feely discussions with my White friends these past few weeks. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Some of them are frozen in inaction. Some are going full Karen on white supremacy right now. Some are avoiding social media altogether. Some are watching the George Floyd video with their kids, trying desperately to be better ancestors. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
All of them are upset. (I am, too.)
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And to all of them, I said—
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We have to talk about this, you guys.
We HAVE to. *WE* have to.
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Amplifying and listening to Black voices is absolutely part of it (and really, overdue to the point of foolishness, and I have a lot of rec’s for you in the comments). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
But if you’re trying to: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
—Understand your privilege
—Become fluent in the language of race & racism —Process the enormity / insidiousness of the lies you’ve been fed about <history, slavery, the civil rights movement, meritocracy, where music comes from… FUCK>
—Get your head & heart around the fact that you’ve spent your whole life benefitting from this bullshit ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
…you need to talk that shit through. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
With *other* white people. 🙋🏻
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In that context, it’s impossible to examine whiteness, without *centering* whiteness. And really—after a lifetime of not seeing our own whiteness, we need all the practice we can get. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
So if you’ve been tongue-tied, or stuck on this Catch-22…
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Here are 2 things that have helped me—
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1. Talking about this a lot, with as many White people as I can. In person / on the phone whenever possible.
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2. Getting comfortable with the fact that I am 100% definitely going to fuck up at some point and get called out / called in because of it. << Am I excited for this? Nope! But at least I can go for a run without getting murdered. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
You see what I’m saying here?

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Here are some of the voices I’ve been listening to, and why. It’s just a few…

The Hear To Slay podcast with Roxanne Gay & Tressie McMillan Cottom — they talk about everything from thirst traps to voting rights, all through a black feminist lens. Their interviews are 🔥, they’re funny, they’re smart, I’m so grateful for them.
The Artisan Geek — Seji does really well thought out, entertaining book reviews where she often dresses up on theme. She’s also like, a mathematician? 🤓 Also, she loves Queen and every once in a while she’ll post a silly dance video. Wonderful.
Missy Misdemeanor Elliott — basically just real people dancing their asses off to Missy Elliott jams 😍
Rachel Cargle for a lot of reasons, but my fave right now are these Saturday School posts where she takes a red pen to some “well-meaning” white lady posts and breaks down why they’re not working.
Danielle Leslie — Danielle is showing up as a leader right now, teaching others (especially women of color) how to redefine ownership, build wealth, & create legacies. It’s inspiring af.
Sonya Renee Taylor — she wrote The Body is Not An Apology, and the IGTVs she’s been sharing lately have been sooooo helpful to me.
White Girl Learning — Marla is a white woman who’s been reading all the things and sharing it on IG.
Priv to Prog — graciously teaching the rest of us how to move from privilege to progress 🙏🏻                                                                                                 Erykah Badu — art and weirdness in the best way
There are more! But my thumbs need a break. More soon…