Author: chickidea

themidwifeisin:

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There’s not much that I can add to this conversation that hasn’t already been said more eloquently already by others.  This epidemic is killing Black men and women and it is showing no signs of stopping.  As a White person I’ll be working on a few things and beseeching all my White friends and followers to do the same:

  1. Support in, grieve out.  Think of grief as concentric rings of trauma – everyone is at a different level of connection to the traumatic event, whether they’re in the very first ring and directly and immediately affected, or if they’re 3, 4, or even 10 rings out, still feeling it but not nearly as directly affected.  Wherever you are in the rings, it is vital to remember that only support should go inwards towards those more directly affected than yourself, and all your grief, anger, frustration and sorrow can go outwards.  That’s to say, don’t tell a friend of yours whose partner just died how hard the experience is for YOU.  Tell that to someone who is even less affected than you.
  2. Accept that you are racist, address it, and fight back against it.  I’m not trying to offend anyone, but it is NECESSARY to understand that White people are inherently racist if they live in the world that currently exists.  It’s scary, I know.  It’s fucking terrifying to imagine that YOU could be harming others.  Don’t run away from it, though – gravitate towards the problem.  Read.  Learn.  Practice.  Make changes in your life.
  3. Wear your support clearly (but don’t expect an award for it).  Wear Black Lives Matters shirts, or shirts that say Alton Sterling and Philando Castile’s names.  Wear a shirt that says, “Ask me about Whiteness” and be prepared to answer questions for other White people.  
  4. Don’t talk over the voices of Black people.  If you’re in a space (and this includes the internet) where both White people and People of Color are existing, be quiet.  Listen to the voices of others.

In that vein, read these articles: