Writing a quick post today. I planned on writing a piece on AR but in light of the shootings--all three events--this week, I am overwhelmed by what I see in the news and what I'm reading on my social feeds.
Parents shouldn't have to teach their kids how to survive a social environment that is biased against them. Shootings of peaceful law enforcement shouldn't happen. Shootings of law enforcement by a few people shouldn't overcast the messages of those trying to change broken systems.
I identify as part of the non-black APIA community, and I write partly to give visibility of issues concerning all APIAs. One issue that especially needs to be addressed is the history and tendency of non-black APIAs to participate in anti-blackness, whether actively or passively.
But I'm an imperfect ally working on checking my privilege and being better about stepping out of my bubble (which is shamefully hard sometimes). I need to remember that being a person of color doesn't negate my ability to benefit from anti-blackness.
I am learning, slowly, how to speak up on issues while trying to not speak for those whose experiences of injustice I will never completely understand.
What I'm certain of is that we need to stand together, especially when addressing anti-blackness. We need to use energy from fear, sadness and anger for bridging communities, for having conversation, for taking action and for loving others.
Maybe then we'll have a society we feel good about waking up to.
Reading List
Things I think people should read, will add to this list as time goes on. If I'm missing anything or if there's something I should add to this list, let me know.
In Dallas, another example of perils of breaking news
Law Professor's Response to BLM Shirt Complaint
The next time someone says 'all lives matter,' show them these 5 paragraphs
Asian police and the complicity of Asian Americans in anti-blackness
Open Letter From Asian Americans to Their Families About #Blacklivesmatter
Dallas Police Shooting Started as a Peaceful Protest, Not a Black Lives Matter Attack
Audrey Kuo's Blog Post Discussing Anti-Blackness
#policeviolence #policebrutality #currentevents #altonsterling #philandocastile #dallasprotest #peacefulprotest #antiblackness #blacklivesmatter #APIA #ally #activism #race #narratives