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.