Today R and I went down to the beach where his “bakery” (a pile of rocks he’s collected) is. I was served brownies, cheese, and crispy pizza. Then we watched waves, he screamed “you go girl” (where did he hear that?!) as I pulled an old balloon from the water. We screamed and laughed at the waves. I sat there and wondered about Mr. Floyd as a 5 year old. What did he play? What made his eyes light up? What made him giggle? What mischief making filled his days? What did he do that delighted his mama? I saw Mr. Floyd in my son. I saw all Black men in my boy. It turns me inside out.
White people. Tonight. Please consider following @rachel.cargle. Please read her resource roundup post (and countless others). If you feel offended or “put off” or like it doesn’t resonate with you, or that it’s “too much”, I implore you to keep coming back. Take it sentence by sentence. If you’re offended or quick to get defensive...Okay. Take a deep breath. Come back. Read again. Start somewhere. But, please start the work to be an anti racist. Please. Call me. Text me. Message me. Please. We must do the work. We can learn together.
If you’re like me, your entire life was built around the notion that being kind and compassionate is enough...That being kind and compassionate means you are anti racist. Kindness and compassion are easy when the world is built for you, when all we (white people) deem necessary to be anti racist is to be kind to people who don’t look like us. If only it was that easy. That is the simplest part. Our country, our society, is made for you. For me. For your white babies. For my white nieces and nephews. It can’t be like that anymore if you want Black people to stop being murdered unjustly.
This country is not made for my babies. My remarkable children. Their strong black bodies are targets. I am sick. And you should be too. Please start to do the work.