Last week was probably one of the worst weeks we have all experienced collectively and individually. I haven’t felt that emotionally charged and drained in probably a couple of decades. Being a POC myself, it hit my empathy button for the Black community HARD.
The conversations at home with my girls have been on-going. And Travis and I are committed to keeping it going as they developmentally mature and understand more context. Solutions aren’t always going to be black and white and wrapped up neatly as we want them to be. Systemic racism is entrenched in our society. But if we stay the course and do our part proactively, things will change. I believe it.
As Desmond Tutu wisely pointed out:
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
As for personal content, it was my honor to pause my personal content to leave room for amplifying the Black community of artists, creatives, and designers.
In addition, everyone on Instagram has been sharing such great IG accounts that I would have never known before. I thought I would share my personal friends who are incredible Black interior designers up on my IG stories too. They all have a distinct design eye, wonderful creative voice, and personality. Head over to my IG highlights to get to know them and connect!
Refinery 29 has a great article on allyship. I’m very aligned with this term because it describes perfectly what we all need to be for the Black community. We are aligned and committed allies in ending racism.
List of Resources: Books and Digital Resources
Here are some highly recommended books that will give insight into what an ally can do to help:
For children, here is a list of wonderfully curated book that is developmentally sound for kids and young adults:
Coretta Scott King Book Awards List and 2020 winners
For adults, here are books that are impactful to ending racism:
Habits of Whiteness by Terrance McMullan
How To Be Anti-Racisit by Ibram X. Kendi
So You Want To Talk About Race by Ijeouma Oluo
And many more here.
PBS Kidshas been an integral part of my childhood education TV programming and it continues to be for my girls. Through their website I found these wonderful links:
Daniel Tiger: Life’s Little Lessons PBS
Did you know the LA Public Library has a Black Lives Matter list of digital resources Check it out here.
I’m looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to many of the recommendations with my girls this summer.
Beyond listening
Beyond listening, we also must be proactive in our fight to end racism. Here are a few ways you can do your part.
Donate
The Cut has an insightful article on many ways to donate and ensure funds are effectively used.
From the article, “Pilar Weiss — director of the Community Justice Exchange — says that donating to local, grassroots formations is potentially the most impactful way to prioritize funds. Larger, national organizations tend to attract more resources, so it’s worth doing research into who’s operating in your community. “A lot of times the groups that need the most support don’t have a fancy website and don’t have a communications team,” she explains. Talk to friends, families, houses of worship to figure out who is working on the issues you’d like to address, and then ask those people what they need.”
Sign a Petition
Although justice for George Floyd isn’t complete, the latest news that all 4 policemen have been charged with his death proves that every action counts and a cumulative cry for police reform work.
Justice for Breona-From change.org: “This has carried on for over a month. For weeks, the city treated Breonna like she was a criminal, calling her a “suspect” before finally admitting that she was an innocent, crimeless victim. She had no drugs. She committed no crime. Yet, she is dead, and the perpetrators are facing no charges. Let’s get justice for Breonna.”
In addition to educating ourselves about racism, it is equally important to support Black-owned businesses and creatives.
Here is a great list of businesses to support.
And Emily Henderson’s blog gave a great list of creatives, artists, and designers too. Check it out here.
My commitment to stand strong and continue to be an effective and empathically for the Black community will not waver.
I hope all of the information listed here gives you the reason to listen more and become as strong as an ally as you can be.
+ show Comments
- Hide Comments
add a comment