Narrowsburg, NY - you lookin good grrrrl…until I see a Trump sign -_-
I feel like a computer with that hour-glass that’s constantly flipping or that forever-spinning color wheel with no indication that the processing will stop. I feel like every day there is something else that I have to consume and make sense of before letting it settle into my memory bank of disappointment and exhaustion.
I think what’s being missed when people say defund the police is the ultimate goal: The creation of an environment and culture that enables communities to thrive rather than be terrorized. Providing services that will help people experiencing homelessness, funding clinics that can take care of people suffering from addiction, providing more succinct healthcare, and livable wages. This isn’t rocket science, but it certainly is a science. Defunding the police is definitely something we should be working towards, but in tandem need to address the needs of each community, because they could vary considerably from state to state. Defunding the police is a blanket term but determining how that process will go and deciding which programs will benefit from this reformation is equally important.
In a nutshell, we can all agree allyship is not easy. Being an ally means more than acknowledging society is messed up. That’s certainly part of it, but there’s more. BLM allyship means making active choices and decisions to uplift black people, support black business, use your privilege positively, but also examining the system and how you fit into while others are actively excluded. I hope everyone who is determined to be an ally also recognizes it’s going to take time to feel entirely comfortable after going through that emotional revelation, and that’s okay.
There is no question. There is no debate. There is no wondering. Black Lives Matter encompasses all black lives, all walks of life, all black people no matter how they identify or who they love. There is a sentiment going around that you can somehow support Black Lives Matter but select which types of black lives deserve preservation, uplifting, and care. I just want to simply say, that is not true.
I’ve been thinking about a lot of quotes recently. Then, I started seeing one circulating yesterday that made me want to scream.
