Juneteenth is something I didn’t even know about until my aunt brought me to a celebration one year at her church when I was in high school. There is where I learned the history of the holiday, what it meant to us as African Americans, and also made me realize that school was a joke when it came to black history in America. Today has me thinking of the ways my family taught me my history and made sure to instill pride in where I came from and hope for the future.
Yes, Defund the Police. Rethink the System.
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.
Allyship or But what about...
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.
It's All So Overwhelming
I think I’ve pretty much cried every day for the last week. I’ll be scrolling through Twitter or Instagram and see a message that just hits me in the gut and without warning the waterworks start. The phrase, I feel seen, comes to mind and has never felt more true. I feel seen almost to the point of exposure. I feel raw and sensitive to the touch, but grateful issues within our systems are being discussed out in the open and called out for what they are, racist and predatory.
All Black Lives Matter
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.