Friday Reflections // Black Lives Matter

I want to state emphatically that 

BLACK LIVES MATTER.

All that I've felt like I could focus on this week is working to fight against racial injustices, continuing my anti-racist education, and using my privilege to work toward dismantling systems of racial oppression. It's been a long week. It's been a challenging week. I've been realizing that I'm part of a lot of organizations that don't align with my values, and that is extremely difficult to come to terms with. However, I'm committed to continuing this fight even if (especially if) it makes me uncomfortable. I encourage you to do the same.

If you're looking for resources, you can find a ton on this Google Doc.

I'm reading How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and will be reading through it on the coming days. I want to read it slowly so I can take my time to really absorb the material. I feel like this book is a great discussion on the importance on why it is so, so important to take a stance on racism. Calling yourself "not racist" is an act of complacency. In order to take a genuine stride toward change, you need to be vehemently and vocally anti-racist. I know that everyone is on their own path when it comes to this work, so please don't overwhelm yourself by trying to do ALL THE THINGS right away. Start where you need to begin, and always be striving to learn more and do more. 

I wanted to end with my favorite quote of this week:

"In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist.

We must be anti-racist."

-Angela Davis