How are you holding up thisΒ Morselicious Monday? Are you still staying safer-at-home?Β California’s Covid-19Β cases have surged again and all of my friends/family are staying home; however, when weΒ do venture outside, we wear masks to protect others. Speaking of others, I’ve been reflecting aboutΒ the kind of person I want to be/am becoming.Β Gratitude, creativity and educationΒ are recurring themes. I am grateful for my health, my family and friends health,Β safety and thoughtfulness. Yesterday, three beautiful surprises arrived on my doorstep, literally. My best friend since Kindergarten sent a package of books sheΒ loved. My dear friend, Brad sent me Angel Cards and the first card I picked was “Liberation.” And my soul-sister, Jennie made a special delivery of my favorite unsweetened cacao powder. The best part was seeing her after 4-months of Coronatine. We talked at the door a safe six-feet distance wearing our green masks. I am truly blessed. Lest not forget the incredible friendship and support Taylor has been contributing to Mac-n-Mo’s presence.
Along this thread, my stunning friend,Β Jennifer SheltonΒ who wrote today’s post when I asked her how I can learn more about becoming Anti-Racist. As part of my education in theΒ Black Lives Matter Movement, I spend time every day reading theseΒ books, articles, listening to podcasts, watching tv shows/documentaries, webinars and asking questions. Jennifer’s perspective, brilliant insight and the lessons she learned from her father are enlightening.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing and reading. PLEASE, let’s all move humanity forward and listen to each other.
Social media and the news are so overwhelmingly negative right now that most peopleβs first instinct is to tune it all out, but I implore you to resist this urge. Sure, anything driven by hate and intolerance is upsetting to fundamentally good and decent people, but you have to know whatβs going on. You need to stay engaged, because we need your voice. So, you simply have to woman up, cuz hereβs the deal: This is not the time to lose an ounce of the precious momentum we have gained, literally by blood, sweat, and tears. It is a rare and precious opportunity that we cannot afford to waste.
Many have expressed the desire to affect change, but feel like they donβt know where or how to start. LEARN. If youβre a visual learner, take a look at the powerful documentary, 13th (on Netflix), and the heartbreaking films, Just Mercy and Selma. WATCH or read the news; just 20 minutes a day. (Fox doesnβt count, but you should know what theyβre saying.) DONβT scroll past those links to educational videos on Facebook and Instagram. Take a look at WHOM and WHAT the politicians running for office in your area stand for and support. Most importantly, READ or listen to an audiobook on Black history, or racism in America. There are sooo many good books out there. Outliers (by Malcolm Gladwell) and The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us (by Paul Tough) are wonderful places to start. Theyβre not specifically about race, but give you a greater appreciation of how powerful inherent advantage, and the lack thereof, can be. Then move on from there. White Fragility (by Dr. Robin DiAngelo) is an unbelievably enlightening book, and The New Jim Crow (by Michelle Alexander) is another excellent choice.
As this country has shown us, time and time again, simply changing laws does not change hearts. Itβs up to individuals to do that. So, commit to doing at least something (no matter how small), every day, to expand your mind and your understanding of the situation weβre in. Study up so that youβll have something to add to the conversation. Study up so that youβll be in a position to redirect your friends and/or family when itβs clear that their ideas are ignorant or hateful. I realize that it can be uncomfortable to challenge the people in your life, but this is what it means to be an anti-racist. This is what it means to be an ally. It is your responsibility to say something. If you stay silent, you are the problem. Be the solution. You donβt have to live this movement every second of every day, but you do have to stay in the game. When thereβs a war raging outside, you canβt just close the blinds, put on your headphones, and blast the music. That doesnβt make the problem go away, it just finds you completely unprepared when it finally reaches your front door.
BIO: My father grew up in the Jim Crow south. When he was 14, his grandmother announced that it was time for him to leave the south, because he was now of βhanging ageβ. He was sent to live with a relative in Los Angeles. Three years later,14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched. Even though my father felt all of the stings of racism first hand, he never let it jade him. He never swore, and the harshest words he ever spoke about anyone were, βHeβs a real so-and-so.β He went on to serve in the Air Force, and become the first Black judge in (and presiding over) San Mateo County, CA. Never losing his faith in the Constitution, and the ideals of America, he even carried a copy of the Constitution in the breast pocket of his suit. My father instilled in me the value of education and knowledge, and each day he served as a living example of what it means to be kind, just, and strong.
Well said. Thank you.
Agreed, Caryl and thank you for your comment. What have you been reading?
Excellent read. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading, Seana. What are you currently reading/watching?