“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
    -- Mahatma Gandhi

You may not want to hear about it.
Your brain might be choosing flight over fight.
Some get to choose -- some don’t.
It’s devastating.

One thing is for certain. This is NOT ok. 

Things Need to Change

Brené Brown’s recent post says it well to take into strong consideration:

“The system is not broken. It was built this way… The system is more complex now, but one thing remains at the center: We, the white folks, are the conduit for the system. It was built to serve us. When we do nothing it surges through us. To end racism, we have to break the system. We have to see it and fight against it - we have to be anti-racist.”

Silence is just as bad.

Your silence speaks volumes and instead, passively states that this isn’t something worth speaking up for.

It’s time to speak up. It’s time for a change.

A Time for Understanding

I know I will never fully understand this and I will never pretend to. But I am listening. I will educate, I will advocate, and I will do my part in this. I realize this is my privilege and this isn’t about me.

A few recent posts to shift perspective: 

————

“I have privilege as a white person because I can do all of these things without thinking twice:
I can go birding (#ChristianCooper)
I can go jogging (#AmaudArbery)
I can relax in the comfort of my own home (#BothemSean and #AtatianaJefferson)
I can ask for help after being in a car crash (#JonathanFerrell and #RenishaMcBride)
I can have a cellphone (StephonClark)
I can leave a party to get to safety (JordanEdwards)
I can play loud music (JordanDavis)
I can sell CDs (AltonSterling)
I can sleep (AiyanaJones)
I can walk from the corner store (MikeBrown)
I can play cops and robbers (TamirRice)
I can go to church (Charleston9)
I can walk home with Skittles (TrayvonMartin)
I can hold a hairbrush while leaving my own bachelor party (SeanBell)
I can party on New Years (OscarGrant)
I can get a normal traffic ticket (SandraBland)
I can lawfully carry a weapon (PhilandoCastile)
I can break down on a public road with car problems (CoreyJones)
I can shop at Walmart (JohnCrawford)
I can have a disabled vehicle (TerrenceCrutcher)
I can read a book in my own car (KeithScott)
I can be a 10yr old walking with our grandfather (#CliffordGlover)
I can decorate for a party (#ClaudeReese)
I can ask a cop a question (#RandyEvans)
I can cash a check in peace (#YvonneSmallwood)
I can take out my wallet (#AmadouDiallo)
I can run (#WalterScott)
I can breathe (#EricGarner)
I can live (#FreddieGray)
I CAN BE ARRESTED WITHOUT THE FEAR OF BEING MURDERED (#GeorgeFloyd)
White privilege is real. Take a minute to consider a Black person’s experience today.”
#BlackLivesMatter
(I don’t know the origin to give credit, if you do, please let me know.)

————

@accordingtoweeze

✊🏽This is not a riot, it is a rebellion.
.
✊🏾This is not reckless violence, it is civil unrest.
.
✊🏿This is not looting, it is disruption.
.
✊🏽This is not hoodlums & thugs destroying, it is humans in pain & desperation.
.
✊🏾This is not a response to one life being stolen, this is a response to generations....a history or systemic “gone too soon.”
.
✊🏿This is the outcry of the oppressed.
.
✊🏽This is amplifying our own voices instead of waiting for whyte folx to make a change..... because this is Amerikkka and change is not coming at the hands of the oppressor.
.
✊🏾This is a plea for humanity.

Do you hear us now???

————

This IS an outcry for change. 

This IS response from oppression. 

This IS the voice of trauma.

A Lesson on Trauma

The CDC defines a traumatic event as “An event, or series of events, that causes moderate to severe stress reactions, is called a traumatic event. Traumatic events are characterized by a sense of horror, helplessness, serious injury, or the threat of serious injury or death.”

Just as you would respond to a person experiencing trauma, loss, PTSD, it’s time to listen and shift our behaviors.

I encourage you to educate yourself on how to respond and care for people who’ve experienced trauma and show up for your community.

Resources: 

Helping Patients Cope With A Traumatic Event 
Helping Someone with PTSD
How to Respond When Trauma is Revealed
Trauma - helping family or friends

How You Can Help:

1. Encourage talking -- Talking helps to release, process, and heal.

2. Listen -- Don’t listen to respond. Listen to understand.

3. Be objective -- Hold space for the conversation.

4. Validate feelings -- Each person's emotional reactions are their own; don’t make the person wrong or judge their reactions.

5. Ask how you can help -- Communicate person-to-person seeking to understand and support.

(Disclaimer: I am not and don’t claim to be a professional in trauma or mental health. These tips simply borrow from the resources credited above and are created by my own synthesis and understanding to help you.)

LISTEN. SPEAK UP. STAND UP.

Please don’t be silent. 

Even the smallest acts can make a difference and we are all stronger when we stand up together to make change happen.

Take Action:

1. Call the DA Mike Freeman 612-348-5550.

2. Go to JusticeForBigFloyd.com to sign the petition (and learn more). ⁣

3. Post it in your IG story and tag @ShaunKing and @grassrootslaw.

#JusticeforGeorgeFloyd #BlackLivesMatter #endpolicebrutality #stopracism #icantbreathe  💔