The recent tragedies of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have left the world in agony, outrage and doubt by the ones that should protect us.

Basic fairness and justice is all that has been repeatedly asked for. And, it has not been given.

I am frustrated. I am tired of being tired. If you feel the same way, then this is for you.

I am no expert in anyway but here are five steps we can all take together to do better:

1) Making the goal to become Anti-Racist:

In the words of Angela Davis, “ In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist.  We must be anti-racist”.

Confront privilege. Understand your own biases. Take some time out to sit and examine your patterns of thoughts and behaviours. This is the most difficult part. To look within and introspect if we are in anyway biased intentionally or unintentionally. And, then correct those patterns.

Call out your friends and family when they say racist things. Speak up!!

I have been racking my brain on what to say. No words I had seemed enough. No words will ever be enough. Nothing seemed right. But, then I realized it’s important to say something. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr. , “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

Yes, I am brown. And yes, I have experienced racism.

However, I know that I will never fully understand the systematic oppression and racism faced by my black brothers and sisters.

I will never fully understand the vulnerability of being black, when any white person could end your life at any moment without little to no consequences.

And, that is heartbreaking.

The “I don’t See Colour” mantra is not the goal here. In fact, the goal is understanding the injustices that black people suffer because of it.

So, “See The Colour”, accept it, and stand against the injustices that happen because of it.

 That’s THE goal.

2) Reading Books:

As a non-black person, I try my best to expand my knowledge in any way I can on Black Lives Matter.

Here a few books you can read to educate yourself:

a. Between The World And Me Ta-Nehisi Coates

b. The Hate U Give Angie Thomas

c. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

d. The Autobiography of Malcolm X Malcolm X

e. Born A Crime: Stories From A South African Childhood Trevor Noah

f. I know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou

g. White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism Robin Diangelo

I would love to hear some of your suggestions on this as well in the comments below.

3) Listening, Watching, and Learning:

There are a lot of other resources besides books to educate yourself.

Thanks to the following accounts on Instagram that you can follow to expand your learning on race and racism:

a. ShaunKing

b. Blklivesmatter

c. TheConsciousKid

d.Naacp

Subscribe and listen to these podcasts on important discussions about racial equality and justice:

a) 1619

b) About Race

c) Code Switch

d) Pod Save The People

e) The Diversity Gap

f) Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast

I would also recommend watching, “When They See Us” a Netflix documentary. Many parts of the documentary were difficult to digest. But, it’s a crucial watch.

4) Understanding That Racism Is A Systemic Issue:

Racism is not an individual issue. It’s a systematic issue. The “justice” system is designed to oppress the people of colour. It has repeatedly failed people of color. Police brutality is the first step of a process that treats people of color as less than human. And unequally. This is deeply rooted in our system. Educate yourself on  anti-blackness North America was built on.

5) Donate:

Support by donating to black- owned businesses and organizations. Here are some organizations that you can donate to today:

• NAACP
• Black Mamas Matter
• Southern Poverty Law Centre
• Minnesota Freedom Fund Inc
• George Floyd Memorial Fund

No Justice. No Peace.

P.S.

“There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” SPEAK UP!!!

xx

Yachna