We're taking a break from fashion and educating ourselves about racial injustice. We're sharing with you some of the things we've learned. Please leave us a comment with any other resources or ideas that we didn't mention.
In this critical time, we also understand that we need to do more than educate ourselves. We need to be vocal and use action. We're donating 50% of profits from sales to Black Visions Collective until 6/12/2020.
Did you know that Black Americans are 3x more likely than white people to b
e killed by a police officer? Did you also know that from 2013-2019 99% of killings by police have not resulted in an officer being charged. In 2019 alone 1,099 people were killed at the hands of cops. On the evening of May 25 in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota police were dispatched to a local convenience store on the corner of East 38th Street and Chicago Avenue. What ensued next many of you know. Police officer Derek Michael Chauvin, along with 3 other officers pinned George Floyd, a black man, to the ground. With one knee on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds Chauvin restricted his airflow. In video footage compiled from pedestrians and security footage from in the area we can see Floyd pleaing, “I can’t breathe.” Eventually Floyd lost consciousness and those recording, yelled in outrage, “Check his pulse!” Floyd was eventually pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
We do not claim to understand the Black struggle or the discrimination that happens ever day. We can try to be better and self-educate ourselves. The systemic racism in America is as old as the country itself and the next step after the protests stop is to continue asking ourselves, what can we do to move toward a nation that is free and just for all. Below are resources that we have collected for self-education to better understand the world we live in and the challenges our nation and Black People, and all People of Color face. Make a checklist and gain some knowledge. If you want to change, be the change.Since the death of George Floyd the nation has protested for him and the countless other Black lives lost at the hands of police brutality. He was an American, a black man, a father, worker and a human who was senselessly killed. Many citizens are calling for police reform and asking for solidarity. Numerous community members have pledged to step up and fight for the equality of Black people who have a long history of displacement in America.
If you're white, you're privileged. How do you identify your privilege and check yourself? Imani Bashir breaks down how to do just that in this article, “How to Check Your Privilege.”
If your wondering why everyone has been chanting “Black Lives Matter” instead of “All Lives Matter” please read this.
LITERATURE:
Here are a couple of books to start your journey. Links are to Black and POC businesses:
How to be Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi
In the wake of George Floyd, Ibram has been a pillar for enlightenment and his memoir is a starting ground for rethinking racial justice within ourselves and those around us.
Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Ibram X Kendi & Jason Reynolds
This is the youths’ version of How to be Antiracist
A is For Activist by Innosanto Nagara
For all you parents to be this is a great night time read to instill activism in your child's lives.
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Mass incarceration is a huge issue in America today and Alexander exposes the corrupt and institutionalized racism that drives the criminal justice system.
The Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
This literary masterpiece is considered to be Zora Neale Hurston's most widely known work. It is an African American Feminist classic that lays the framework for identity and what that means to a women. Highly recommended.
White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
Diangelo takes a head on approach at explaining just why White people have an issue discussing race.
Click for more Reading resources
THE BIG SCREEN:
If you're not into reading, maybe some Netflix?
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
You think Black people are disproportionately overlooked in America? Think again. The Black and POC LGBTQ community have long been marginalized and this documentary of icon Marsha P Johnson is a must watch.
13
This recent addition to Netflix underscores the justice system and how jails are disproportionately filled with Black men. Black filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s documentary unmasks mass incarceration as the slavery of today.
Just Mercy
Buckle in for this movie that features Michael B Jordan as Bryan Stevenson, a recent Harvard graduate fighting for and ultimately winning the appeal of Walter Mcmillian. This is based on a true story!
Get Out
If you missed Jordan Peele’s horror, but actually so damn enlightening, 2017 film then you’ve been living under a rock. This film looks at evils that lurk in white Americans who pretend to be “woke” yet are still prejudiced against black people. Get Out is not available on Netflix, but you can watch it pretty much everywhere else.
check out these links for more films and documentaries, and series to divulge.
Click for more resources to watch!
Click for even more resources to watch!
AUDIOFILES THIS IS FOR YOU:
And hey, car rides and jogs can get lonely too!
“Code Switch” by NPR
Talk about for the people by the people. “Code Switch,” hardly ever running over 30 minutes is a podcast that fearlessly tackles race and how it impacts society. “This podcast makes ALL OF US part of the conversation — because we're all part of the story.”
"The United States Of Anxiety" With Kai Wright
We’ve recently started this one, and the mission of this podcast is to talk about the “unfinished business of our history and its grip on our future.” The stories are diverse and some of these episodes make you think about your place in society.