More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
June 18, 2020 - January 5, 2021
You will notice I have chosen to use “folx” instead of “folks” because it is a gender neutral term created by activist communities, and I would like to honor everyone who reads this book. Replacing the “ks” with an “x” allows for every reader who has never been seen before to see themselves in here. We’ll capitalize Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color and Folx of the Global Majority because I believe it is important to center the voices and lives of those who have been marginalized, silenced, and purposefully left out of our history for so long. I am building solidarity in the language I
...more
Please use the names and language that honor those who are continually silenced and ignored, those who are renamed and have been stripped of their histories. Reclaim the language and names that were stolen and lost over decades.
We need justice. No one’s names should be memorialized in hashtags.
Some may tell you you’re too young to talk about race. People may tell you that you should stop talking about skin color and see everyone as a “global citizen.” You may have been told racism isn’t a problem any more and that calling it out or bringing it up in converzation is wrong. Some people may have given you the impression that you are wrong and stirring up trouble. You are not! Racism is a problem, a very serious problem, and it needs to be talked about because it isn’t going away if we do nothing.
Privilege is the benefits you receive due to how close you are to the dominant culture.
Racism is personal prejudice and bias AND the systemic misuse and abuse of power by institutions.
If we do not work to recognize our prejudices, we remain a part of the problem. When we become aware of our biases and our role in racism, then we can begin to understand how we are a part of a system that is much bigger than us.
When you only read one account of history through a single lens, you do not have the whole truth.
Race isn’t a game though; it’s a part of our lives.
A microaggression is an intentional or unintentional insult, slight, or hostile, negative message to folx who do not fit into the imaginary box of dominant culture.
PREJUDICE is the personal side of racism. It is in an attitude towards an individual or group of folx based on the social group they belong to. Prejudices can be based on stereotypes, misinformation, or fear, and—while they are not always negative—they most often are.
Colonization is when a group with power and resources dominates another group, often by violence and manipulation.
This relationship can be labeled as white saviorism, in which well-intentioned people believe they can save folx who were stripped of their resources rather than giving back the power and giving up their privilege.
In 1978 Native American families were finally granted the right to choose the type of education their children received and were able to keep them on the reservation and with their families. 1978 WASN’T THAT LONG AGO.
In 1959 Prince Edward County in Virginia, choosing not to integrate its schools, closed down the whole school system for five years. Private schools were opened for white children in the county. These were supported by state taxes. Black children were denied an education because of the color of their skin. Five years is a long time.
“WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITIING FOR”. JUNE JORDEN
You have a voice. Use it. Speak the truth. Share it with others. Choosing silence is not an option. Audre Lorde, an American feminist, writer, and activist said, ”MY SILENCES HAD NOT PROTECTED ME. YOUR SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT YOU.”
Being nonracist will not change our current situation of racism.
This is not your work alone. It can’t be. Working in solidarity with others is an incredible way to take action and build collective power for change.
If you call someone in, you circle back to a hurtful or oppressive comment they made in private. If you call someone out, you let them know their comment was hurtful in a public space.
As American poet, singer, and activist Maya Angelou said, “When you know better, do better.”
It is really important to acknowledge each person’s wholeness.
To spend your privilege is to use your power and to change perceived normality.
COLLABORATE AND WORK IN SOLIDARITY WITH OTHERS.
BLACK, INDIGENOUS, AND FOLX OF THE GLOBAL MAJORITY DO NOT NEED TO BE SAVED.
YOUR PRIVILEGE IS SOMETHING YOU DON’T OFTEN THINK ABOUT. IT’S OFTEN INVISIBLE TO YOU UNTIL YOU TAKE A MOMENT TO GAIN SOME INSIGHT AND AWARENESS INTO YOUR WHOLE SELF.
DO NOT LET YOUR MISTAKES DEFINE YOU. I DON’T ALWAYS GET IT RIGHT. I AM STILL LEARNING; I AM ALWAYS LEARNING.
WE GROW FROM OUR DISCOMFORT.
“IF YOU HAVE COME HERE TO HELP ME, YOU ARE WASTING YOUR TIME. BUT IF YOU HAVE COME BECAUSE YOUR LIBERATION IS BOUND UP WITH MINE, THEN LET US WORK TOGETHER.” —Lilla Watson, Indigenous Australian artist, activist, and academic
Our ability to disrupt our own complicity and the comfort of others has already begun to create little cracks within the system of racism.
