“our lives no longer belong to us alone, they belong to all of those who need us desperately”
eli wiesel
This weekend has been heavy while I listen to helicopters circle above my apartment. Hearing them as I go to bed and as I wake up every morning for the past 4 days. In the midst of a global pandemic, we’ve been exposed to racism in our justice system which has raised more questions than answers. This weekend prompted me to take a step back and do a lot of reflecting on how I can be more anti-racist.
Some things I’ve done in the past few days are seek out where I can help now (donations, petitions, etc), order a book to educate myself on how to become anti-racist, and have uncomfortable conversations with friends surrounding the events. I’ll admit, I can do better. I now understand why #BlackLivesMatter is different than #AllLivesMatter and why this discrepancy is so important right now. I’m committed to learning more and sharing less. Over the next week I’ll be pausing all fashion, beauty, and lifestyle content on my platforms to share what matters right now. I’m not 100% sure what you’ll be seeing the next week but I do know it will be based around ways to work towards becoming more anti-racist and educate myself.
I’ve put together a list of what I feel like is most important as a 20-something year old woman living in New York City. This Google Doc that has been circulating around the community is another great resources as an unedited list of so much content to choose from. I’m happy to give it a permanent spot on my platform.
**The “muted” messages comes from Jessica Wilson and Alishia McCullough through a movement on Instagram. You can read more about it here. I’ll be putting a pause on all in-feed posts until June 8th but actively sharing resources on Instagram Stories for the next week.
READ
- White Fragility – Robin DiAngelo (I’m listening to this on Audible)
- Women, Race, & Class – Angela Y. David
- So You Want To Talk About Race – Ijeoma Oluo
- The New Jim Crow – Michelle Alexander
- A Black Women’s History of the United States – Diana Ramey Berry & Kali Nicole Gross
- How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi
- 75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Injustice
- Save The Tears: White Women’s Guide
WATCH
- 13th – Netflix
- When They See Us – Netflix
- Becoming – Netflix
- Selma – Rent
- Hidden Figures – Rent
- The Hate U Give – Hulu
- Dear White People – Netflix
GIVE
- The Bail Project – non-profit that aims to mitigate incarceration rates through bail reform
- Black Visions Collective – black, trans, and queer-led social justice organization and legal fund based in Minneapolis-St. Paul
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund – support racial justice through advocacy, litigation, and education
- ACLU – provides legal services and support for a broad range of people with civil rights complaints
- Campaign Zero – working to end police brutality with research based on policy solution
- Reclaim The Block – advocates for and invests in community led safety initiatives in Minneapolis neighborhoods
I have also added multiple anti-racism charities to the list of places to donate at Shop By Samantha. Expanding the ways we can help what is going on in our world is so important to me and one of the reasons why I created the shop. Thank you so much for the continued support!
