close your eyes and make a wish ( dont tell me what it is ) i hope it comes true <3 xo
Thanks
Your thoughts on racism
My thoughts aren't nearly as valuable, interesting nor as well crafted as countless others like Baldwin, Baker, Du Bois, Ellison, Hughes, Hooks and many more. Check out #BlackAuthorChallenge and commit to reading nothing but black authors for a year.
This is bitter sweet & timely (love you Anastasia). I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm sort of the "patriarch" of that side of my family. One of the few oldest generation of males. My house the past 4 years has served as a focal point for family gatherings, holidays and more. As my family parted ways, the last time ever at that house I said amidst the tears that a house is just a house but that it's family which makes it home and regardless of the next house I expect them to visit and make it a home soon.
The "white genocide" crowd frequently say "anti-racism is a code word for anti-white". It's not.
How do I get this black girl that I've been in love with since forever to go out on a date with me when she has a pretty hard "no whites allowed" rule in her romantic life?
You don't.
What inspired you to become an activist?
I guess I was always "aware" but "apathetic" until #MikeBrown's extrajudicial execution August 9th
If you were to go on vacation for 2 weeks where would you go ?
Given the state of the world today, what are four fundamental things you'd like to change to make it a better place?
In no specific order.... 1) Critical thinking/decision making skills taught throughout ones education (including critical race theory) 2) Society collectively deciding that people are infinitely more important than people and things 3) End to the US oligarchy & return to a TRUE democracy (end ALEC, end Citizens United, end dark PAC money) 4) Some measure or means for corporations to be held accountable by society for their plunder & pillaging of our earths resources & their abuse of marginalized people worldwide
Interesting question - I think there's a sort of in-between phase where I have "felt" like I knew truth regarding supremacy and anti-black racism...but I didn't have enough data/information to "challenge" it.I think of it as people on the fringe - they're not supporting black liberation (yet) but they "feel" or "sense" that something is very wrong with regards to white supremacy & anti-black racism. Police brutality sort of falls along these lines - there are many people that can quickly/easily "see" just how wrong it is but have not quite connected all the dots between the outcome (extrajudicial killings) and systemic racism, implicit bias etc.
I think the answer is part fragility & part human nature. I myself definitely learn more from my failures than I do from any success - yet I am still deathly afraid of failure. I advocate for white anti-racism people to be comfortable failing - as our lot is to fail over and over again. I myself make tons of mistakes. It's a weird paradox in that I don't WANT to make mistakes and I try HARD not to make mistakes - but know that I will ALWAYS make mistakes when it comes to understanding my privilege. It seems the more I am comfortable failing the less those failures derail me. The failures aren't "unexpected" or a "surprise" so I am able to rebound easily. This approach also helps me take ownership and be accountable to my errors. That is, when I make mistakes - I don't deflect or try to avoid blame - I own them & make myself accountable to those I let down. Never the less, I am still very leery of making mistakes...I would say the "fear of failure" is a significant motivation.I think I have always been a "jump head first" kind of person. I am reckless with my own body, I have broken my back and multiple bones. I am not easily "embarrassed". My fear of failure isn't my embarrassment but rather letting others down. The more I "try" and the more I "fail" the easier it gets and the less "afraid" of failure I become.