We don't need perfection. We need action.
I've been trying to write this email all week. There have been so many editions, so many attempts at getting it just right. Right language. Right tone. Naming the national imperative of taking up anti-racist work in just the right way to stir you without offending.
But honestly, there is no place for perfection in the fight for justice.
Photo by Clay Banks
We are being called to stand in solidarity with black people and communities of color to end the systemic oppression and racial injustices they've endured for generations. And to allow our fear, discomfort, guilt or perfectionism to get in the way of this work is just another example of privilege.
Our job here is to bravely, respectfully and humbly offer care in every way we can.
Care looks like:
Saying the names of George Floyd, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Beonna Taylor, David McAtee, Sean Reed and every other person who has fallen at the hands of racial violence
Uncovering and fighting against white, supremacist patriarchy
Defending underserved populations
Supporting protesters
Challenging the inherent biases we all have
Demanding investment in systems of care
Acknowledging privilege and using it for good
To take this care into focused action, we can:
Donate to organizations working towards justice. (Donate here to end national police violence. Here to end Oakland police violence. Here to support people of color in Minneapolis/Minnesota.)
Listen to and uplift BIPOC voices.
Seek out and support BIPOC artists, craftspeople, restaurants and businesses.
Educate yourself and your children about systemic racism, oppression and white supremacy. (Check out this 21 day racial equity challenge and THIS incredibly thorough document with countless resources on books to read, podcasts to listen to, organizations to follow and films to watch.)
My prayer for us all is that we each, imperfectly, pick up the work of anti-racism and never put it down. May our actions help build systems of care that buoy us and may we embrace and draw strength from this work as a universal journey that frees us all.
For as the great civil rights activist Ella Baker said, "We are not fighting for the freedom of the Negro alone, but for the freedom of the human spirit, a larger freedom that encompasses all mankind."
Stay safe and take good care.
If you enjoyed this post, please keep reading!
This conversation is between myself and an incredible woman named Ani, who shares how she learned how to be authentic, practice self-compassion, and take up space without guilt or shame through my 6-month group coaching program, Homecoming. Ani is a model for how to excavate internalized misogyny and live authentically without fear of others’ opinions. The conversation originally took place on my podcast, The Path Home.