I am a supporter of the Black Lives Matter. I believe in its mission. It's mission is angry and radical -- as it should be -- but it is not violent. Our prison system, our death rates, our national stories and movies, and other messages perpetuated by ourselves to each other and to our youth clearly show that we do not value, love, or respect, Black Lives the same as white lives. You might not see this where you live. Maybe because it is not in front of you or maybe because your town is enlightened, but that does not change the stats or the issues. There is a huge population suffering under a racism so deep that murder goes unchecked and lives are locked away. I support Black Lives Matter because I believe that the oppressed need a voice. The people in power? Of course they matter. They don't need a group or a leader or a new hope. They always mattered. The Black community has grievances, and they deserve a voice and a support system. They deserve to be heard. And let me make this clear - they have never been heard. You do not truly hear someone's pain by responding with, "yeah, me too." If you love me and want to hear me, you do not respond to my problems with "everybody has problems." To truly listen means to put yourself and your life aside and say, "tell me." From what I can tell, white people can support Black Lives Matter in two ways -- show up and shut up. Just listen. Be open to the fact that this might be as bad as they say it is AND MORE. Just listen. If you are white, you have a voice, you have privilege, you have chances. Deny that all you want, but it is real. Take time to reflect and consider that others do not have these things. Consider that the privileged -- that you -- don't know they are privileged. Show up to support, show up to listen -- but then shut up. Take it in. Hear with new hears and see with new eyes. This is not your time to talk, and that's ok. As I a little demonstration of this, here is a clip from the Oscar performance of the song "Glory" from the film Selma. In the second half of the clip you can see that the choir is made up of both black and white people. However, only the black people are singing. The white people show up and support -- but it is not their story. They show up, they listen. They shut up. Show up first, and then listen. Please.
How do you show up? Here are some ideas:
Call the Black Lives Matter Chapter in your community and ask what they need
Give time
Give money
Help make signs
Send the word about events and issues
Associate with churches and groups that truly listen and try to help people understand the under lying issues
Find a social justice organization to be a part of and show up willing to listen
Jill Fellow
801.735.7416
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