Standing in solidarity with the Asian American community, grieving the horrors of this hate crime and others like it.
We have been silent about this issue over the last week. And by “issue,” we mean the anti-Asian violence, the violent misogyny, and the White supremacy. By “issue” we mean the attempts at erasure by defining one White man’s racist violence as “having a bad day”. But it is important to us to say something, while still feeling like we have a lot to learn and a lot of work to do in this area. And by “this area,” we mean unravelling and unlearning the White supremacist narratives in ourselves and in our communities. Sometimes, silence can feel more comfortable during unspeakable horrors like this one. We know that this is not an isolated incident but another completely preventable tragedy, caused and perpetuated by White supremacy culture and a long history of anti-Asian racism, and it can feel like adding our noise to the crowd isn’t helpful, or worse, is simply performative.
And yet, when choosing between fear of being performative, and silence, we choose to speak out. As a group of largely White and/or privileged people in this country, we must act in solidarity. When White Supremacy culture inflicts violence, we re-commit to speaking truth to power, even when that power lives in the small bodies of the children in our homes, and that truth is hard to hear. We choose truth over the comfort and ease of silence, and commit to ongoing learning. We speak to our White and/ or privileged children, and other parents we know, about the history and current realities of this country, even as we strive to understand them better. We double-down on our commitments to a community-centered way of being, even and especially when we feel unsure and imperfect.
We are grateful for the Integrated Schools community growing in this space, a movement of parents and caregivers who are all at different stages of this work, but who make a commitment to solidarity in action. We all have a lot to learn. We are on the road to being better, and we push forward in the knowledge that “none of us can be free until everybody is free” (Maya Angelou). Addressing and eradicating anti-Black racism underpins so much of what we do at Integrated Schools, but existing in solidarity means that when other oppressed people are harmed by White supremacy, even if we feel ill-equipped, we remember that this work is for the liberation of all people.
In the meantime, here’s what we’ve been Reading, reflecting on, and donating to.
###
We understand there is not consensus as to whether or not to share the names of the victims of the Atlanta murders. We chose not to share them, out of respect for the victims’ families.
0 Comments