"Keep That Same Energy"-A Modern African American Proverb
May 26th began the most exhausting week of my Black adult life and that’s saying a lot since as NPR’s Code Switch noted we’ve had nearly A Decade of Watching Black People Die.
The heaviness of It All coupled with the necessity of having to “go” to work (and close out an event that had swiftly pivoted to a digital format) made for a surreal and heavy week.
Throughout this era of Black death on display, I have often felt alone in my grief and pain at the nonprofits where I worked and struggled with how to show up as the professional I had to be. An internal turning point for me came with the murder of peaceful church members in Charleston, South Carolina. I was supposed to be having fun at a work field day the day after their murder and couldn’t deal with the fact that my colleagues were acting as if everything was okay, because it very much wasn’t. I excused myself from the festivities and went home to process. That was only in 2017, and yet feels like a lifetime ago.
2020 feels different because a critical mass of white people has also noticed. Smarter people than me can give reasons behind why this time is different, but part of the heaviness that I’ve carried over the last weeks was because police brutality and anti-Blackness have been happening and it hurt that people were arriving hella late to this consciousness party. I wish I had the option.
Text messages from acquaintances offering food or condolences went unanswered. Black squares on social media were ignored. Messages of solidarity from corporations got noted (Ben & Jerry’s, forever about that action) or side-eyed as appropriate (National Football League). There can be consolation in feeling camaraderie in one’s pain and rage, but it’s not enough. I hope that those who took to the streets or have recently plugged in will keep that same energy moving forward.
Diversify your bookshelf permanently and define your own canon.
We all have to do our own work to define and diversify the literary canon. Black authors existed before the protests of the past few weeks and they will continue to create work that is worthy of your support. I promise you that if there’s a subject you’re interested in learning more about, a Black person has written about it. Do the work of finding the writers that resonate with you and support their work and do it again and again until it’s a habit and not a one-off reaction to current events.
If you want to go a step further, learn about how the publishing industry grossly undervalued Black voices by exploring the hashtag and conversation #PublishingPaidMe.
Don’t let the last few weeks be the last time you patronize a Black-owned establishment.
When it’s safe to do so, patronize your local Black-owned restaurants in person. Listen to The Sporkful podcast episode “Can a Restaurant Be for Everyone?” and consider why before All of This you perhaps didn’t feel comfortable going to certain neighborhoods for food. Then, go a step further and learn about food justice organizations in your community working to ensure that communities of color in your home community have access to healthy, nutritious foods.
Do the tedious work of being civically engaged.
I’m guilty of not being as civically engaged in ways that matter most before All of This. When I was younger, my mom would bring us to school board meetings and I would tune out. In retrospect, she was laying the blueprint for the at times boring, but vital work that being a community member comprises. In addition to voting, staying informed of the myriad of choices that elected and appointed officials have that affect your life and your neighbors are important. If there are any silver linings to my area’s shelter-in-place order, it’s that the barriers to staying informed about public commissions have been significantly lowered. I’m fortunate to be able to work from home and have on commissions of interest in the background. I’ve committed to listening to my local school board of education meetings, as well as, our police commission meetings.
Keep learning.
In 2013, saying “Black Lives Matter” was provocative to some, taboo to others, and an affront to still others (let the record state that I don’t care about the last group). Fast forward to 2020 and it’s totally different. Public opinion will continue to change and we owe it to ourselves to learn, process, and iterate.
May Breonna Taylor, Nina Pop, Tony McDade, George Floyd’s, and the countless others’ names be a blessing.
