It’s inordinately difficult to know what to say today, one week after George Floyd was killed in broad daylight in Minneapolis, sparking off a week of peaceful protests (in 111 cities) some of which were hijacked and turned into riots by extremists. Oh, and let’s not forget that this is all amid the COVID-19 global pandemic.
One can get disproportionately enrapt with just one of the many issues at hand and come away with a shallow and/or distorted understanding of what, exactly, is happening here and now. We all, myself included, need to take some slow breaths (if we can) and slow down to focus. There’s far too much happening to us at once.
You need to do something. You must do something, no matter who you are.
Do not ask me what to do.
Figure it out.
I’ll be back.
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Consider joining me for a discussion of textiles and social justice, hosted by the Vermont MQG; admission is $10 and once my fee is paid, all further proceeds are being donated to the Social Justice Sewing Academy, Black Lives Matter Vermont, and Third Street Alliance (a shelter in Easton, PA). Info and registration here.
completely cauchy. 
I will work for atonement and redemption for white peoples’ long journey on the backs of others. I will raise my voice and spend my resources to stop the murder of black people by police and white people. I will fight in my community and in my work against the preservation of a sick and rotting system that harms people of color, poor people and the most vulnerable among us. I will believe in a better world, and do all I can to tear down the pillars of power in this one.
So much is going on, a lot to process. I’m learning and speaking up.
Please listen to Obama, please everyone, VOTE! There are groups that will destroy peaceful demonstrations, ruining the message much to the profit of those that don’t want this message to be heard. Vote is the only effective weapon against this monstruous thing . Choose the ones that respect values and lives and will work accordingly to that.
Thank you for your continued engagement. I will do something.
I will learn to speak calmer and not drop it or let people off the hook when I confront them about racism. And I am hearing they moved the charge up to murder II and are getting ready to charge the other three!!!
What I’m doing is thinking hard about these issues as they relate to the UK. Living here we need to deal with what is on our doorstep. Its baby steps I’ve done some research on organisations dealing with racial injustice here and will start to donate. I’ve also helped raise the question of the Dundas Monument in Edinburgh. Henry Dundas 1st Vicount Melville held up the abolition of slavery in the British Empire for 15 years. 630,000 people died in that time in slavery. I started asking questions why a plaque on his monument giving this history isn’t up yet. on twitter. Slow progress but our local news paper wrote an article about it yesterday. https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-professor-renews-call-reword-history-statue-memorialising-man-who-prolonged-slave-trade-2876774
oh the online event is sold out.. but I joined the waitlist