23 June 2020

Black Lives Matter, They've Always Mattered & They Matter To Me

@lilymarston


“I am learning. I promise to learn loudly. I will not shy away from my missteps. I will mess up & I will own to it. There is no ego here. There is no handholding. This isn’t a matter of opinion. This is a matter of life or death. This is a matter of human rights. Black lives matter.” - Meghan Rienks


I’ve been silent here for about three weeks now & while I feel I’m ready to get back into the swing of posting I think it would be wrong to ignore why I became silent & took a break in the first place. 


I’ve really struggled to write this post, I’m not going to lie. I’ve struggled because as a while privileged woman it continues to blow my mind the such injustices happen purely because of the colour of someone’s skin. I’ve struggled because I’ve realised that I still have so much more to learn. I’ve struggled because there’s so much I want to say but words are failing me right now. 


It’s easy to turn a blind eye when you’re not experiencing something first hand & it’s easy to turn a blind eye when it’s not happening in your backyard but that’s not good enough. 


I want to start by saying that black lives matter, they’ve always mattered & they matter to me. Unfortunately, we currently live in a world that doesn’t hold black lives to the same value as white lives. I’ve always been a pretty open person & accepting person but these past few weeks have had me thinking that maybe I haven’t been open enough.  I want to make it abundantly clear that I am a safe place, I stand with you & I hear you. 


Without a doubt, I have experienced so much white privilege & have benefited from white supremacy but I want to be a part of dismantling that. The way I see it is in its most simplest form & that is that racists are loud & obnoxious so those of us who do not stand with them must be equally as loud, if not louder than them. 


Because of my white privilege I’m going to make mistakes & I still have a lot to learn but let’s learn together. I’ve done a lot of my own research & there are some amazing resources out there. We must take the initiative to educate ourselves. It’s not up tp anybody else to do that for us.  


The purpose of this post was to make it clear as to where I stand amongst all of this. I am a safe place, I stand with you & I hear you. I will continue to share resources that I find helpful on my Twitter & Instagram as well as continue to update the list below. 


Education 

‘Racists Are Loud’ - Nina Parker via @E!News

Educate Yourself

Anti Racist Resources

If You’re Not An Ally, You’re An Enemy

10 Books You Must Read To Learn About Racism

Five Books That Every White Ally Should Read On Black Lives

Guide To Allyship

Thread Of Documentaries To Watch


Action 

Petitions To Sign

Donate

Thread Of BLM Petitions To Sign

Thread Of Black Trans Lives Matter Petitions To Sign


B x 


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