sewhungryhippie

TAKING A PAUSE TO LISTEN, REFLECT, and SUPPORT BLACK LIVES MATTER.

Human rights is not a political issue.

Feeling uncomfortable is okay (and needed) to make change.

If you're feeling defensive, explore that now. It's worth introspection as you are not fully to blame, society is. However YOU CAN change, in minutes.

It's okay to change your mind, your thoughts, your actions right now. If before you thought BLM was aggressive or not inclusive because you're white, maybe now you have the information to understand it was never about you. 

Illustration by Steve Saiz/Dale Zine

I'm seeing a lot of "oh she's suddenly woke" posts on socials and it makes me sad. Don't get confused or side tracked, there is a time for everything and it seems we are ALL waking up to the fact that  "it's not enough to be non-racist".  Know better / do better like Maya said.

It's our collective history here in the US. We can't deny it to make it go away, to make is suddenly better, or to instantly "fix" it. But we CAN say enough is enough, and vote people into positions of power that believe - TRULY BELIEVE - in equal rights for ALL people.

Color, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion --why are these even adjectives to define someone? Despite the best intentions, they are. We are all human. Which means we will always have implicit bias, judgments, and beliefs.

We all have the same desires = to be loved, to love, to live a peace filled life, to prosper, to shelter our families, to create our own destinies... 


I'll be addressing my own inward biases and discussing with trusted friends ways to better myself and take conscious action to support the POC movement. My starter list is below. I have a LONG way to go, a lot to learn, and so much work to do. 



Don't confuse TAKING RESPONSIBILITY for taking the blame. None of us are perfect, we all have biases and beliefs from our experiences. It was hard for me after Iraq to be comfortable around men wearing head wraps and turbans, and honestly it still is a little; it's something that happens to your brain when you fear for your life for a year. But I am aware of it, and am working toward a day when it doesn't even enter my mind.

Poster is here.

1. This is an excellent 13 min TedX talk by Rachel Cargle unpacking racism.

2. Take some time to read through this Invisible Knapsack article by Peggy McIntosh.



3. Join the NAACP in a few minutes. There is power in numbers.

Artwork by Vicky Leta/ Mashable

4. Read this article written by Director of Anti Racist Research and Policy at American University Ibram X. Kendi  titled "The American Nightmare" .



5. To be an ally is to take action. I can't go to rally right now, but I can spend money where it counts, support businesses owned by POC, and vote. I'm sorry if this offends (well maybe I'm not actually) - but the "old guard" in Congress has to go. NOW. 



6. Read read read. 
There are so many ways to absorb ideas and make yourself think through reading. I'll post some of my favorites below.
Some will ask me why The Kite Runner and American Dirt --- because racism is not just white/black.

 

7. This blog post by Renee, (a sewing blogger I follow) is spot on. "Your black friend." 

Art work with thread by Danielle Clough.

Sometimes called 'thread painting".

8. Seek out and support Artists of color that make you see the world through their eyes. Follow because you WANT to. Comment & share. Nothing shows support like commenting on someone's platform.

Fabric art by Bisa Butler. She was featured in Oprah magazine not too long ago - which is how I found out about her.

Illustration by Carson Ellis -- a white artist who combed through the database of police killings that resulted in fatalities of unarmed African Americans. She picked 20 of them to illustrate and read everything she could about them. "I cried and cried," says Ellis, who is white. "It brought me face to face with very hard truths about being black in America, and about being white in America. I never doubted the existence of racism, but after this, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of it."

--excerpt from the Washington Post.

9. Educate yourself and your children through constant conversation. This list by the New York Times is a resource for books aimed at kids organized by age category.

Art by Loris Lora.

10. Knowledge is power.  Here is a list of Hollywood Directors you may or may not have heard of. We just watched The Equalizer 2 last night with Denzel Washington as star and Antoine Fuqua as Director. WHY hasn't Fuqua earned an Oscar yet? His films are stunning.  Remember #oscarssowhite? At the time it made me think about how few Black Directors I could recite as easily as Spielberg and Howard.

**This month all sales of PDF Santorini tote patterns will be donated to the NAACP along with my friend Ingrid's Hands patterns (coming this week). Visit Ingrid here. 

If this post has made you sad and uncomfortable, that was the point. I hope you are here for change, able to step outside your comfortable box and open your heart. I'm trying myself on a daily basis. If you don't get it, I'm sorry if you have to go, and I understand. No need to email me or message me on socials, just go. I will be working on my own actions, thoughts, beliefs to aim toward being an active ally of groups that are threatened. I hope you join me.

With much love, 

-Natalie.