Amplify

Encouraged/Brokenhearted. Woke/Unraveled. Energized/Exhausted. All of these emotions holding front row seats on a roller coaster of righteous anger. My Minneapolis community enraged, and in mourning. The loss of precious life, #JusticeForGeorge.

I am less than 6 miles from where George Floyd was murdered. I am less than 4 miles from where the riots and protests took place. Far enough, but far too close. I found myself fearful of the unknown, contemplating gun ownership for the first time in my life… finally understanding why someone might want to conceal and carry.

I’m not proud of that. And it’s true.

The guidance coming from local police was to walk our properties and alleys for incendiaries. Neighbors worked in harmony, taking turn sitting vigil overnight watching for trouble makers at the height of the unrest. It was disconcerting.

But for this white girl it was one day, in one weekend, in one week that was a complete unraveling of the world as we knew it. It wasn’t my day in, day out reality. It was an exclamation point, not the title of the proverbial book.

I am white. I have privilege. I know what I know, and I now know how much that I can’t even begin to understand. But I will try. And when I screw it up, because I will, I’ll learn from it and try again. And again. And again.

Amplify BIPOC voices, thoughts, ideas, and services. People and organizations to check out:

Mirna Valerio – UltraRunner, Adventurer, Author
Latoya Shauntey Snell – The Running Fat Chef
Alicia Keys – Singer/Writer/Producer/Author
Kemi Nekvapil – Coach. Speaker. Author.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied – Sudanese-Australian mechanical engineer, social advocate, writer and broadcaster.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Speaker, Author
Brigette Hyacinth – Speaker, Author, HR Thought-Leader
Sonya Renee Taylor – Poet, Activist, Author, Leader
Ted Talks on Race – Systemic Racism, Injustice and Intersectionality
Books on Race for White Readers – Self-educate to help dismantle racism
Equal Justice Initiative – Non-profit focused on ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.

Start somewhere. Do the work. Quietly – No participation medals will be handed out. Then get loud and get involved. Find a way to contribute to the movement – ally, educate others, donate your time, energy, resources, and/or money. Use your privilege and help make a difference.

Black Lives Matter. They always have.