Actions and Self-Work. Every Day.

Hi Friends,

There are so many resources flowing right now, even more than normal. I’d like to call attention to some of them for you. This is going to be overwhelming — pick something, then return to this for more. Please do this work, every day.

ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE:
- Sign the petition from the NAACP Arlington Branch for Arlington County to fund body cameras for Arlington police.
- Listen. Listen. Listen. Black Lives Matter “What Matters”
- Learn about and recognize Juneteenth (June 19). Consider participating in actions this coming weekend.
- Connect with local organizations like:
— Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR), “Statement on Deaths by Racism”
— Read Early and Daily (READ) which centers and celebrates all children through diverse and inclusive children’s books
— Justice Forward Virginia
— Arlington for Justice — Sign the petition from Arlington For Justice (a new coalition!) called “Rethink Policing: Reform ACPD” and sign up to get involved.

PERSONAL SELF-WORK:
- Jose A. Del Real writes about the misguided acts of white people sending money to black acquaintances. (Washington Post, 6/6/20)
- Samuel Kimbriel writes “White Americans, resist the temptation to disengage” (Washington Post, 6/5/20)
- Kasi Lemmons writes “White Americans, your lack of imagination is killing us” (Washington Post, 6/1/20)
- Nana Efua Mumford asks people to educate themselves, especially before appropriating something from another culture for yourself. (Washington Post, 6/11/20)
- Jennfer Harvey writes “For White Women Learning Calculus in a School Building on Fire” about how white women have historically sided with white supremacy. (Medium, 10/10/18)
- Ron Seoul-Oh shares “What Now? Resources to Educate Ourselves, Fight Racism and Support Black Lives Matter” (POC Culture, 6/4/20)
- Learn about blind spots.
- Watch Oprah’s “Where Do We Go From Here?” interview with “Black thought leaders, activists and artists about systematic racism and the current state of America” (6/9/20)
- Watch “Understanding and Transforming White Womanhood Webinar” by Women’s March (6/10/20)
- Tre Johnson writes “When black people are in pain, white people just join book clubs” (Washington Post, 6/11/20)
- Brian S. Lowery writes “To my white friends, the time for talk has passed. Now is the time for work.” (Washington Post, 6/12/20)
- Consider the graphic created by Tony Ruth.

UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMIC RACISM:
- Gene Demby on Code Switch focuses on “Making The Case That Discrimination Is Bad For Your Health” including the concept of weathering. (Code Switch, NPR, 1/14/18)
- E.J. Dionne Jr. writes about the importance of protecting our elections to further our racial and economic justice work. (Washington Post, 6/7/20)
- Theresa Vargas writes about Neli Latson, whose life changed when a stranger called the police on him because he seemed suspicious, sitting outside of a library in his neighborhood. (Washington Post, 6/10/20)
- Eugene Robinson writes about the lasting impact of symbols and why the current pushes to remove them are encouraging. (Washington Post, 6/11/20)
- Steve Majors writes about how “I’m a black man with white privilege. I see how it distorts America.” (Washington Post, 6/11/20)

POLICE REFORM:
I want to preface this one by asking everyone to focus on LISTENING. The experiences people have with police can vary significantly depending on the color of their skin. Believe people when they describe something completely different from what you have experienced. And then consider how you would feel if you had a similar experience. And THEN think about ways to make the system better for everyone — even better for police officers.
- Sarah Holder writes about “The City That Remade Its Police Department” (Bloomberg, 6/4/20)
- Christy E. Lopez explains what “Defund The Police” really means (Washington Post, 6/7/20)
- Petula Dvorak encourages reimagining the police, especially in light of how their work focuses on social services, but their funding and training focuses on militarization and weaponry. (Washington Post, 6/11/20)
- If you’re interested in learning about police in schools (School Resource Officers, or SROs), let me know and I can connect you to people working on addressing this in Arlington Public Schools. Yes we have them, and yes, there have been efforts for some time working on this already. Here’s a helpful article by Donna St. George and Perry Stein about it. (Washington Post, 6/12/20)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
- Marc Fisher, Arelis R. Hernandez, and Frances Stead Sellers write about people experiencing food insecurity for the first time and the shame and difficult feelings that follow. (Washington Post, 6/4/20)

APS-RELATED INFORMATION:
- Dr. Francisco Durán, Superintendent, gave a Return to School Status update at the June 4 School Board meeting.
- A survey open until June 15 about planning for the reopening of the schools.
- An update on Virginia P-EBT cards that families are receiving in the mail.
- A reminder about free breakfasts and lunches being distributed by APS through the summer.
- Everyone Can Help flyer
- Plan to attend APS event “Let’s Talk: A Community Discussion on Race,” on Monday, June 22 from 7–8 p.m. Read the joint statement from the APS Superintendent and Arlington School Board.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.