Hope Not Cynicism

Hi Friends,

This message is for all of us (from SURJ), and maybe especially for all of my friends and former community members in Virginia. Please internalize the message below. Please find ways to work in solidarity with people, all people, to further this work. Please stay in this, even when things are discouraging or you’re feeling a lack of hope.

As Azza Altiraifi said in her keynote during the recent Service Never Sleeps Allyship Summit, “We cannot afford to be cynical.” She went on to say that the significant investment by those in power to convince us that things are hopeless and nothing will change is proof that hope is powerful.

You are not alone. Keep taking steps forward and find some friends to bring along. More soon.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

Stuck (and the Way Forward)

Hi Friends,

I was moved to share some creative writing with all of you. If you want to hear it rather than read it, click here.

Stuck (and the Way Forward)

As a White person engaging in anti-racist self-work, I have learned
not to center myself,
not to cry for fear that my tears might wield power,
to internalize the emotions that this work releases, and
to bury my own needs in service of others.

Sometimes it feels like a form of erasure.
Our emotions are invalidated because someone else suffers more.
Our fears and failures are harmful to those around us
so we must minimize and hide them.
Our experiences are inextricable from our privileges.

We can start to lose our individual identities
for fear of perpetuating marginalization and hate.
And culturally, if I am not White, if White has no meaning,
then who or what am I?
Do I even have a culture? Is it one I can be proud of?
Or is my culture colonization, genocide, and violence?

The roots of White supremacy
erased our cultures and differences
to create the idea of “White” as a group of people
in order to otherize the rest of humanity.

Some anti-racist work
can threaten to do the same
when we are

stuck

in shame
in blame
in competing with each other to prove that we are not racist
in otherizing to prove that we are one of the “good ones”
that we are worthy
of love.

The only way forward, out of white supremacy
is through love
of ourselves (even when we fail),
of each other (even when we are inhumane),
of our country (with open eyes).

Allowing or participating in
the dehumanization of anyone
contributes to our own dehumanization.

White supremacy robs all of us
of our ability to love and live freely.
It divides and separates us,
surviving through hate and fear,
competition and scarcity.

We must unite, not divide.
We must seek and share the truth to empower all.
We must release ourselves from shame
lest it turn us from love to hate.
And we must seek our own anti-racist identity
that is not written by white supremacy but is
informed by our shared humanity and intentionality.

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.

Hello From Colorado!

 Hi Friends,

I’m getting settled in Colorado and I’m excited to be writing to you again! Thank you for your patience during this transition.

I hope you’re all getting back into the school year well and that students are getting the support they need. I’ve been hearing through the Arlington grapevine that the new virtual learning program is not meeting student needs, so if you’re hearing the same thing, please speak up about it to the School Board, APS administrators, or the Arlington NAACP Education Committee.

In case you missed it, there was an ArlNow article by Jo DeVoe about PTA spending inequities in July. This is one type of educational equity work where your voice is needed. Partially because of that article, I have been so lucky to get connected with other PTA/private funding equity activists across the country and I’ll certainly share resources along those lines as I hear about them.

For now, please check out:
- Community-Centric Fundraising and this awesome article by Vu Le. I also recommend this article by Rebekah Giacomantonio about the dangers of white-led nonprofits in this work.
- Fakequity, especially the most recent two posts.
- A Progressive’s Style Guide (PDF) by Hanna Thomas and Anna Hirsch.
- This awesome video about school choices that families make and the impacts on education (created by the Park Hill Neighbors for Equity in Education (PHNEE) in Denver, and applicable nationally).

I’ve been paying more attention these days to environmental racism and environmental justice efforts. If you’re feeling at a loss about climate change, maybe take your anti-racist work in this direction.

I wanted to follow up to my last post about Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools. I found some really helpful resources that I wanted to share with you:
- David Stovall and Subini Annamma write “OPINION: Using critical race theory to understand the backlash against it” (Hechinger Report, 7/29/21), especially: “Ultimately these laws reflect a hard truth: Historical accuracy has become an existential threat to white supremacy.”
- Mark Keierleber writes “Critical Race Theory and the New ‘Massive Resistance’” (The 74 Million, 8/18/21), especially: “claims of colorblindness have been used to entrench existing racial disparities for generations.”

What challenges are you experiencing in your anti-racist work right now? I’m always happy to research and write about your perspectives and experiences — please share with me!

Emily
Listen. Amplify. Follow.