Anti-racist statement

This is EB Knits statement on anti-racism. I wholeheartedly support the Black Lives Matter movement, black businesses and black makers. Below is a statement I initially wrote on social media and edited for blog form and embedded relevant hyperlinks.

Black lives matter. They more than matter. Black lives are important, special and appreciated and deserve justice and fairness.

I've been quiet posting my own content to social media lately but have been semi-active on stories sharing resources, learning materials and nonprofits to support and I plan to continue doing that. I hope these resources are helpful and encourage you to think. This may be repetitive of what you've already seen and heard (hopefully it is) and that you've already started your own research. Please note that I am still learning, I always will be. I may not say the right thing so please call me out on how to be better. This is a journey of reflection, learning and growing.

I want to say first that this time is not about me or my discomfort, I only include it here because it may resonate with someone and encourage them to push past their discomfort to putting in real work. It's time to listen to black people. Allow their voices to be heard. Seek them out and listen to their stories and experiences (if they've shared them). It's time to listen. It's time to learn. It's time to do better.

There are tons of resources to begin learning. Books (a lot are sold out but buy them on backorder from a local or black-owned bookstore), podcasts (Somebody, Code Switch + 1619 are where I started), articles, speeches, TED Talks, documentaries on Netflix/Prime (13th, When They See Us, Just Mercy, Selma, etc) are all readily available. Seriously, just google it.

White friends + followers: It's time to stand in the gap (if you don't know what that means, see @ggmadeit), identify our own privilege, how we've benefited from systemic racism (I have.) and take action. Racism was created by white people and needs to be destroyed by us too. Do not allow the discomfort of talking about racism prohibit you from talking about it any longer.

Actions: Sign petitions (Justice for Breonna Taylor, Justice for George Floyd + more). Follow black activists, journalists + authors on social media + listen to their viewpoints. Donate and follow black organizations. Vote. Support black businesses, makers and friends. Seek them out.

There's so much work to be done and I'm committed to learning and growing. I encourage the same. I'm not an expert by any means but feel free to reach out to just talk or relay resources. This is not a trend. It's real and important and needs to continue for the rest of our lives.

No matter how much work or effort I put in, I'll never understand the feeling of being discriminated because of my race, the generations and lifetimes of racial injustice. And that is privilege.

I'm ashamed that it took me so long to get my head around being anti-racist and acknowledging my complicity in racism. I thought just being "not racist" was good enough. If I'm not saying racist things, then I'm not contributing to it, right? Wrong. By staying silent I allowed my privilege and discomfort to direct me into complicity. Identify that and move forward. Choose to be an anti-racist, stand in the gap. Fight for change. Use your privilege to speak out.

Also a note for those who counter with, "All lives matter". Of course all lives matter. That is precisely the point. Everyone deserves liberty and justice for all. Everyone deserves to walk down the street confidently without fear. That is why we need to fight even harder for black lives because they do not have these rights or privileges right now. When someone is knocked down we don't just leave them there to fend for themselves. We stand up for them and offer a helping hand. Same deal here.
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Black lives matter.

There are tons of resources available, especially compiled this week. If you would like to donate or simply learn more about organizations focussed on fighting for black lives, The Strategist put together a wonderful list they are continually updating with 137 Ways to Donate in Support of Black Lives and Communities of Color.

Wool and the Gang put together a list of resources that I found very helpful as well, which you can find here.