Recent events following the brutal murder of George Floyd has left me feeling heartbroken, saddened, confused, angry, & so many other emotions. It’s been challenging to truly put into words just how I feel. I believe it is my duty, not only as an influencer with an online presence, but also as a person, to do better. Today, on Tuesday June 02, 2020 I will be participating in Blackout Tuesday.
Blackout Tuesday
Blackout Tuesday is a social media movement challenging business to pause for a day to take time for an honest reflective, & productive conversation about what actions we need to collectively take to support the black community. If you choose to post & show your support in this way, it is recommended to use the hashtag #blackouttuesday & not use the hashtag #blacklivesmatter on your posts. The latter is a way for important information & resources to be shared & the hashtag should not be saturated with the black squares.
I am participating in Blackout Tuesday by taking the day off & posting a black square to my Instagram feed & stories. I posted the below on Instagram yesterday trying to express how I have been feeling.
I am a processor. I like to consume a lot of information & really think + reflect on things before I feel like I can speak. Or write. While I still feel like I don’t have the right or best words on my own, I realize that with a following or presence on social media that I can’t just borrow from others or share on stories. It is my duty to post about what matters. This extends beyond those with any sort of online presence. It’s all of our duty. People matter too much. All people. It’s too important to NOT talk about. I need this feeling, this call to action & educate, this outrage to stand forever on my feed. I keep coming back to this quote by Maya Angelou that I wanted to share because I think that it’s so relevant to all in this situation (& in every day life) that hate never helps. It has to end. We all have more to learn, more to do. Words are not enough. Action is necessary. I will learn more, do more, be better. I hope you feel inspired to do the same. If not, no judgement. No hate. I am sure I’ll look back at this & wish I said something different, or better, but for now, I’m just saying SOMEthing & I promise to learn more, do better, have the challenging or uncomfortable conversations, & really look inward. If you are of the Black community & are scared, anxious, suffering, mad, or any other feelings.. I see you. I hear you. I am with you. I may not completely understand, but I feel deeply empathetic & want to understand to the best of my abilities. Please send any information, resources, or causes my way. For now, here are some resources below. Please let me know any I can add.
DONATE- @naacp @mnfreedomfund @recalimtheblock Text FLOYD to 55156
READ- Stamped, So You Want to Talk About Race, White Fragility
WATCH- Dear White People, 13th, American Son
LISTEN- About Race
LEARN MORE- https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/
To stay connected, text 2020 BLACKOUT to 40649
I’d love to know any additional resources I can add to this list. If you have any, please share. I’m not sure when it will feel right to return to regular content & posting or the best way to approach all of this, so I hope that as I figure out what I feel is best that you all are patient, kind, & give grace. This is my full time job now that I quit my job in School Psychology, so since posting is a huge part of that I will resume, but want to do so in a manner that is considerate & thoughtful. I want all of you to know that I will learn more & take action. I stand with you & support you. XO
