5 things Friday
Dig it up, examine it, understand it, own it. Here are your 5 antiracism action steps for July 2.
Be Imaginative Member Sharon Bailey, photographed by Smeeta Mahanti
How quickly we as a nation went from filling the streets and shouting about a system built on inequity and white supremacy to...just denying it. From the uproar over Critical Race Theory to the remains of more than 1,000 Indigenous children at former residential school sites in Canada, it seems we still only have one way of dealing with our past mistakes: we bury them.
Yeah, that isn't helping, so don't do that. Dig it up, examine it, understand it, own it. Here are your 5 Things.
READ THIS. Like so much of language these days, the term Critical Race Theory has seen it's meaning warped by an onslaught of click-bait-y headlines and social media bites. Even if you are familiar with what Critical Race Theory actually is, we recommend reading this deep explainer, which also covers recent legislation banning it and what that means for education. Because if you know the facts, you can correct them.
KNOW THIS. When you hear Republicans getting dramatic about CRT, they usually cite the 1619 Project as a cause for concern. The brillinat New York Times initiative, published in 2019 and led by Nikole Hannah-Jones, aimed to tell a fuller story of the country’s history by putting slavery at the center of America’s founding. So it was upsetting, but not unsurprising, that many of these Republicans influenced the decision of the University of North Carolina, where Hannah-Jones teaches, to deny her tenure. The decision was just reversed (after the world called them out on it, loudly), but the story doesn't end there....as it shouldn't. Read all about where it stands right here.
UNDERSTAND THIS. While here in America there is an entire group of people still choose to keep their eyes closed to the atrocities our country was built on, Canada is having a tougher time keeping its past hidden. For over a century, Canada’s church-run residential schools perpetrated systematic abuse and mistreatment, on an industrial scale, with an estimated 150,000 Indigenous children ripped from their homes. But it has taken the discovery of hundreds of children’s bodies to fully awaken Canada. On Wednesday, the remains of 182 people were found at a former school in British Columbia—weeks after 215 unmarked graves were found at an institution in the province and 751 in Saskatchewan. During a moment when there is so much noise about "rewriting history" these horrific discoveries are unique in that in their physicality they are absolutely undeniable. But there remains the question of what we do with this knowledge, and how we heal, repent and repair what has been done. And that is one we all must face, head on, eyes wide open.
DONATE TO THIS. Back in February we wrote about BE-IMAGINATIVE Collective—a radical healing space for Black and brown communities based in Oakland—and the film about them, When The Waters Get Deep. Their earlier film, Dear Beloved, just took home an Emmy (!!!!) and the founders of BE-IMAGINATIVE want to celebrate by hosting a joyful event for the families and the community...but they need your help! Please donate now to the Go Fund Me to make this celebration a reality.
SIGN THIS. After spending 16 years incarcerated in federal prisons, Gwen Levi was finally home. Released to home confinement last June, Ms. Levi spent the past year reconnecting with her sons and grandsons, helping to take care of her elderly mother, volunteering at advocacy organizations that provide critical services for incarcerated people, and perhaps most crucially—increasing her chances of staying safe from COVID-19 as a 76-year-old cancer survivor. But one year after her release, Ms. Levi was sent back to prison. Why? Because she missed a phone call from her case manager while she was in a class to learn computer skills. Sign the Color of Change petition and demand President Biden grant clemency to Ms. Levi today.