For those afraid to begin for fear of being wrong and being corrected. “White feelings should never be held in higher regard than black lives.” (Rachel Cargle)
May we get over ourselves. May we see the value of being uncomfortable, the importance of trying and getting it wrong until we get it closer to right.
For those whose ignorance is debilitating humanity’s resolution. “it is hardly possible for anyone who thinks of himself as white to know what a black person is talking about at all.” (James Baldwin)
May we read, watch, listen, heed, and do our own work both individually and collectively.
For those who fear moving away from the comfort and safety of “being good.”
May we remember, there is always a place for “creative trouble” (Bayard Rustin), “Good trouble, necessary trouble” (John Lewis)
May we pivot into discomfort, lest we perpetuate the status quo.
May we recall that “There is no place in this war of liberation for nice white people who want to avoid taking sides and remain friends with both the racists and the Negro.” (James H. Cone)
For those so focused on their self-worth’s connectivity to black worth that we fail to do the work from the right intentions.
May we remember, “Anti-racism work is not self-improvement work for white people. It doesn’t end when white people feel better about what they’ve done. It ends when Black people are staying alive and they have their liberation.” (Rachel Cargle)
For those flailing so much that they’ve chosen to do nothing, without realizing the privilege of choice. “When liberal whites fail to understand how they can and/or do embody white supremacist values and beliefs… they cannot recognize the ways their actions support and affirm the very structure of racist domination and oppression that they wish to see eradicated.” (bell hooks)
May we stop flailing in the sea of to-dos and begin to be moved to change and step into risk––one task at a time.
For those who cannot see the work of justice in a riot.
May we see the truth of the fire and see both within and beyond it.
For those who cannot understand the rage.
May we awaken to the necessity of uprooting systems of oppression embedded in American society and our very lives.
May we recognize these systems and be against them, clearly and boldly.
May we know that disruption of a system which holds on to the status quo is necessary for these are the systems which refuse to “relinquish [their] oppressive ways without confrontation. This is the methodology of the oppressed as they are fighting for liberation.” (Pamela R. Lightsey).
May we remember that “to practice love is to disrupt the status quo which is masquerading as peace.” (Austin Channing Brown)
May we see and understand that “Oppressive systems must be exposed and deconstructed or dismantled (even in sacred texts), not simply recycled or cosmetically adjusted to palliate and opiate the oppressed and their allies.” (Mitzi J Smith)
May we see the distress, agony, and trauma of these systems which is perpetuated in our own white bodies, ways of being, and participation (see Resmaa Menakem’s book My Grandmother’s Hands).
For those claiming only silence or spending time in prayer is necessary for such a time as this.
May we heed the balance demanded of a truly contemplative life.
May we remember “All contemplation should be followed by action.” And that the wholeness of contemplation “MUST consist of both inward solitude and reflection, and an outward response to the situations in which we find ourselves present and awake.” (Therese Taylor-Stinson)
May we remember that the “altar of justice” clearly shows historically and biblically that “resistance was [and is] an action” of our faith. (Dean Leah Gunning Francis)
For those who think we can “set the timetable for another man’s freedom” (MLK, Jr.) No, just no.
“How much time do you want for your progress?” (James Baldwin)
May we heed the “fierce urgency of now” (MLK, Jr.) and recognize God in our fellow humans who are literally struggling to breathe in this. very. moment.
For those who still can’t get behind the phrase, “Black Lives Matter.”
May we remember “we don’t live in a world where all lives matter.” (Alicia Garza) Thus, we must elevate the lives deemed unworthy by a society we (as white people) perpetuate (whether unknowingly or not).
May we remember that “Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge.” (Toni Morrison)
May we wake up to see this truth in our everyday lives: our schools, our places of work, our streets, our parks, and our homes.
For those at home, unable to leave for health reasons of their own, another’s health, or unable to be on the streets for other reasons.
May we remember that there are countless ways to show up.
May we recall that “Revolution is not a one-time event” (Audre Lorde) nor a one-place event. But may we also remember that for a revolution to take hold, it must seep into all avenues of our lives.
May we remember where we spend our money matters, our voice or writing matters, our work with our white friends, white children, and white family members matters.
May we learn to see by paying attention.
May we learn to understand by listening.
May we learn to change by doing our own work.
May we be true to both ourselves and our unique expressions while also being true to our human family.
May we participate in the revolution, a revolution that doesn’t need us but will define us.
Closing: “Spirit gets what Spirit wants, so we might as well listen.” (Lerita Coleman-Brown)
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
“Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.”
(Fannie Lou Hammer)
(Icon: Ferguson Mother of God: Our Lady against all Gun Violence, 2015 by Mark Dukes).
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