If you haven't called Target Corp yet (or even if you have), go go go! Reasons:
- Image at right.
- You might get to talk with Kathy in Escalations.
The Injustice Boycott is the brainchild of activist/writer Shaun King and is intended to put pressure on municipalities and corporations that either directly or obliquely support racist police brutality. It begins today, the 61st anniversary of the Mongtomery Bus Boycott's launch. At this point, "joining" the boycott is simply signing up for the mailing list, expressing your intention to participate when necessary. Thus far, around 200,000 people have joined.
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But holy cow, prominently featured at the checkout was this issue of the National Enquirer. Usually, whatever. I don't mind the occasional reminder that George Clooney is a Martian prince or that Shirley Temple correctly predicted the ending of Lost. But the Enquirer has clearly swung in a new direction: strongly partisan (which itself seems out of place next to the chewing gum) and, I think, dangerously specific in its victims. It's one thing to print obviously-untrue gossip about a celebrity, but to spread racist, fear-mongering straight-up lies about entire groups of Americans—that's another.
Read MoreIn college I took an art-exploration class called Creativity Practicum, every parent's dream for their daughter's expensive liberal-arts education.
Read MoreToday is Giving Tuesday, and a LOT of organizations doing excellent work to help vulnerable people need our money—as much as we can possibly spare.
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It has come to my attention that perhaps it was a tad ambitious to suggest reading three heavy-hitting introduction-to-racism pieces during a weekend when our most reasonable self-expectations were actually 1) keep gravy off your sweater and 2) don't argue with your mouth full. Oops. I JUST GET SO EXCITED, YOU GUYS.
OK, so now we're back...
Read MoreTime for some self-education.
Let's read, because it turns out that racism is more complex than even the best-intentioned white person might think.
Read MoreHappy Monday! Pull on your cowboy boots, and let's ride. Late last week, the Trump transition team chose Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as its nominee for Attorney General. Yikes.
Read MoreI’m just gonna put the thesis statement right up front:
The republic does not depend on your convincing your Racist Uncle that his vote for Trump put millions of vulnerable people in deep jeopardy. So start breathing again.
Read MoreHere's a step-by-step guide from the French artist Maeril that's been floating around online. As she says below, we're currently seeing a rise in harassment of Muslim people, but it could work in any harassment situation.
Read MoreSo. Yesterday I called my senators in the morning but didn't have a chance to call my congressman until early afternoon. After hearing my spiel, the staffer who answered the phone said, "Are you part of a group, or something? Because we've had a bunch of calls this morning with the same request in similar language."
GO TEAM!
Read MoreAre you ready to feel like a Legit Citizen?
Calling your representatives in Congress is ridiculously quick—and effective. They need to hear from constituents (and waves of constituents calling on an issue? Even better). People in the know say that handwritten letters and phone calls (not emails) are the best way to make your voice heard. Let's get used to doing it.
Today, I called about Donald Trump's appointment of Steve Bannon, Breitbart News executive chairman, to the position of White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor.
Over the past couple of days, many people's biggest question seems to have shifted from “what do I do?” to “how can I even talk to _______?” (You’ve filled in the blank with: Black people, Trump supporters, white progressives, Muslim people, and more.) We know conversation is a place to start, but we're stymied.
I think psychologist Susan Silk’s Ring Theory is extremely useful here. She developed it to help people be helpful, not harmful, in the midst of someone else’s pain—for example, when someone has cancer. Let’s take a look.
Read MoreOK. Do you have a notebook and a timer? Let’s go.
Premise: When anxiety and grief are crashing around in our heads, they feel unmanageable. Getting them out on paper doesn’t stop them, but it attenuates and corrals them. It sounds dorky. Whatever. It’ll help, and we’ll use what comes of it.
Read MoreFriends,
The number one question showing up is: What now? I feel powerless.
Here's what now: we're going to start tomorrow, doing small things daily—a good mix of learning and action. The things will be small, but they'll add up. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Get your sleep and eat healthy.
Read MoreToday is a day to cry, and tomorrow I'm getting to work. We have learning to do, and we have work to do. Please read the post below if you haven't already.
Get in touch at wecanmakerealchange@gmail.com if you'd like email notification when we're up and running. Let's love each other well out there.
Read MoreHi friends,
I didn’t intend to post this on Election Day, but OHHH THE NERVOUS ENERGY I need something to do with my hands. I’ve drafted many iterations of this letter, and they were all verbose (shocker), so here’s my attempt to be slightly more succinct.
It’s been quite a year. As a nation we’re baffled and grieved, wincing and shaking our heads. We’ve realized that there’s a lot of ugliness and meanness at work right under our noses. That America’s not as united as we’d hoped. That there’s a lot of pain in this country around race, class, sexuality, gender. That maybe we didn’t notice it before, because we weren’t personally feeling the pain.
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