2018 Year-In-Review. What I Wrote. What I Learned. What's Next.
At the end of each year, I look back at my writings here to remember, andreflect on what was going on in the world around me in regards to race, aboutwhat I've learned, and hopefully, how I've grown.
I started off 2018 by writing TheCrack Cocaine Center Of Excellence about my anger over the discrepancyon how the opioid "crisis" is being treated now that it is impactingwhite suburban communities vs. how Black people were treated who were impactedby what was called the "crack epidemic" in the 1980's.
On February 14th, we learned Valentines Day will now forever be overshadowedby the occurrence of the Parkland, Florida school shooting. In Let Us Listen To All Of OurYoung People's Cries For Help To End Gun Violence. I wrote abouthow proud I was of the Parkland students for rising up and becoming passionateactivists working to end gun violence. Yet, as they garnered the nation's andthe world's attention, and praise, I, and others, who also praised the Parklandstudents, wished the same attention was given to the young Black andBrown students in Baltimore, Ferguson, and throughout the country, who havebeen activists for much longer. They have been activists out of the need tospeak on behalf of their communities who have experienced gun violence, andpolice brutality, and killings by police officers, but have not gotten the samemainstream attention as the highlighted, mostly white, suburban Floridastudents.
Also in February, I stumbled across a photographer's website for a photo Iwanted to use, and had to reconsider because what else can you do WhenThe Photo You Want To Use For Your Blog Post Belongs To A Racist Photographer.I learned paying attention to who you connect and collaborate with isimportant, and to not take surface appearances for granted, lest you findyourself aligning with someone who you are deeply divided with when it comes toracism and viewpoints on white supremacy.
In April, I wrote a poemfor Martin Luther King, and rememberedthe anniversary of Prince's passing.
Throughout the year, the line of social media videos kept gettinglonger when it came to capturing white people calling the police on Blackpeople going about their daily living. Like so many, I was angered and saddenedwhen the white manager, Holly Hylton of a Philadelpia Starbucks, called thepolice on real estate entrepreneurs, Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson, simplyfor being Black while waiting for a business meeting there. InWake Up And Change The Racism (insert: White) People, I asked us whitepeople to become conscious about creating safe spaces for Black people, andde-centering our whiteness during the process, in order to create authenticspaces of comfort, care, safety and equality.
As a lover of arts and culture, in May, I was thrilled to be able to capturemy reflections on two performances, The Pink Dress, and, TravisAlabanza, at Brown University Rites and Reason Theatre's 10th AnnualBlack Lavender Experience.
Admitting I was not an intimate follower of the world of Anthony Bourdain, Iwas touched by how everyone who had something to say about his passing. shone alight on how, as a white man, Bourdain always showed respect and humility whenconnecting with people from cultures different from his own. It made me feelthat IfI Die And Come Back As A White Man, I Want To Come Back As Anthony Bourdain.
As I looked inward at what whiteness does when it comes to centering itselfand seeing all other people's perspectives as "other," and the grave,oppressive structures that have been built based on whiteness and whitesupremacy, I wrote EveryDay Chip Away At De-centering Whiteness, and began to imagine what ourworld would look like if white people would take the necessary steps tode-center ourselves from all spheres of life.
In August, as the world, and our country, especially, mourned the loss of TheQueen Mother Of Soul, Aretha Franklin, I recalled a sweet mother and childmoment made possible by ThePower of Aretha's Think.
In the "Nothing is ever shocking anymore, even when white peoplekeep saying they're shocked that racist behavior still exists in 2018"department, I showed up at a North Smithfield, Rhode Island town councilmeeting when I heard their leader was calling for a suggested ban of purchasingNike products, because he thinks Colin Kaepernick is rude to police officers.oy vey! I wrote WhatWhiteness Does and Doesn't Do in response to the two town councilmeetings I attended.
Often forgetting that white supremacists don't like Jewish people either, Iwas shocked and deeply saddened by the mass killing of eleven people at theTree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In OnBeing Jewish, On Being A Part Of The Tree Of Life, I remembered thetimes growing up, and, as an adult, that I knew I wasn't welcome as a Jew.
In November, Iwent to see playwright Idris Goodwin's, Hype Man: A Break Beat Play,which was produced at The WilburyTheatre, and was directed by Don Mays. Not an art critic or reviewer, I focusedon how a piece of art can afford us the opportunity to process race relations.especially in this moment in time. I was so hyped about Hype Man, Isaw it twice!
In 2018, so many in our nation felt the continued stirring up of hateescalate, hate that, yes, was already here. Yet this current presidentialadministration's credo of hate has emboldened racists to exhibit their racistbehavior against Black and Brown people in even more overt, harmful ways, andtechnology has allowed white people the chance to witness that which theyeither didn't know about, didn't believe happened, or knew, but looked theother way.
We saw it in all of those phone calls to 911 for all the times people werenot allowed to be Black in public--not at a cookout, not at a swimming pool,not at a convenience store, not showing real estate, not staying at an Air BnB,not at a Starbucks, not entering their condominium building, not standing intheir apartment building parking lot, not eating lunch as a professor, or astudent in their own college spaces, not napping in their Ivy League apartmentbuildings, and not doing their job presiding over a parent visitation at afrozen yogurt shop. We saw it when more Black people were shot and killed bywhite men--out of pure hate, as in the Kentucky supermarket killings of VickieLee Jones and Maurice Stallard. We saw it in the racial profiling leading tothe assumption that during a public disturbance, any Black person is theassailant. Two innocent Black men, heroes, Jemel Roberson, and EmanticFitzgerald Bradford, Jr., were trying to save others' livesby apprehending the bad guy, or getting people tosafety. These good guys were killed simply because the police couldn't believea Black man was the hero. They instead saw Jemel and Emantic, as criminals, asthe enemy. I, myself, learned anti-Semitism which I thought was not still sucha threat, is one, with the killing of eleven people worshiping at the Tree ofLife synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Beginning these writings on this blog seven years ago was a way to discussmy strong will to connect and build cross-racial connections, and explorethe wondering why it was always so important for me to do so. As the yearspassed, the path has turned evermore to me looking inward. I ride thewave of keeping up with the unfolding of us white people educating ourselves,and still waking up to the fallacies of our history, and the harm anddestruction that whiteness and white supremacy has done, and continues to do.All that I've learned and continue to learn, reveals to me how whiteness isingrained, so deeply woven into the fabric of American life. We know whitesupremacy touches everything from home ownership, wealth-building, education,business ownership, job procurement and promotion, and, the ability to movesafely and freely through life. We have to know, and stop gaslighting about theinequity in the distribution of resources and opportunities. Yet, despitethe facts, and this history, we don't want to look at ourselves and admit thesetruths. Those of us that are willing, sometimes think we have to figureout how to undo it all. We then get overwhelmed at the how. All I know is Ican't unsee whiteness, what it does, what it won't do, the obliviousness of it.The la la la la la, well, yes, this is awful, the yes, I fight for therights of immigrants, for women's rights, the I am not a racist, I am an ally,but the truth is the majority of us all too often just go back to our la lala la la lives, and still make sure our kids go to the good schools, thatwe live in the good neighborhoods, that we get that job, that promotion, thatwe keep our wealth. We feel so sad about it all, but we do what?
I know. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, sad, mad, helpless, hopeless withone horrible news story after the other about all the racist acts ofviolence against Black people we white people are finally witnessingmore, due to social media. But as a white person, when I start to feel thisway, I jump right to the acknowledgment that, if this is how I as a whiteperson feel, think about how Black people feel, who continue to have to livewith racism, and actual violence against their lives, as well as their qualityof life. I hear friends who are Black, and people I follow on social media,tell how though as horrible as things are right now for Black people in thiscountry, the impact of racism and white supremacy is something they have dealtwith for centuries. and they know they must, and they can, carry on. Throughchattel slavery, Jim Crow, and all the inequities endured, the words of poet,Nikki Giovanni speak volumes:
"Black Americans. If we can't drive, we will invent walks andthe world will envy the dexterity of our feet. If we can't have ham, we willboil chitterlings; if we are given rotten peaches, we will make cobblers; ifgiven scraps, we will make quilts; take away our drums, and we will clap ourhands. We prove the human spirit will prevail. We will take what we have tomake what we need. We need confidence in our knowledge of who weare." - Nikki Giovanni
I recalled the words of Ferguson activist, Brittany Packnett, on a twitterthread, when she lifted up those losing hope in the struggle to be free fromviolence against Black communities:
In times like these, I look to the past.
I come from people not meant to survive, and here is ourbloodline, stronger than ever.
Is it bad right now? Yes.
But this is not the worst it has ever been. Call on the ancestors.Work for the future.
Stay woke. Keep fighting. <3
I want to thank every #Ferguson freedom fighter, alive and withthe ancestors, who sacrificed to remind America of her responsibility.
Today's marches remind me of your sacrifice. Before 2014, aspirit of protest was dormant. You changed that. Thank you, thank you, thankyou.
If you're looking for some hope, look at the sea of peoplemarching in cities big and small today to very simply demand that our countryrespect everyone's humanity.
Beautiful.
-Brittany Packnett
When I get overwhelmed and feel hopeless, as a white, Jewish person, whosepeople have endured oppression and hate, too, I remember my ancestors and Ihave not endured anything like the Black people in this country have, and so Isay to myself, who am I to be tired, to be frustrated, to feel hopeless?I learned this year more than ever that I must carry on, that I must continueto do the work to break down systems of oppression against Black people, that Imust on a daily basis, de-center my whiteness with hopes that through thismodeled behavior, other white people will follow suit, and that I must continueto do focused anti-racism work in my community, and not get overwhelmed bythinking I have to solve the whole big structure of systemic racism, because ofcourse, alone, I cannot. My friend, ZaicheJohnson, who is pretty genius--a creative catalyst at Yellow House art space in Jacksonville,Forida, an artist, poet, curator, entrepreneur, no holds-barredtruth-teller, activist--and, who is Black, told me that doing the work in yourown community is the most important thing we can do right now, since the largerpolitical systems are currently not able to effect any true change.
I hope for 2019 that we will all, as Brittany Packnett noted, demand thatour country respect everyone's humanity. And, I hope that when you feel tired,you will remember Nikki Giovanni's words. They were not written for whitepeople, and for me to see them as such would be me as just another white personlooking to praise Black people for being so strong despite all they've beenthrough. They are not for me either to look up to as Black mother figures whohave to take care of me, the weak white woman. But, I will honor and rememberthese words, and keep doing the necessary work that is our job to do inbreaking down white supremacy, as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.
As this year draws to a close, and we look forward to the year to come, Iwant to thank you all so very much for being here with me for yet another yearof writing on Wendy Jane's Soul Shake. Just as I know I need to keepworking, I know that my connection with all of you, the time you take to read,to give feedback, and support, is needed, and so important to me, and Icontinue to treasure all of the connections and further reflection and dialoguethat happens with the posts shared.
Wishing all of you a happy holiday season, and a beautiful, peaceful,action-for-humanity's-sake filled new year.
Peace. Love. Light. Blessings. Grace.
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