Hello community!
Plot twist. It’s Lori again. Jess is under the weather (not COVID though!!) so I am our editor this week, and please send her some good wishes and vibes if you can.
First of all, I hope those of you who have been joining our community spaces this week are finding meaning in them and that they push you to action, deeper reflection, and continued work. I know I have truly cherished the time spent together.
There is also still time to sign up for the sessions happening the rest of the week:
Today, Thursday, July 16th from 7-8:30pm PT (8-9:30pm MT, 9-10:30pm CT, 10-11:30pm ET). Or the one on Sunday, July 19th from 10-11:30am PT (11am-12:30 MT, 12-1:30pm CT, 1-2:30pm ET).
Again these sessions will cover Weeks 1 & 2 of the reading schedule (through Ch. 5 in So you want to talk about race and the background and first two days of journaling in Me and White Supremacy). If you haven’t gotten to all the material yet, that is okay!! You can still join us! And the questions that will guide the discussion can be found here.
Okay, with all that housekeeping done, I wanted to talk about something that came up for me several times this week: Performative allyship and “walking the walk.”
I saw a tweet from someone who works at a bookstore that said something along the lines of how frustrating it is that so much anti-racist literature has been backordered/sold out, while at their store, folks hadn’t even come in to pick up their orders of these very same books.
Let’s break something down: Performative vs. non-optical activism (or allyship). Performative activism is activism that is done to increase one's social capital rather than because of one's devotion to a cause. Non-optical activism is essentially the opposite, or activism that is done not for the good of the performer but rather the good of the fight for liberation.
Big corporations are often the pinnacle of performative activism. You know the ones that make “pride” themed goods and posts during June and then never actually redirect any of that money towards Queer liberation? Yeah, them. But ordering these books and not picking them up is also performative activism. Posting on instagram stories without following that up with action is performative activism.
And I know that may be hard to read. Which brings me to this comic I read, immediately sent to Jess, and found very useful:
Anti-racism, activism, and allyship are all active practices. And both parts of that are important: active and practice. We must commit to doing the work over and over and over again, realizing we won’t always get it right, but that the only way we will get better is if we truly do the work — not just pretend. I don’t get any better at my handstand by thinking about handstands. I can understand handstands better by reading and watching videos about how to do them well, but it won’t be until I do it in my own body that I actually get better. The same is true of fighting for liberation. We must understand. Then we must do.
I wanted to talk about all of this not to shame anyone for not reading or not participating in a community space — not at all. I wanted to talk about this in light of this idea we mentioned in our last email, of “finding your lane.” Not only should we find what role we play in the movement, and what actions accompany it, but we need to expand our ideas of what it means to be an ally and what meaningful activism truly entails.
When we started this book club, this is something Jess and I talked a lot about: How do you build a framework and practice to always think in an anti-racist way? And in the kickoff session this past Sunday a community member mentioned the intersectionality of action. So let’s combine those two questions: How do I act in an intersectionally anti-racist way?
This is a really big question with many answers, but something that came up for us in those conversations, as well as my personal reflection was this: How can I incorporate anti-racism into every action of my life?
If I’m buying a book, could I get it from a Black-owned bookstore?
Am I reading books by BIPOC authors that aren’t about racism or trauma porn?
If I want to replace my plastic containers with a more sustainable option, is there a BIPOC-owned store that I can buy from?
When choosing what to watch, can I prioritize content made by BIPOC that centers marginalized voices?
Are the toys and books I’m providing for my children diverse?
While this work may seem overwhelming, I actually think it breaks down this often intimidating concept of “action” or “activism” to a daily, lived practice that we can all participate in. All it takes is a bit more time and reflection. We need to take big political action, absolutely, but in order to create a truly anti-racist world, we will need to live those practices. We need to walk the walk.
This week we are…
Taking action by…
Watching this video on repeat for joy then donating to Abundant beginnings, an amazing Oakland based organization. From their site: Abundant beginnings collective (ABC) is a Black-led liberation ecosystem. We believe that our children and families deserve to be free, connected to nature, and honored as their full selves. For over 10 years, Abundant Beginnings has activated this reality by raising activist youth, conscious educators, and empowered parents.
You may have seen the news going around about the reforms being proposed to refugee policies in the US (which would effectively gut asylum) and the public roster to comment on. Unfortunately the comment period is now closed, but this is your reminder that for every action you take, it is absolutely worth the extra 2-3 minutes to signal boost that action to your networks. We are more powerful together.
Reading…
Book Club Schedule: Chapters 6-8 of So You Want to Talk About Race
Book Club Schedule: Reading and journaling prompts for Days 3 and 4 in Me and White Supremacy
Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) by Holiday Phillips This breaks down this whole concept really well and gives us action items!
Watching…
Janaya Future Khan’s Sunday Sermon: “why ‘ally’ must evolve”
This instagram live, “The Harm of White Performative Allyship” from Eryn Danielle of Allies Doing Work and Sinikwe Dhliwayo of Naaya wellness.
Talking about…
How do we get our own skin in the game? The amount of thoughts I have on this question is far out of the reach of this email, but what I mean to say is, how do we show up for our values by investing something that is of value to us? For example, if you truly value diversity, are you living in diverse neighborhoods? Sending your kids to diverse schools? Finding community in diverse spaces? At the end of the day, am I acting with integrity?
Love this one--I believe this is such an important concept--the idea that we need to re-think every aspect of our lives and lean into an anti-racist framework, not just repost a few instagram posts and call it a day. It's the only way real change will happen.