Boosting the Signal

"Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change." – Barack Obama

I wasn't sure if I wanted to say a lot more about the Black Lives Matter protests and all the issues surrounding the systemic and individual racism that has plagued our nation for more than 400 years. I'm white, and there doesn't need to be more white voices spouting white ideas.

But white silence is white complicity, and I can't be silent either.

So, I'm taking this space to boost the signal of black voices. Listen to black voices. Don't talk. Listen.

Erika Smith in the LA Times reminds us, in your quest to be an ally, to be mindful to do your own homework. Be respectful of your black friends' time and energy. They do not need to be your teacher. Do your own work. (Read Ms. Smith's piece here if you don't subscribe to the LA Times. But really, subscribe to the Times or your local paper. Seriously. We need journalism to survive)

I've done some of your homework for you, so keep reading....

While you are waiting for your copy of  How to Be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi or The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michele Alexander, or White Fragility: Why it's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, check out these movies. I've watched the below and recommend all of them. You will learn important truths. 

• 13th
• The Kalief Browder Story
• The Innocence Files
• The Life and Death of Marsha P. Johnson
• Becoming (also read the book by Michele Obama)
• When They See Us
• Do the Right Thing
• Just Mercy (also a book by Bryan Stevenson)
• Selma

These on my to-watch list. Buzzfeed has more, and Rolling Stone has a list. And so does Time.

• Black History since MLK: And Still I Rise
• LA 92
• Whose Streets?
• The Central Park Five
• The Murder of Fred Hampton

Hear voices of black people and learn a little about what they face daily. People like Lori Lakin Huthcherson, who describes some of her experiences, typical to every single black person in America.

Or people like Late Night's Amber Ruffin, who shared a few of her stories last week. Here they are:

Here are some black voices in tech to follow. And here are some other black voices in social media to hear. 

Go to Black Lives Matter  and find out about your local chapter's, or other local black organizations', demands in your community. Here is Santa Barbara's.

Add these black voices to your newsfeed:

Ebony - one of the oldest black publications

Black Girl Nerds - just what it sounds like

NewsOne - news site

HuffPost Black Voices - news and features

Black Enterprise - business oriented

The Root - news, politics, and features

Blavity - news geared toward Millennials
Good Black News - news and everything good

African Voices - arts and literature

...and speaking of African voices, take a listen to Playon Patrick who introduced President Obama the other day during his televised town hall meeting.  He has a powerful voice.

There ya go. Go and read, listen, and learn. And then, act. Check out the action plans in the last post.

Next: Hope and Encouragement

#Resist