I live in a Boston suburb of a little under 30000 people who, depending on the data source used, are ~85% white, 4% Black, 6% Asian, 3% Hispanic/Latino. When we moved here in the early 90s it was even whiter, less “diverse”, and the median age was considerably older — we’d hoped as the population, erm, got younger because Reasons that we’d end up in a more racially diverse place.
On Sunday this city of mine held an event in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. For reasons I do NOT understand we gave it the euphemistic “Stand Out For Racial Justice” moniker instead of a Black Lives Matter protest/vigil/word, but I digress. The point is, an event was scheduled and so K1 and I showed up.
Grab a beverage and hop below the story break for what I’d like to share tonight.
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Ever since the 2015 Netroots Nation in Phoenix, when Black Lives Matter activists disrupted the Martin O’Malley/Bernie Sanders Town Hall and dear friends called me out, sat me down, and educated me on just how much my white privilege was showing, I’ve tried daily to become a better ally. To do the work of learning and unpacking my internal biases. To center and listen to black voices rather than assume I and other white people have the answers.
And so, before attending Sunday’s event (organized by local high school and college students with some adult assistance) I read up on best practices for being a white ally, articles like this one. K1 and I made signs, and yes some people took photos of us, but we didn’t take selfies to post on social media to let folks know we ‘showed up’. It wasn’t about us, in a direct way.
But it was about several thousand people turning up for a one-hour event. We lined both sides of a main thoroughfare through town, and several adjacent streets. We were masked (except for the police, who only put them on when given masks and requested to wear them), socially distanced, and it was a powerful event. Cars driving by honked, there were as far as I am aware NO counterprotesters or ‘All Lives Matter’ folks in attendance, and we saw many black people driving by videoing and looking surprised at the turnout of primarily white people.
The event ended with 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence while we all kneeled, cognizant of just how LONG that period of time is. And then it was over, and somewhat anticlimactically people started wandering off.
None of that is what made me cry. No, what made me cry is the black man with his son in his arms, who walked up to K1 and I and said “I just want to say thank you. This means so much to us.” All I could think of to respond was “You’re welcome.” And as he walked off, K1 and I headed home and I had tears falling.
I’ll keep showing up. Speaking out to make sure my white little city doesn’t think an event like Sunday's peaceful signholding hour is enough. It was a marker of what we need to do next, the long hard slog of dismantling the white supremacist culture in our schools, governance, police force, and society.
I don’t deserve anyone’s thanks, not yet. We have a long way to go. But if we keep showing up, keep doing the work, one day. And it better be one day soon.
Top Comments
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From Paul A:
In Walter Einenkel's post about law enforcement slashing tires, I want to nominate the entire thread starting with Dave In Columbus's comment -- the puns and mayhem flow from there. And then another such thread started with Alpha Tango starting with this comment. A grand time was had by all!
From indyada:
Do we receive this tongue-in-cheek (out-of-recommendability) comment by Stephen Dreyfus, on passing a counterfeit bill and money-laundering.
From Eyesbright:
We receive this excellent nomination of a diary-worthy comment by Roln about President Obama, and just SOME of his contributions to our world.
From BeninSC:
I am submittting this comment by gchaucer2, for resurrecting an old comment BOHICA once made that deserves attention! (A cursory search in recent history did not find it, so apologies for not linking.)
Highlighted by Tamar and TrueBlueMajority:
Is this comment by Michael Kal on an encounter with a counterfeit bill, and an insight — that if George Floyd really had a fake bill, it would have been paraded on every network to continue the assault on his character.
TOP MOJO
Top Mojo for yesterday, June 8th, 2019, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary on FAQing Top Mojo.
Top Pictures
Top Pictures for June 8, 2020! Thanks so much, jotter!