My Pledge is to continually work on building an Anti-Racist Small Business and a thus more Feminine/Receptive Economy.

Angela Davis said, "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist." To me, this quote highlights the fact that we can’t consider ourselves part of the solution if we are staying silent about racism -- we have to be actively and vocally against it.

The resources are linked below. Otherwise, these are just emails I have gathered from some white womxn who I think came out
and did a fine job of educating and elevating the issue and putting first: Black Creatives and Black Business Owners.

If you're white, this too, is the least you can do.
Do the heavy lifting and let BIPOC rest and digest.

🔥Below is an excerpt from an email from Melissa Griffith:
What is holding white identifying people back from speaking up during such a critical time…

"I don’t feel like I know enough to share helpful information. I don’t want to just repeat someone else."
"I’m afraid to say the wrong thing."
"As a white person, I’m not fully aware yet what I can do."
"What do you do if you’re not American? I want to help, but I feel like it’s not my place."
"I’m afraid of being shamed or criticized for my lack of knowledge and experiences."

As a white woman myself, I can empathize with how you’re feeling -- the fear, shame, guilt, and confusion about where to begin. But as Desmond Tutu said, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

She put together a resource list:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S5uckFHCA_XZkxG0Zg5U4GQGbY_RklZARwu43fqJH0E/edit

 🔥Below is an excerpt from an email from Michelle Pellizon:
To my white and white-passing students — time to use your privilege to dismantle systems of power and oppression.
Here's a resource list for getting started.
It would be violent and irresponsible of me, as a white woman with power, to tell you that anything else is more important than learning about and becoming actively antiracist. 

White students, please prioritize your antiracism education and action-taking before you prioritize anything else. 

🔥Below is an excerpt from an email from Kimberly Johnson:
There is no business as usual.
I am operating under the assumption that we all care, that if you are reading this, you care. You might be confused, you might feel frozen, you might have no idea what to do next but you care. If that's the case, take your next best step.
If you are having trouble understanding, have a conversation with a white friend.
Many of my well-meaning white friends are reaching out to their Black friends now to ask how they want support, and how they should act.
If you haven't been having those conversations with your Black friends before this, now is not the time.

-You can send them a Black heart emoji- for me, that's like a wink- I see you and I am with you- they don't need to respond. And you are sending something to them, that doesn't force them to take care of you and your feelings.
-How are you? is an impossible question to answer right now. Your Black colleagues and friends are not alright.
-You can Venmo them money- who doesn't like receiving a little extra cash (personal reparations)
-You can donate to the ACLU, a prison reform fund, bail bonds in your state.
-You can protest at city hall or police headquarters with a sign that says End White Silence.
-You can take a good hard look at your life, and/or your business- do your actions reflect an anti-racist consciousness?


Here are some aggregated resources from the Obama Foundation.

Some great Organizations to Donate to and/or Follow:
Black Lives Matter
Black Visions Collective
Minnesota Freedom Fund
Loveland Foundation

Please speak up and educate yourself as I am in the process of doing now.

White privilege is insidious in our culture and society and to undo it takes time as it manifest in various ways at various times.
TALK to your KIDS.

My favorite recent article on talking to your kids about racism.

And VOTE.

Best, Lacey 🕯