It has been an incredibly painful few days for our country and for our communities. Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbrey are sadly among the few who were devastatingly murdered because of the color of their skin. George Floyd, a 46 year old Black man and resident of Minneapolis was most recently killed by a police officer, after the officer kept his knee pinned down on George’s neck. This continued after George continued to plead, “Please, I can’t breathe.” The racism that continues in this country is NOT okay. The brutality that continues is this country is NOT okay. We cannot ignore something because it makes us uncomfortable. We cannot ignore something because it doesn’t affect us first hand. We cannot ignore these lives. Silence isn’t an option. 

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” – Desmond Tutu

My husband and I are White with Italian and Cuban roots. The privilege we have because of our light colored skin is not lost on us. We never feared for our lives walking down the street. We never thought we would ever be questioned or attacked if we tried to pay for something and then learned it was with a counterfeit bill or a bad check. We have never been given less of an opportunity at work or in school because of the color of our skin. For all of these reasons and more, we will never know or fully understand the struggles our friends and People of Color experience every single day.

Artwork by: Sacrée Frangine

Now as parents, our moral responsibility is even greater. It is our civic duty to speak out. Making sure our son understands that Black lives matter will be a conversation we will continue to have in our home as he grows older. We will continue to educate ourselves on anti-racism because the work starts in our home. Children are not born racist. Racism is learned. We will work to teach Oliver to stand up against racial injustice and to understand his privilege. We need to take the hurt and outrage we feel, and turn it into something bigger. We need to continue to have conversations about what has been ingrained in us from a young age, what continues to happen, learn from each other and listen to People of Color about racism.

We do not have all the answers, we are not perfect, and we are constantly learning ourselves. Here are few things we are doing in our home to keep the conversation going and educate ourselves…the list is never-ending…

Sign the PetitionS

Justice for Floyd – Sign the petition demanding the officers who killed George Floyd to be charged with murder. Officer Derek Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. There are still three other officers, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng, who must also be charged for participating in George’s murder. And currently, dozens of protestors have been detained and arrested for peacefully protesting. You can also text “FLOYD” to 55156 to sign the petition.

Justice for Breonna Taylor – From change.org: This has carried on for over a month. For weeks, the city treated Breonna like she was a criminal, calling her a “suspect” before finally admitting that she was an innocent, crimeless victim. She had no drugs. She committed no crime. Yet, she is dead, and the perpetrators are facing no charges. Let’s get justice for Breonna.

Justice for Ahmaud Arbrey – “No one has the right to pursue, attack and kill an unarmed, non-threatening individual. Ahmaud’s voice will be heard.”

We signed. Will you?

Donate

There are many organizations that need our help right now. Here are a few we have been reading about and donating to.

Visit and donate to help the non-profit Minnesota Freedom Fund, to help pay bail for protestors who cannot afford it. 

National Bail Out works to end systems of incarceration and help reunite families. 

Visit Join Campaign Zero to help develop data-driven policy solutions on police brutality. 

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

We need to make voting rights equal for everyone and end voter suppression. Black Voters Matter is the source to turn to help increase power in diverse communities. 

Black Visions Collective – This organization is committed to not only Black lives matter, but works to make sure we are creating a community and environment where Black families will be able to thrive, with long-term change in mind. 

Help end police violence in America and visit Campaign Zero. They have multiple policy solutions on ways we can help take immediate action and adopt data-driven solutions to end this violence. I know police violence is a sensitive subject, however we need take further action to ensure police officers are being held accountable for their actions. 

Official George Floyd Memorial Fund – The official gofundme page to support the Floyd Family.

NUMBERS TO CALL & TEXT

Call DA Mike Freeman in Minnesota – 612-348-5550 and demand prosecution to:
Derek Chauvin (Badge #1087)
Tou Thoa (Badge #7162)

Text FLOYD to 55-156

Text JUSTICE to 66-8336

Text ENOUGH to 55-165

Leave a message for Louisville Mayor and demand justice for Breonna Taylor – 502-574-2003.

Continue to Educate Yourself & Your Family

Books:
Below is a carefully curated collection of books for children and parents that help address injustices related to race. There are so many incredible ones to add to your at home library…
Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners: books for children and young adults

Podcasts:
We just added Parenting Forward podcast episode ‘Five Pandemic Parenting Lessons with Cindy Wang Brandt’ to our podcast list and have no doubt it will serve as a helpful resource as we continue our journey into parenthood during the current climate.

Fare of the Free Child podcast focuses on what it’s like to raise Black and Brown children in the world we live in today.

Social Media:
@theconsciouskid – They have a ton of amazing information and ideas on how to talk to children about difficult topics, such as racism and recently the COVID pandemic. 

@rachel.cargle  – Rachel Cargle is a writer and lecturer who provides intellectual tools and resources on race and womanhood. Through Rachel’s instagram, we learned about the Anti-racism document below….

There are so many resources floating around the internet right now and we wanted to share with you what we have come across. The most helpful resource we have seen so far was compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein. We will link it HERE. It is a great document for Anti-racism resources for White People. The above books, articles and podcast recommendations were pulled from this document. 

More Books:
Habits of Whiteness by Terrance McMullan
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Radically Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
I’m Still Here: Black Diginity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
Well-Read Black Girl by Glory Edim
How To Be Anti-Racisit by Ibram X. Kendi
Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
Why I’m No Longer Talking About Race To White People by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Like I said, this is just a small list and small step in how we can do better, in how we can learn and continue to listen to what People of Color need from the White community. We have always spoken about how social media has been a source of community for us. Let’s grow that community, let’s grow together, and share what we care about. We will continue to speak up and share what is right. Enough is enough. 

Don’t forget to VOTE!