BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER BLACK LIVES MATTER

BLACK LIVES MATTER. Black lives must matter to us after this week and the week after that and forever. Our world is shaped by racism. It's systemic. Racism functions to privilege whiteness and disadvantage Black and Indigenous and all racialized people. As a white person, I benefit from racism and the privilege it gives me in literally every aspect of my life. I will never fear the police. If I experience a mental health crisis and the police are called, I will not end up dead at the hands of police. I will never be questioned - or killed - for going about my daily business.

I can never know what it means to live life as a racialized person but I will commit myself to using my privilege to ensure that the voices of Black and Indigenous and other racialized folks are heard. And, when I fail and get called out for being racist, I will commit to doing better instead of getting defensive and shutting down.

This is about George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Eishia Hudson, D'Andre Campbell, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, Charleena Lyles, Greg Ritchie, Ozama Shaw, Machuar Madut, Abdirahman Abdi, Walter Scott, Oscar Grant, Kendra James, Sean Bell, Michael Brown, Alton Sterling and every single innocent Black woman or man who has lost their life at the hands of police or white people. We must say their names. We must never forget. May they rest in power. And I hope none of us rest until there is justice for their deaths and not a single Black or Indigenous or racialized person has to live in fear ever again as they go about their lives as white folks so easily do.

And to all the corporations (including many beauty brands) who are posting on social media about justice in the face of George Floyd's and Breonna Taylor's deaths, I sincerely hope your words are followed by actions. Black Lives Matter is not a trend. If you have a voice and the power to create positive change, please use it. The world cannot afford to lose another beautiful Black life. Black lives matter. They matter today while George's and Breonna's deaths are fresh in our minds and they must matter every single day.

Some excellent resources for white folks wanting to learn more about white privilege:

- White Fragility (2018 book) by Robin DiAngelo
- White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh (1989 essay - free online)
- The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism by Audre Lorde (1981 essay - free online)

- For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies by Courtney Ariel (2017 article - free online)

Thanks, 

Caitlin