After the November 2016 election, we gave up keeping politics out of our business. We wanted to make it crystal clear that we are standing up for decency, common sense and respect for democracy, every person and our one and only planet. It is sad that these issues even are politics and not our common baseline from which we build a more perfect union. We launched our #resist collection and have so far raised hundreds of dollars for ACLU, the Sierra Club, NRDC and other organizations working hard on improving human rights and environmental protection in the US.
It’s now June 2020 and our hearts are heavy. The Covid-19 crisis and the tipping point of police brutality against black men and women and people of color has exposed America’s preexisting conditions of racism and inequality to the world and also to many white Americans.
Everyone is Exhausted
Like so many, I am exhausted. On top of being a mother and business owner, for the last 3 years I’ve attended and organized protests, volunteered on political campaigns. I’ve tried to be a good citizen by helping my community when needed. In March, the Covid-19 crisis hit. My kids were sent home from college and high school, funflector sales plummeted and we tried to adjust to a new normal. We are constantly revising our family and business plans for the months ahead that we know so little about. I also want to be good ally to our black neighbors who must be so much more exhausted than I am. If I was black, everyday simple things, like taking a walk around my own neighborhood, could be deadly without the right attributes – and I’m not talking about safety reflectors. Imagine having that much to worry about every time you or your teens leave home! So I try to figure out how to best keep pushing for change and I hope you are too.
What is really going on?
Friends and family in Europe keep asking what is going on in the US and since we have many customers overseas, I thought I would share some basics and where to find more information. The news tell us what is happening, but rarely give enough context to help us see the bigger picture. The current State of the Union is complex, it’s messy, and the issues are tightly intertwined. Two issues have in recent years come together in a toxic mix: century old racism/privilege and the rise of authoritarianism. The following two tweets by Ahmed Ali and Lauren FrancisSharma set the scene.
About Racism and White Privilege
Just to make sure we are on the same page when it comes to terminology: “White privilege” doesn’t mean that your life hasn’t been hard; it means that your skin color isn’t one of the things making it harder.
The book “So You Want To Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo is an eye opener. Ijeoma gives many examples of everyday encounters and explains how they are part of a system, not just individual occurrences. She also gives ideas on how to bring up the topic in a constructive way at work and other places. The reading group guide that you can download is helpful for reflections also when you are reading on your own.
I found this discussion between Lisa Sharon Harper and Jen Hatmaker very informative for understanding the historical and cultural roots and current-day patterns of white women’s betrayals of people of color. The Amy Cooper story they discuss is here. They also talk about how white women can become better allies and suggest organizations to support.
Rapidly Rising Authoritarianism
Terrified after the 2016 election, I was told I was overreacting. My friends back in Sweden laughed off the stupid guy that we had elected as our 45th president. In the back of my mind I had my grandparent’s story about living through Nazi Germany and saw the parallels. Experts on authoritarianism rang the alarm bells. Ruth Ben-Ghiat offers expert commentary, here with Mehdi Hasan in the podcast Intercept Deconstructed. The podcast “Gaslit Nation” with Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa is bone chilling. I’ve seen many rave about Sarah’s new book “Hiding in Plain Sight”, which is already a best seller. I’m waiting for my library to have it back on the shelf. Both of these podcasts mention the failure of the press to call out the lies, which probably is due to the tradition of trying to be “balanced”. Unfortunately, in the current climate, the “balanced view” turns into unhealthy bothsideism. Both inside and outside the US, there is not enough awareness of the shortfalls of US voting system, which is governed locally by each state and county. The primary election in Georgia on June 12th is seen by many experts as a dress rehearsal for voter suppression in the general election in November 2020. Election security advocate and attorney Jennifer Cohn picks up a surprising amount of voting system irregularities around the country.
Where to Find Daily Commentary and Analysis
The days are not long enough to manage business, family and house renovations and also keep up with the crazy news cycle. We also need to be careful not to burn out ourselves with the constant barrage of bad news. Analysis of the news is sometimes more helpful than the news itself in understanding what lies ahead. I usually tune into “Resistance Live” with Elizabeth C. McLaughlin, an experienced civil rights lawyer, former law professor and activist to get her analysis and legal explanations on current events. She has made the June 2nd broadcast free to the public, others are well worth a subscription for a few dollars a month.
Longer but lighter is “The Daily Beans” podcast with A.G. and Jordan Coburn, which also includes interviews to get a wider range of perspectives.
The name links above all go to their twitter accounts. There are many expert commentators to follow, but also a lot of bots and not so thoughtful people, so please do you research! If you want to get ideas for who to follow, feel free to scan through my twitter list, but please do your own research.
How Can You Help?
Many of us are scrambling to figure out how to best help. We need to dismantle systematic oppression and white supremacy. First and foremost: go vote! Next, encourage your neighbors, friends and others to vote. If you want to do more, volunteer on political campaigns to get fundamental and structural change. Lift up minority candidates. (If you are not an American, your country might be next.) Search the internet and learn more about rasism around the world and where you live. Listen and follow the lead of black activists that have been at this for a long time.
Check your kids’ bookshelf. How many stories of black kids’ experiences are there? There are many reading lists on the internet like this one from Skokie Public Library. If you find it hard or uncomfortable to talk with your kids about rasism, search the internet for “how to talk with kids about rasism“.
Use your wallet. Check where your money is going when you buy your favorite brands or shop in your regular stores. Where do they advertise? Are the owners donating money for good or for bad? An app or website like https://www.goodsuniteus.com is helpful. For smaller companies, check through their “about us” page.
If you have the means to donate money, there are several suggestions at the end of the video above. We are looking into how to expand our #resist offers to also support black activists. Stay tuned.
Some Good News 🏳️🌈
As I am wrapping up this blog post, Charlotte Clymer is lighting up twitter with good news! The US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) has come to the conclusion that LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace is not lawful. Hopefully, we won’t need to wait too long until we can get a similar ruling for LGBTQ healthcare, housing or law enforcement. Especially urgent is protection for black trans people.
Elisabeth
Owner and President, glimling.com LLC / funflector®
