Where I Stand In All This
Today, I want to talk about where I stand with Black Lives Matter.
If you are a Black woman or woman of color who receives this newsletter or follows any of the work that I do, I want you to know that I unequivocally stand with you in solidarity. I’m heartbroken and devastated by the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in the hands of police. This kind of police brutality against American citizens is unacceptable and beyond disgraceful. It is dehumanizing. And it must have legal consequences. It’s also been going on for a long time, and so I am also sorry that it’s taken so long for so many white people, myself included, to express outrage and to become actively anti-racist in our work. I would also like to apologize if you feel or have been harmed in any way by the work that I’ve done so far. If you have felt excluded, I’m sorry. If you have felt invisible, I’m sorry. If you have felt belittled or forgotten in any way, I’m so deeply sorry. I know I can do better.
To everyone who receives this – I want to be clear: I stand in full support with the Black Lives Matter movement. We must dismantle white supremacy and institutionalized racism. I’m not just saying this to evade being called a racist or to avoid being seen as complicit in my silence. I’m saying it because it’s what I believe. If you do not agree with this, please feel free to unsubscribe and unfollow me. We do not share the same values.
Here are the actions I’m taking to be anti-racist in my brand/work:
I’m committing to having more Black women and women of color represented on the HEROINE podcast. This upcoming season will include 15% black women and 38% women of color. I know I can do better. I will boost these numbers to at least 30% for Black women and at least 50% women of color total moving forward.
In this new season, I will highlight a Black female leader at the end of upcoming interviews (with non-Black and non-indigenous guests) so you can check out their work. This is part of an effort to amplify the work of Black women who are often overlooked by conscious and unconscious bias. I have no doubt you will benefit from listening their stories and taking in their wisdom.
I will continue to ensure my brand materials (e.g., presentations, ebooks, blog posts) that include photographs of women are racially diverse and representative to include Black women and women of color.
For my upcoming program IGNITE, I will be now offering and actively promoting five scholarships for BIPOC. For reference, IGNITE is small and intimate – about 12-24 women. This is a good starting point. As the program grows, I will proportionally expand the number of scholarships. (*BIPOC means Black, Indigenous and People of Color. Black and Indigenous are emphasized here, rather than made invisible within the generic marker ‘POC’ because their groups face the worst consequences of white supremacy, classism and systemic injustice.)
On a personal front, I’m continuing to have hard conversations with my family about race, even if they feel like talking about something else. I’m also examining my own internalized racism through Me & White Supremacy by Layla Saad (highly recommend) so I can keep unpacking my own privilege and biases. I also recommend that you read this guide by friend and designer Kat Vellos if you’re looking for ways to take action and start having conversations about race in your non-Black communities.
This work matters to me. I cannot be a feminist and stand behind my work without caring about race. It’s impossible.
So how about you, what actions can you commit to? Hit reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
Also, if you are a Black woman or woman of color, please feel free to correct me if I have missed the mark or am doing anything harmful (though don’t feel the pressure to full-on educate me by any means, as I am happy to go deeper to understand/self-educate and know there are many resources out there). I welcome feedback. I am learning. I’m a work in progress. And I appreciate you.
xx
Majo