Keeping up anti-racist momentum after the news cycle (June 2020)
Dublin Core
Title
Keeping up anti-racist momentum after the news cycle (June 2020)
Subject
news cycle
white people
white allyship
brands
long term
white people
white allyship
brands
long term
Language
English
Description
Actions for supporting anti-racist work beyond summer 2020, detailed in a pink slideshow with black and white all-caps lettering.
Creator
@officialmillennialblack
Date
2020-06-02
Contributor
Matthew Salzano
Instagram Slideshow Item Type Metadata
Text Transcription
1. Keeping up anti-racist momentum after the news cycle
MILLENNIAL BLACK @OFFICIALMILLENNIALBLACK
2. Keep the Momentum
The outpouring of support in this moment of crisis has been amazing.
You have been amazing.
But it's not enough.
The news cycle will move on. This will become a memory.
You must not move on.
You have to keep on holding yourself and your community to account. You have to keep on taking the actions and doing the work.
3. Not perfect is better than not at all
Using your voice, if you're not used to it, can be intimidating.
Many people don't start because they're scared they'll 'get it wrong'
If it's a choice between not doing it at all, or doing it and getting it wrong, get it wrong. Learn from it. Do better next time.
4. Understand we are tired
Black people have been doing this work, and fighting these fights our whole lives.
We have had skin in this fight for as long as we have had skin.
We've never had the chance to opt-in or opt-out - our very existence in western society is political.
Check in on your Black friends, colleagues, neighbors. Even if we look okay, we are not. We are carrying a great weight every day, and especially at times like this.
You can tell them what you have done, but don't ask them what to do next.
5. Start with yourself
Take time to look at yourself. We have grown up in a society shaped, and designed, by white supremacy.
It's only natural to have absorbed some of that.
Start by looking at your own beliefs, and the structures that have benefited you. Understanding your relationship to systemic racism is an important, and difficult, step.
6. Understand history
The things that are happening now are not isolated incidents.
Not by a long way.
Take time to learn about the history of systemic, structural racism, and understand how current events fit into a larger pattern and history of viewing Black lives as disposable.
Imagine knowing that society views your body as disposable.
Challenges biased views every single time.
7. Think offline
Diversifying your feed is great.
Diversifying your bookshelf is great.
Now diversify your social circles.
Your body language has to match the words you use online.
Make space for Black voices in your life, not just in your feed.
8. Form habits
It's easy to make a singular action when there's a crisis moment.
Look for ways to turn these one off actions into habits.
Are you able to turn that donation into a subscription?
Are you able to share the books that have helped you with others who may not be able to afford them?
Are you able to donate regular time to an organisation doing the work?
9. Act locally
Don't think that racism is another country's problem.
There is a crisis in the US.
There is a crisis in the UK too.
There is a crisis in Europe.
Find organisations that are doing the work where you are.
Ask them how they want to be helped.
Help them in that way.
10. Hold brands accountable
Too many brands who have been on the wrong side of hstory are using 'solidarity' to sell their products.
Don't let brands use this moment for PR.
Look at how many non white people brands have on the feeds and in their ads. If their interest in this has only just begun, we can bet it will disappear as soon as the news cycle moves on.
Speak with your money - support brands that are in it for the long haul.
MILLENNIAL BLACK @OFFICIALMILLENNIALBLACK
2. Keep the Momentum
The outpouring of support in this moment of crisis has been amazing.
You have been amazing.
But it's not enough.
The news cycle will move on. This will become a memory.
You must not move on.
You have to keep on holding yourself and your community to account. You have to keep on taking the actions and doing the work.
3. Not perfect is better than not at all
Using your voice, if you're not used to it, can be intimidating.
Many people don't start because they're scared they'll 'get it wrong'
If it's a choice between not doing it at all, or doing it and getting it wrong, get it wrong. Learn from it. Do better next time.
4. Understand we are tired
Black people have been doing this work, and fighting these fights our whole lives.
We have had skin in this fight for as long as we have had skin.
We've never had the chance to opt-in or opt-out - our very existence in western society is political.
Check in on your Black friends, colleagues, neighbors. Even if we look okay, we are not. We are carrying a great weight every day, and especially at times like this.
You can tell them what you have done, but don't ask them what to do next.
5. Start with yourself
Take time to look at yourself. We have grown up in a society shaped, and designed, by white supremacy.
It's only natural to have absorbed some of that.
Start by looking at your own beliefs, and the structures that have benefited you. Understanding your relationship to systemic racism is an important, and difficult, step.
6. Understand history
The things that are happening now are not isolated incidents.
Not by a long way.
Take time to learn about the history of systemic, structural racism, and understand how current events fit into a larger pattern and history of viewing Black lives as disposable.
Imagine knowing that society views your body as disposable.
Challenges biased views every single time.
7. Think offline
Diversifying your feed is great.
Diversifying your bookshelf is great.
Now diversify your social circles.
Your body language has to match the words you use online.
Make space for Black voices in your life, not just in your feed.
8. Form habits
It's easy to make a singular action when there's a crisis moment.
Look for ways to turn these one off actions into habits.
Are you able to turn that donation into a subscription?
Are you able to share the books that have helped you with others who may not be able to afford them?
Are you able to donate regular time to an organisation doing the work?
9. Act locally
Don't think that racism is another country's problem.
There is a crisis in the US.
There is a crisis in the UK too.
There is a crisis in Europe.
Find organisations that are doing the work where you are.
Ask them how they want to be helped.
Help them in that way.
10. Hold brands accountable
Too many brands who have been on the wrong side of hstory are using 'solidarity' to sell their products.
Don't let brands use this moment for PR.
Look at how many non white people brands have on the feeds and in their ads. If their interest in this has only just begun, we can bet it will disappear as soon as the news cycle moves on.
Speak with your money - support brands that are in it for the long haul.
Instagram caption
We are starting to move into the next stage of the news cycle, which means it’s time to talk about how we capture the momentum of the last week and make sure this anti-racist allyship becomes more than just a flash in the pan. Here are some things you can do to ensure anti-racism persists as part of your active daily practice
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#ally #allies #allyship #antiracism #antiracist #blm #blacklivesmatter #blacklivesmatter✊🾠#stopkillingus #stopkillingblackpeople #icantbreath
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#ally #allies #allyship #antiracism #antiracist #blm #blacklivesmatter #blacklivesmatter✊🾠#stopkillingus #stopkillingblackpeople #icantbreath
Image Description
Pink background, all caps text, alternating (not in any pattern) black and white text in sans serif font .
Number of likes on post
384,127
Number of followers on account
158,000
Collection
Citation
@officialmillennialblack, “Keeping up anti-racist momentum after the news cycle (June 2020),” Instagram Slideshow Archive, accessed April 25, 2024, https://instagramslideshows.omeka.net/items/show/21.
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