Final Thoughts
To say this project has changed me is an understatement. I have tried to show how racism exists not just in police brutality (though obviously that is a major problem that needs to be addressed), but also in every facet of our lives: housing, education, health care, voting, the work force, farming, military, public transportation, sports, politics, jury selection, incarceration rates, and everywhere in between. I have tried to show that racism is literally in the air we breathe. If you missed that, please go back and start from the beginning and read what I have shared very slowly.I have literally spent hundreds of hours researching, watching documentaries, listening to Podcasts, and reading, reading, reading.I have been brought to my knees many times. I have prayed harder than I ever thought possible that the God I love and believe in will somehow hold people of color in His arms and somehow make this all right in the end.I have had a knot in my chest- a stress and pressure of learning these things and feeling helpless to change them at the same time. I have been sick with horror and brought to depths of grief I didn’t know possible.I am not speaking in hyperbole. This project has gutted me like nothing else. It HURTS to feel even a small, miniscule glimpse of what the black experience in The United States is really like.Nevertheless, I do see glimmers of hope. I see white people marching in the streets. I see white people joining forces with the NAACP to try and enact positive change. I see sheriffs meeting with Colin Kaepernick and other people of color to try and listen and change to stop these senseless murders from happening again. I see sports leagues speaking out.There is hope. But it is slow. Impossibly slow. Hundreds of YEARS too slow.I am a changed white suburban mom. I still have a long way to go, but I am changed. I hope this project has changed you, too.
Some of my favorite sources:The wonderful Equal Justice Initiative- their work is incredible: https://eji.org/The 1619 Podcast- Honestly, one of the most well researched, accurate, and beautiful podcasts. This is a true gem that everyone should listen to. https://www.nytimes.com/column/1619-projectSeeing White Podcast Series on Scene On Radio https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/
HERE is a collection of the names of unarmed black men, women, and children who have been killed by police since 1968.
To say this project has changed me is an understatement. I have tried to show how racism exists not just in police brutality (though obviously that is a major problem that needs to be addressed), but also in every facet of our lives: housing, education, health care, voting, the work force, farming, military, public transportation, sports, politics, jury selection, incarceration rates, and everywhere in between. I have tried to show that racism is literally in the air we breathe. If you missed that, please go back and start from the beginning and read what I have shared very slowly.
I have literally spent hundreds of hours researching, watching documentaries, listening to Podcasts, and reading, reading, reading.
I have been brought to my knees many times. I have prayed harder than I ever thought possible that the God I love and believe in will somehow hold people of color in His arms and somehow make this all right in the end.
I have had a knot in my chest- a stress and pressure of learning these things and feeling helpless to change them at the same time. I have been sick with horror and brought to depths of grief I didn’t know possible.
I am not speaking in hyperbole. This project has gutted me like nothing else. It HURTS to feel even a small, miniscule glimpse of what the black experience in The United States is really like.
Nevertheless, I do see glimmers of hope. I see white people marching in the streets. I see white people joining forces with the NAACP to try and enact positive change. I see sheriffs meeting with Colin Kaepernick and other people of color to try and listen and change to stop these senseless murders from happening again. I see sports leagues speaking out.
There is hope. But it is slow. Impossibly slow. Hundreds of YEARS too slow.
I am a changed white suburban mom. I still have a long way to go, but I am changed. I hope this project has changed you, too.
Some of my favorite sources:
The wonderful Equal Justice Initiative- their work is incredible: https://eji.org/
The 1619 Podcast- Honestly, one of the most well researched, accurate, and beautiful podcasts. This is a true gem that everyone should listen to. https://www.nytimes.com/column/1619-project
Seeing White Podcast Series on Scene On Radio https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/
HERE is a collection of the names of unarmed black men, women, and children who have been killed by police since 1968.
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