Be the Change
We have always thought of ourselves as a source of empowerment for the fiercely creative spirits who dance to their own beat and honor the highest calls to unadulterated self expression. Well today, we are being called on to use that spirit of expression to lift our voices to demand change. We are being called on to speak out about the harms of racism and injustice that plague members of our community whom we love dearly. Black lives matter. And this by no means implies or diminishes the absolute truth that all lives matter. It simply means that, right now, there is a need to spread awareness of the documented racism that continues to harm black people in America and around the world.
But we would be foolish if we thought that these hard conversations about racism in America were easy, or simply involved sharing a hashtag. We know this is a process, and it is a difficult one. As we think about our role in creating a better world for everyone, we are committed to starting these tough conversations in our company and in our direct circles — knowing that it will require us all to step outside our comfort zone. And so we have started to do what we do best: curate. We will be sharing a curation of resources that we can read, watch and participate in as we all search for understanding and clarity in this challenging time. And we want our community to share with us and ask the difficult questions as well. And we are not telling anyone how to think or what to think beyond a very simple truth: we are all equal and we all deserve equal dignity.
To build a nation of equal opportunity for everyone, we need to dismantle this spurious legacy of our common upbringing. One of the best ways to do this is by reading books. Not books that reinforce old ideas about who we think we are, what we think America is, what we think racism is. Instead, we need to read books that are difficult or unorthodox, that don’t go down easily.”
— IBRAM X. KENDI
WHAT TO READ
Today, we are sharing something to read. We want to introduce you to an author who has become one of America’s leading voices in the dialog on racism, and who has been instrumental in creating broader understanding on the issue. The author is Ibram X. Kendi.
Kendi is an award-winning author and the Founding Director of The Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University in Washington, DC. Recently, Kendi became the Professor of History and the Founding Director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research. And on our reading list is his book How to be Antiracist. This book is a #1 New York Times bestseller and an absolutely fascinating read. In this book, Kendi proposes that there is no such thing as being “not racist” — a statement that we often make or hear others make. Kendi proposes that we are either racist, or what he calls anti-racist. And anti-racist is described as “the action that must follow both emotional and intellectual awareness of racism” (Aspen Ideas Festival). In fact, he proposed the very act of stating we are “not racist” and ignoring the problem is a form of racism in and of itself.
Agree, disagree, add, subtract. But whatever we do — let’s not remain silent or indifferent. Let’s get the conversation started.
xoxo,
SS
Shop this book here
“The only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it — and then dismantle it.”
“No one becomes “not racist,” despite a tendency by Americans to identify themselves that way. We can only strive to be “antiracist” on a daily basis, to continually rededicate ourselves to the lifelong task of overcoming our country’s racist heritage”