Jun 13, 2020
Did you know that interracial marriage was illegal in 16 states until June 12, 1967?
1967!
On this episode, I reveal why I’ve been hiding behind my privilege for the past two weeks and why the anniversary of this landmark ruling finally inspired me to step forward to do what I can to help support the cause.
The Loving v. Virginia ruling personally affects my own life. Why? Great question, thanks for asking.
My husband is a Black man.
Sooooooo, in my lifetime, my marriage was illegal in 16 states.
Listen to find out which states in our country were clinging desperately to their “good old days” when enforcing systematic racist laws was just part of the fun.
Now I realize that this podcast has always been about the pursuit of sexual authenticity and stepping away from judgment at shame. But there is a lot of shame attached to doing nothing to help others. I’m not here to play white savior or to tell you something you don’t already know. I don’t have things figured out. There’s plenty of things I’m going to get wrong. But doing nothing is the biggest mistake of all.
White people, please do not ask your black friends to explain racism to you. That is not their job. The information is out there. You can be an ally. You can help effect change. YOU have to do the work. You need to educate yourself.
DO NOT EXPECT THE OPPRESSED TO SET YOU FREE.
Time Magazine offered these links for books to read and movies to watch to help you better understand the horror of institutionalized racism and how, thanks to government sanctioned redlining, for every $100 in wealth that a white family has accumulated in America, black families have $5.04.
$100 for white folks. $5.04 for black folks.
This is not an accident and it’s just one example of glaring injustice.
There are places where you can donate some of your wealth to support the cause.
You can also support organizations committed to ending mass incarceration such as the Equal Justice Initiative
Help support the National Bail Fun Network, a network dedicated to being an organizing tool aimed at ending pretrial and immigration detention.
A memorial fund has been established for George Floyd. You can donate through this GoFundMe.
You can donate to Breonna Taylor’s family through this GoFundMe.
Support Black Owned Businesses. New York Magazine put together a comprehensive list here.
Bon Appétit has compiled a list of Black Owned Restaurants in numerous areas that you can support.
To help protesters, you could provide childcare among other things for those attending rallies. You can sew masks to protect protesters.
Letters For Black Lives offers a set of crowdsourced, multilingual, and culturally-aware resources aimed at creating a space for open and honest conversations about racial justice, police violence, and anti-Blackness in our families and communities.
We are at a critical time in our history.
You can say, well I certainly had nothing whatsoever to do with this discrimination, this really doesn't apply to me at all. I am woke! Okay, well good for you but, if you are a white person, this is very much your problem right now. Injustice that has plagued this country for centuries, injustice deliberately created to destroy, torment, and enslave people of color must end now.
Understand and acknowledge your privilege. You might mean well. You might consider yourself enlightened. A good person. You may despise racism in every form. However, if you are white, you are still part of the problem.
The time is now to become part of the solution.
Illustration by Addison Wright