Meanwhile, all of this is happening in a world turned upside down by COVID-19. And, research is telling us that black people in the US are three times more likely to die of this virus than most other groups. The mounting losses include Rana Zoe Mungin, a University of Massachusetts alum working as a teacher in New York City. She reported not being taken seriously when seeking medical help, including repeatedly being denied testing. She died on April 27 at the age of 30.
We do not name these facts because we have all the answers. We name them because they need to be named. Because it's too easy to look away, or post a 'Black Lives Matter' sign in a yard, and pretend our work is done. As large corporations, one after the other, spew out messages about us all being "in this together," their words could not sound more hollow. The invisible among us have only been made harder to see, and the scapegoats have become bigger targets.
However, this is not a message of hopelessness. It is a call to action. Our world is in crisis, and its far past time we take it as a learning opportunity that drives us toward change. As we emerge from this pandemic, let us emerge stronger and more determined than ever to build a better world. Only then - when we stop allowing society to treat black and brown bodies as disposable - will we have any right to utter phrases about "togetherness," and the like.
Some ideas:
* Donate to the BET Covid Relief Fund
* Donate to the Know Your Rights Camp COVID Relief Fund
* Donate to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
* Hold community events on alternatives to calling the police
* As stores re-open, make a point to buy from black-owned businesses
* Support black and other non-white candidates running for office
* Promote black voices by reading and sharing their writing
* Read this article on 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice and do something
* Challenge privilege and white supremacy, including and especially when it shows up in something you yourself do or say
What's your idea?