No Perfect Words: A Note About What’s Going On
How do you apologize for 400 years of oppression? There are no perfect words to describe the situation in a way that encompasses the depth and tragedy of it all.
Thank you to the protesters for making change. And to the activists for bringing voice to this brutality. To the thousands of people that are walking down my street. In front of my grocery store. Whose chants I hear each night. To those that are creating videos and livestreams. To those who are lobbying politicians.
As I read the stories of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor (and countless others), I realized I didn’t know the full details of their truth. The horrible truth of the brutality that exists out there. Of fear. Of being killed by the very people whose job it is to protect us. Of there being little to no punishment for the perpetrators. And it made me sad and angry – but most importantly it made me more aware.
And for that I am grateful.
I don’t speak for everyone, but I know my clients and I have been speaking about its effects. It’s causing us to wake up. To think differently. To be different. Though I wish that this change didn’t come at the expense of lives being lost.
And to my black friends who are already painfully aware – my heart goes out to you, for the tragedies and the slowness of the changes that need to be made.
To people of every color –
Thank you for speaking out.
Thank you for protesting.
It takes courage to be visible.
It takes bravery to speak out.
It takes hard work to wake people up and make real change.
As a tribe of small business owners we can start contributing to that change by supporting black owned businesses and raising our awareness about the experience of black small business owners.
Here is a link to help you get started (and see other resources below):
https://officialblackwallstreet.com/directory/
I also know that many of you are black owned businesses. If you would like support or if you have additional resource links, please post a comment on my blog (Click here)
With much gratitude,
Monica
Here are additional resources (taken from this site: https://www.theshowmustbepaused.com/):
Help the family of George Floyd HERE.
Fight for Breonna Taylor HERE.
Help the family of Ahmaud Arbery HERE.
Want to help protesters? Donate to one or more community bail funds HERE.
Visit Movement For Black Lives for additional ways you can help the cause.
Want to connect with leaders building grass roots campaigns? Click HERE.
Are you an ally and want to learn more? Here are some anti-racism resources.
