I was reading Chookooloonks this morning and was reminded by her comment that in the wake of the most recent terrorist act at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston,” we are now all media.” Many of us are trying to find something meaningful to do with our emotions. But this one simple phrase tells us of one thing, something we can all do. She wrote:
“One of the things that I think is important for us to realize is that unlike when most of us were children and media was in the hands of the few, we are now all media. We all have social media footprints, we all have forums where people can hear our thoughts. And if friends who are members of a minority watch those of you who are white go silent when issues like this come up, your credibility as an “ally” diminishes dramatically. And trust me when I tell you that it’s really disheartening to watch. So if you truly want to fight racism, then please, speak out against racism. Make it clear, in your own words — not just retweeting or resharing the words of Jon Stewart or someone else — tell folks how you feel. Take a stand, for heaven’s sake. (But then, after you’ve done that, do freely share articles and posts and links to organizations that fight racism. Amplify, amplify, amplify. . Because frankly, those of us who are of colour need white voices to help amplify the cause. )”
Read Chookooloonk’s exhortation in full here.
Do you agree?
Leave a Reply