Song: Brave Heart by Kelly Love Jones.
There have been more murders of Black people: Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma and (though at the time of writing this, reports say one thing, eye witnesses say another) Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina. This news is yet another heavy stone in the hearts of black people living in America. And another sting of harsh unjust realities carried out against people of the African diaspora the world over. The government allows for our murders and our marginalization, and it is so easy to feel helpless, to feel afraid, and defeated.
But for Black people (whether we identify as Black or LatinX), this is not new, and we continue to hold firm, fight hard, and build our own spaces where we can eventually learn how to be safe from white supremacy in government and everyday society.
In this audio essay, I share one way that I take a stand in support of life and thriving for black and brown people everywhere.
Self-directed education in the form of school-free living is one form of resistance against normalized whiteness. Black lives matter, and how we spend our black lives, our days … that matters. This is how I own myself, and make space for my daughters to protect themselves amid realities that entice us to focus on rage and live in fear.
We know better though. We know we need to practice self-sufficiency in the form of community. We need to know and support projects and people who want to live free, and who endeavor to trade murder and marginalization for justice and joy.
