So I have decided to start a virtual book club. That is a pretty big deal for me since I have never been to keen on reading a book much less discussing it.
Here is information on the book
Title: “Me and My White Supremacy combat racism, change the world and become a good ancestor
Author: Layla F. Saad
Book chapters:
Part 1
1. What is white supremacy?
2. Who is this work for?
3. What will you need to to this work?
4. How to use the book
5. self-care, support and sustainablility
Part 2
week1: the basics
week 2: anti-blackness, racial stereotypes and cultural appopriation
week 3: allyship
week 4: Power, relationships, and commitments
Now what? continuing the work after day 28
some background as to why I bought this book
In the days following the murder of George Floyd, I was horrified at the world we were living in. I posted this statement on my facebook page and it unleashed a firestorm of disagreements and hateful comments and it was not very pretty. here is the excerpt of the post.
“I am probably going to loose friends after I say this, I dont care because enough is enough
❤BLACK LIVES MATTER❤
We are the problem
Let’s be the solution
We have to look inside ourselves and ask, truly check and see what our heart motives are?
Pray to change our hearts, pray to change our way of thinking
Don’t be so quick to say ” I’m not racist” unless you truly mean it!!!
If you get angry when you hear “black Lives Matter” and immediately defend it with “well so do white lives”… “All lives matter”
There is a problem… my white friends it isn’t about us stop making it about us.
Yes, all lives matter… all lives are precious but in just the past 6 months 3 black lives were wrongfully taken by white people… can you see that??? Do you understand???
For years we as the White race have treated the Black race like they were worthless, underneath us and that their lives didn’t matter… this is absolutely nauseating and disgusting and to think it is 2020 and some still feel that way😠
So if “black Lives matter” upsets you… you need to take a hard look on the inside, it is time to get uncomfortable it is time to change our ways
And treat everyone no matter their race, socioeconomic class or their upbringing as equals because in God’s eyes we are all his creation and all equal in his sight
It is not enough to be “not racist” we must be anti-racist
We cannot tolerate it… it has to stop…it has to change…. my white friends we are the only ones who can change it we are the only ones who can make years of wrong right!!!
❤BLACK LIVES MATTER❤”
I felt compelled to write this that day June 4, 2020, It is not much like me to speak my opinions so strongly on social media but the Lord would not let me rest about it.
God puts people in our lives even if only for a brief window of time, the people that you work with, live near, go to the store with, pass by in the halls, sit next to on an airplane, and on social media, people we have never even met in person but follow their instagram or facebook or read their blogs… this is all because God allows them to be part of our story.
So here is how this all started… in the days following the murder of George Floyd. I was scrolling through Instagram as per usual when a story pops up of a girl she seems very heartbroken so I decided to watch the story.
She began talking about check your privilege, I said out loud I remember I was sitting at my desk in my home office and I said “What is she even talking about” “what privilege?” “I sure don’t have privilege she isn’t talking to me!” I continued to watch which was somewhat bizarre looking back because typically I would have just moved on, anyway, I continued to watch almost as if I leaned in to hear to truly hear what she was saying.
White privilege…check your privilege…racism…be the solution….white…
This girl I follow on IG is a white female maybe my age perhaps younger and she lives near me from what I can tell, we have never met in person.
I remember sitting their tearing up because the words she was saying was cutting pretty deep.
I immediately began looking inward, was I part of the problem, did I have white privilege, did I have racial tendencies?
I was completely guilty
In the past when the black community would cry out “Black Lives Matter” I would say well so do white lives, how about we just say all lives matter! I am no stranger to this response because I myself had this response in the past.
This time it was different, God opened my eyes and allowed me to see that when they say “Black Lives Matter” they are not saying white lives don’t matter but it is black lives that are in danger and we need to stand up and help them
I never in my entire life considered myself a racist(it would not have been tolerated in my house,in my house we treated everyone with respect) but looking back over my 33 years I have been guilty of having racial tendencies and racial bias and having white privilege.
I immediately repented and asked the Lord to forgive me I cried out and told the Lord I would do whatever He needed me to do to be part of the solution to end the systemic oppression and racism.
So I posted from my heart and my post was met with not very nice comments from people… get this that I actually go to church with, it broke my heart even more. How can they be like this, how can they not see that all lives won’t matter until black lives matter, how can they be so insensitive? these are people that I grew up to know and respect and love and it was just heartbreaking.
I went to the Bible, I prayed about it, I prayed for them those who did not agree those who were not being very kind. Then I began to research white privilege because I honestly had never heard of that term before, it lead me to a bunch of books but I chose this one because it seemed like a good read and more like a class to teach me which I needed, I needed to learn to be able to be part of the change that needed to take place.
So follow along as I read through this book to understand my own white privilege and how to be part of the solution. You want to read along too, great you can get the book here or you can simply follow along if you like, if you don’t want to follow along that if perfectly fine too!
My hope and prayer is that through this journey that others will be able to look inward and confess that they too have been guilty of racial prejudices and white privilege in the past.
In order to be part of the solution we first must admit we are part of the problem.
Have a blessed day!
Danielle