Wow. How is it June already? Season of strawberries, G&Ts in the sunshine and normally for me, a sweltering office. The downside to working with scientists is that labs use equipment, equipment often kicks off heat and an old 1960s building has no air conditioning.
Instead of course, we’re at home in a 1960s non air conditioned building that get the sun on the windows all afternoon. Whilst that might sound very similar, in the office I can’t walk around in my pants to keep cool.
So, what have I been up to? Let’s see. I finally finished the main knitting of my lockdown jumper. Unfortunately… I tried it on and I don’t like it. So that went well. I like the yarn and I like the colours, I just don’t like the jumper. So for now, it’s going to one side before I cast it on again as a different jumper. This is the trouble when I knit. If I knit for others, it’s fine. I can cast something on, get it knitted and off it goes to them. When it’s me… It often goes wrong, and I need to redo it. Probably why I usually knit for other people. Whilst I hunt for a new project for the yarns, I’m using up scrap yarn, knitting squares for a blanket. Busywork.
My biggest feat this week, was, wait for it, walking over 100,000 steps! Yeah, I know, it’s not the most exciting achievement, but it’s been something to aim for, to work at, and to get sunburn for.
I’m trying to spend less time online. At the moment, I’m frustrated by everything. I’m frustrated with the news and media. I’m frustrated with the government and that they’re letting people ‘go back to normal’ already – against scientific advice. But at the same time, I’m frustrated by things not being normal. I try to look ahead and I just see murky, foggy, uncertainty. I’m frustrated with myself – what do I want? Do I, should I take voluntary severance and do something else? If so, what? And I’m frustrated because I still feel like there’s stuff I can do and I’m not, but I don’t know what that should be either. So… Answers on a postcard?
So I’ve taken solace in time offline, in the long walks, in cat cuddles, in the physical rather than the emotional. Enjoying little things like hanging a picture, cleaning, just doing.
I can’t sign off this week without mentioning race and the uprising in the USA, and the whole shitstorm that’s kicked off. It’s been a long time coming. I was tagged in an Instagram story ‘chain’ that was doing the rounds, more than once. Whilst this probably had it’s heart in a good place, to be honest, it’s not enough. Not enough for any of us. I’ve listed at the bottom of this post resources, links, places you can donate. As a cis white woman, I come from a place of white privilege and cis privilege.
And before anyone thinks ‘but we’re in the UK, we’re OK’, please stop. We’re not. If we were, we wouldn’t still have to have campaigns to end racism in sport, in schools and we wouldn’t have double standards where someone like Dianne Abbott can be lambasted for drinking on the Tube (particularly when there was a meme doing the rounds at the same time, praising a white woman for doing the same with a glass of wine), but Dominic bloody Cummings can break lockdown to go for a wander around the country.
We’re not innocent. It’s just easier and more comfortable to not notice it. And before you say ‘but what can I do? I don’t know how to help?’, I’m sorry, no excuse. Google is your friend. Go to Google, and type in the words, ‘as a white person how can I help end racism?’, and tadahhhh! Resources! Learning! Places to offer help!
That said, I’ve put some links to books, articles and videos that you should read anyway, and will share things across my social platforms, much as I have been doing for the last couple of days.
The last thing I’m going to say before I sign off is this. Watch those who ignore what’s going on. Watch those who continue to promote their businesses, and themselves, and don’t even give a mention to the events going on, even to admit they don’t know what to do (though as above, still no excuse). Watch those who put profit above community. And spend your money, your time, your energy, elsewhere.
Videos and articles:
https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism
https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culture.html
https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/09/white-supremacy-everyday-life/
https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf
Books:
An article from the Guardian with recommendations from last year.
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla Saad
How to Argue With a Racist: History, Science, Race and Reality by Adam Rutherford
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Race and racism in contemporary Britain John Solomos
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging by Afua Hirsch
The Good Immigrant: 26 Writers Reflect on America by Nikesh Shukla, Chimene Suleyman
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein
There Ain’t No Black in the Union Jack by Paul Gilroy
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? By Beverly Daniel Tatum
White Privilege: The Myth of a Post-Racial Society by Kalwant Bhopal
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Dabiri
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Funds to donate to in the USA:
George Floyd Memorial Fund
https://www.gofundme.com/f/georgefloyd
I Run With Maud
https://www.gofundme.com/f/i-run-with-maud
Minnesota Freedom Fund
https://minnesotafreedomfund.org/
Louisville Community Bail Fund
https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/louisville-community-bail-fund/
Black Visions Collective
https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/
National Bail Out
Nationalbailout.org
Donate to Transgender Law Center in memory of Tony McDade
https://transgenderlawcenter.org/