Letter From The Editor: Black Lives Matter

Artwork by @sacree_frangine

“The time is always right to do what is right.” This quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., has been resonating with me over the past few days. As a white woman with privilege, I’ve been hesitant in the past to lend my voice to the fight. But I realize now that my silence has been part of the problem. To further quote MLK, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” I see now that being complacent is being complicit. We need to speak up. We need to listen. We need to learn. We need to actively engage and support black and brown communities.

When was the last time you read a book by a black author, watched a TV show or movie about a black experience, followed a black voice on Instagram, or bought clothing and other goods from a black designer or artist? I asked myself this question and I was embarrassed by the answer. It’s not enough to just say that you care about black and brown communities—we need to become true allies. We need to offer a hand to hold, not just a helping hand. Just as feminists need male allies, and LGBTQ+ communities need hetero and cisgender allies, black and brown communities need white people to show up, speak up, and take action towards real and positive change.

While I don’t condone fighting violence with violence, and it’s been disheartening to see property damage in the wake of recent protests, I also recognize that for many marginalized voices sometimes the only path to being heard is by getting louder. It can be uncomfortable to witness, but I’d suggest that perhaps that’s the point: Have you ever felt so outraged or threatened that you were compelled to riot? If the answer is no, then that speaks to your privilege.

We all have a lot of work and healing to do, and we’re pledging to dig in with intention and accountability. We’re starting by reading more black stories, better educating ourselves about past events to better understand present truths, supporting more black-owned businesses, and honestly and humbly recognizing our own role in upholding systems of white supremacy. It’s not enough to say, “I’m not a racist”—we must be actively anti-racist, and we must teach and show that to our families, friends, and workplaces. We must do better. We will do better. We hear you, we see you, we love you.

Black Lives Matter. 🖤 

xx, Tessa