I can't believe this needs to be said but
IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BLACK PEOPLE TO ADVOCATE FOR WHITE, NATIVE OR ANY OTHER COMMUNITY WHO IS ALSO IMPACTED BY POLICE BRUTALITY.
IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BLACK PEOPLE TO ADVOCATE FOR WHITE, NATIVE OR ANY OTHER COMMUNITY WHO IS ALSO IMPACTED BY POLICE BRUTALITY.
It is not their responsibility to advocate or organize on our behalf. It is our responsibility to put in the work to advocate and organize for our communities, we are not entitled to the resources, labor or platforms of Black organizers.
And you know, it's okay if we don't get the same visibility because it has taken the Black community quite literally centuries of organizing to be able to generate the visibility that they have.
And they will be the first to tell us that visibility does not necessarily lead to caring or change, especially when the hypervisibility of their community and their organizing leads to widespread misrepresentation, miseducation and vilification.
The same way that the hyperinvisibility of the Native community leads to widespread misrepresentation, miseducation and vilification.
We don't need to co-opt movements, we don't need to disrupt the momentum of other communities or movements and we definitely should not be trying to derail or invalidate their work because all of the work that we do, it matters and is necessary for change.
And if you're an organizer, you should be reaching out to organizers in other communities, building relationships and learning how you can assist each other and this is necessary because there are still rifts between many communities that first need to be mended and addressed.
Solidarity...unity between all of us is so needed but it is not something that we can simply demand or even expect because we first have to acknowledge and heal the harm that we have done to each other and we have to build trust. It takes time and a LOT of work.
And in the meantime, we should be showing up, standing up and supporting each other simply because it is the right thing to do and knowing that in the end we all benefit from the work that we are all doing.
And I know a lot of folks right now think they are being real clever by asking where folks were during this movement or that action and it's like maybe you should open your eyes and ears because thissssssssssss
And if they aren't there, we need to step up our organizing and outreach because from personal experience a lot of folks are unaware of our actions simply because we only reach out to one another and not other communities or organizers.
