Thread by @AdyBarkan

Some end-of-year thoughts about this moment, this movement, power, race, money, and what we need to do together over the coming 10 months. Please read it and retweet it if it strikes a chord with you. And, white people, *please* open your wallets before midnight tomorrow.

This year has been exhausting. For all of us. The racism & xenophobia has been out of control. To me, as a white person, it has been offensive & shocking. But you know what? Those feelings are negligible compared to what it's felt like to be on the receiving end of the hatred.

One example is the disparity between how @lsarsour and I get treated on Twitter. I have received overwhelming positive support. Linda receives daily waves of hatred, racism, and sexism. And death threats. She needs a security detail to get around her beloved Brooklyn.

That's the difference between being a white man and Muslim Arab woman contesting for power in America.

Black and Latinx activists are subject to similar types of hate. 2017 has been exhausting, particularly for them.

And yet they persevere. Every day. They wake up, and they make a plan, and they go to work. Trying to make this country a better place, in the face of tremendous racism from white people who have taken over the White House and Congress and are destroying our democracy.

This week, the enormous difficulty of the fight against American racism cost Erica Garner, @es_snipes, her life. She was 27 years old.

White people have a deep moral obligation to stand with people of color in this fight. Because the racial oppression is being perpetrated in our name, allegedly for our benefit. (And benefit from it we do, even if we hate to admit it).

We have to be real allies in this fight. That means acknowledging race and racism, lifting up the voices of leaders of color, confronting our racist family members, and opening our wallets.

So, white people, let’s support them. Not just with our words, but with our cash. We have more of it than they do. Because of structural racism. They need money to live their lives and do their work and fight for our country. So let’s give them some money.

Twitter responded to me this month with some generous donations, which I promised would go to helping people like me raise their voices and tell their stories. So I want to share some of it with the organizations doing the best work in the country to raise those voices.

.@UNITEDWEDREAM is doing incredible work organizing immigrant youth. In Jan. I will make it my focus to fight with them for a Dream Act now. Today, I’ll donate $1000. White people please give another $2000. Pledge publicly on this tweet and donate here:
secure.actblue.com/donate/uwdnetw…

#BlackLivesMatter has transformed America. In face of violence, hatred & economic oppression, Black leaders persevere. Today I’ll donate $1000 to the amazing @Law4BlackLives. White people please give another $2000. Pledge publicly and donate here: donatenow.networkforgood.org/l4bl

.@MPower_Change is a movement of Muslims building social, spiritual, racial, and economic justice for all people. Muslims in the US face so much hatred. Today I’ll donate $1000. White people please give another $2000. Pledge publicly and donate here:
secure.actblue.com/contribute/pag…

On a related/different note: ADAPT empowers people with disabilities, some of the most marginalized in the US. ADAPT played *the* key role in defeating Trumpcare. I’ll donate $1000. People w/out disabilities, please give another $2000. Pledge & donate:
adapt.org/donate/

Tomorrow I'll talk about New Year’s resolutions. And why we should commit ourselves to taking back our democracy throughout 2018. But let me just say: I intend to spend the entire year raising money to support candidates & orgs empowering communities of color. Please join me.