How To Be An Ally To The Black Community Right Now

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There are so many ways that you can help. Staying silent is not an option.

The world is a scary place right now and it’s time that we all start raising some hell to make a difference in the everyday lives of the Black community. I shared earlier this week on Instagram and I’m going to share my words here, too:

It’s time to talk about the things that make us uncomfortable.

Staying silent or not speaking up because you’re worried you might say the wrong thing is no longer acceptable for me or you.

I have felt so many emotions this past week. Anger. Rage. Sadness. Like all of you, I can’t get what’s happening in the world that we live in off my mind and it’s scary.
I am a white woman married to a black man raising biracial babies. Even though they are biracial, to the world they are black and I’m very aware of how that changes things for them and how their lives will be more difficult because of it. This is the sad reality of the world that we live in.

You see these beautiful, smiling faces enveloped in my mama bear arms? At what point do they become “scary” and “suspicious”? Branden has gained so much independence lately and has started exploring the neighborhood on his bike, and it tears me apart that instead of being happy that he’s happy and having fun that I am fearful that while by himself he could somehow be mistaken for a criminal. I’m heartbroken that his beautiful childhood instead gets replaced with extra caution, just because the color of his skin.

Every night before I go to sleep, I end my goodnight text for my husband with “get home safe” and I don’t say that because I’m worried about him driving late at night (though that is always a fear, of course). At what point do I stop worrying that when he leaves the house that he will get home safe to me? Never.

We all have work to do.

There are some big conversations that need to be had at home.

We need to learn how to look past our white privilege and the whitewashed history that we have been taught.

We need to listen to those around us in the black community.

For everyone asking “What can I do?” I’m going to be sharing some great resources this week on the blog as well as amplifying the content of some of my favorite black bloggers.

The time to do something is now.
#blacklivesmatter #equality

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It’s time to talk about the things that make us uncomfortable. Staying silent or not speaking up because you’re worried you might say the wrong thing is no longer acceptable for me or you. I have felt so many emotions this past week. Anger. Rage. Sadness. Like all of you, I can’t get what’s happening in the world that we live in off my mind and it’s scary. I am a white woman married to a black man raising biracial babies. Even though they are biracial, to the world they are black and I’m very aware of how that changes things for them and how their lives will be more difficult because of it. This is the sad reality of the world that we live in. You see these beautiful, smiling faces enveloped in my mama bear arms? At what point do they become “scary” and “suspicious”? Branden has gained so much independence lately and has started exploring the neighborhood on his bike, and it tears me apart that instead of being happy that he’s happy and having fun that I am fearful that while by himself he could somehow be mistaken for a criminal. I’m heartbroken that his beautiful childhood instead gets replaced with extra caution, just because the color of his skin. Every night before I go to sleep, I end my goodnight text for my husband with “get home safe” and I don’t say that because I’m worried about him driving late at night (though that is always a fear, of course). At what point do I stop worrying that when he leaves the house that he will get home safe to me? Never. We all have work to do. There are some big conversations that need to be had at home. We need to learn how to look past our white privilege and the whitewashed history that we have been taught. We need to listen to those around us in the black community. For everyone asking “What can I do?” I’m going to be sharing some great resources this week on the blog as well as amplifying the content of some of my favorite black bloggers. The time to do something is now. #blacklivesmatter #equality

A post shared by Allison Cooper (@projectmotherhood) on Jun 1, 2020 at 7:20am PDT

Just like I wrote above – staying silent or not speaking up because you’re worried you might say the wrong thing is no longer acceptable for me or you – and I’m promising to start sharing some resources and tangible ways that you can be an ally to the Black community right now.

Also, if you follow me over on Facebook, I am highlightng amazing content from my favorite Black bloggers this week. If you have followed along with me from the begining, you know that you can always count on diverse sharing from bloggers, no matter their race.

How To Be An Ally To The Black Community Right Now

I am a firm believer that everything starts at home. Having conversations with our children and teaching them not to be predjudice is incredibly important. However, with the death of George Floyd and the conversations that are arising, I have found myself questioning how to do more. I know, something I should have been doing long before today and I own that.

I keep seeing these conversations arise privately on social media and with my white friends and I thought it was important to share things that you can do tangibly to be an ally to the Black community right now.

Amplify the voices of Black influencers. This is SO easy friends. Share your favorite content. Support the words they are saying. It literally just takes the click of a button and the impact is greater than you will ever know.
Ask how your Black friends are doing. Text. Call. Knock on their door. Show up for them. Be there to see how they and their families are doing and if there is anything you can do to help.
Donate to reliable sources. There are so many wonderful charities out there and so many people that need money for bail outs right now. If you are able to, donate to them. Every dollar helps. I have a whole list of resources coming for you this week, but in the meantime please check out this list of Resistance Funds and Legal Help by state.
Vote for change. This is a foolproof way to make your voice heard and cast your vote for leaders who have strong antiracist records. Register here.
Make signs and hang them in your windows. Being anti-racist in silence is just as bad as being racist. Speak up. Let the world know that you are anti-racist. Get your family involved and buy some poster board and make signs that make a difference.
Stop saying #AllLivesMatter. If all lives mattered, friends, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Get it now? Stop saying it. Read: Why You Need To Stop Saying “All Lives Matter”
Listen. Really listen.
Read books with Black characters to your children. My friend Adanna from Rattles & Heels has an amazing book library over on her blog. Check out this one featuring 20 books with Black main characters.
Have impactful dinnertable discussions. Again, I’ve got an entire post coming your way that is dedicated to this topic this week, but the dinnertable is a great place to start having meaningful conversations about race with your children. Keep it light when they are little and get deeper with the older kids when they are age appropriate. The takeaway though: have these discussions.
Speak out against racism, even if it means correcting your friends and family. Like I said earlier, it’s time to talk about the things that make us uncomfortable. If you hear a friend or family member say something racist, point it out. Don’t stay silent anymore.