Happy Birthday Breonna Taylor
27
This isn’t the time to write about food. Honestly, this isn’t the time for me to SAY much of anything, but please do not mistake my quietness for silence. My heart and mind are heavy as I mourn the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Amaud Arbery, and all the unnecessary loss of black lives before them. But my words and feelings mean nothing if I’m not taking real action, doing the lifelong work to end these ingrained injustices in America and the inherent biases ingrained within myself. I don’t want to shout into the white void of performative allyship (you can start by reading this wonderful article by sociologist Holiday Phillips if you aren’t sure what that means), I want to LISTEN and to act in ways that will make real change. Am I going to fuck up? Definitely. Do I have a lot to learn? Absolutely. But at the end of the day accountability is what matters.
If you want to make a change but are feeling stuck at where to start, here are a few simple but impactful actions that you can take.
Dontate (if you are able)
VOTE! VOTE! VOTE! PLEASE FUCKING VOTE! And not just in the big elections. Your state and local elections matter just as much, if not more!
Put your money where your mouth is. Support your local black owned businesses and other LGBTQ/Women/POC owned businesses.
Educate yourself
Write, email, and call your local governments and school boards. Sign a petition. Write, email, and call state governments involved in recent cases of police brutality.
These are just a few actions that I have taken, which only begin to scratch the surface of fighting for social justice. Pickled Rose is meant to be a place of inspiration, and I hope this inspires you to speak up, show up, and to do the work that needs to be done to truly be in solidarity with black people and other people of color.
No justice, no peace. BLACK LIVES MATTER.