A Message from our Racial Justice Working Group:
Justice-Loving Friends,
These are exciting, historic days as the uprising for racial justice and police accountability continues to unfold in our communities. It’s heartening to see thousands of people from all walks of life coming together to show support for rectifying the wrongs that are deeply embedded in our nation’s institutions stemming from our original sin of enslaving African people. In response, some of us from WWFOR’s Regional Council are meeting as a Racial Justice group to explore the opportunities for leveraging social change in this moment. We are encouraging our WWFOR community to join local efforts for learning more about US history, institutional racism, white privilege, what it means to be a white ally, what it could mean to “defund the police” as well as connecting with local Black-led organizations to listen and support.
Here are some resources shared at our meeting this week:
Media
www.whereweconverge.com Excellent live-streaming video from the Seattle streets throughout the day, including M-F Morning Show at 11 am hosted by Omari Salisbury and Trae Holiday.
Movies
Just Mercy True story based on book by Bryan Stevenson about his work with Equal Justice Initiative. Recently Mr. Stevenson was awarded the Peabody award for his latest film, True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality”. https://eji.org/news/true-justice-wins-peabody-award/ Both are streaming for free on YouTube.
Groups to follow for information and action for racial justice: There are countless groups emerging all around us. These are just a few to know about as a way into the vital conversations and organizing that is happening.
Movement for Black Lives https://m4bl.org/join-our-movement/
King County Equity Now Coalition https://www.kingcountyequitynow.com/
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) www.showingupforracialjustice.org has 4 chapters in W. WA. The Olympia chapter is planning a series of webinars on restorative justice.
The Conversation: A Group that meets weekly for discussion and action on behalf of racial justice. Prior to weekly Zoom meetings, this group had been meeting in Tacoma. conversationtacoma.blogspot.com
South Sound Antiracist Project: Group of white people fighting racism. Meets every other Thursday. Can find on Facebook. Open to interested White folks. Currently meeting on Zoom. Face to Face meetings in Tacoma.
Phinney Neighbors Center/Greenwood (Seattle) Senior Center www.phinneycenter.org/gs/classes has been offering a series of (Zoom) history classes focusing on race taught by William Taylor. The summer course is Black People Share Their Experience of Being Black in America.
Breaking White Silence Study Groups Email cecily@phinneycenter.org to be notified of up-coming summer and fall groups (online during “Stay Home”).
If you would like to help us plan how WWFOR can contribute to the transformation that is happening, you are welcome to join us for our next meeting. Please contact David Lambert (lambertdavid39@gmail.com) for access.
Working for Racial Justice,
Vivi Bartron, Brenda Collier, Jean Gant-Delestrada, Sue Donaldson, Elaine Hickman and David Lambert
