"This is not a moment, it's the movement."

I've continued the conversation with the kids about African American history and the reality of racism.  Three weeks ago we checked out several books from the library, some for the purpose of educating, and others for the purpose of diversifying what we read.  We listened to The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Paul Curtis together.  And after a few people recommended it, we watched the movie Remember the Titans, which gave us a lot to think about and talk about.

Side note: my Mom's high school in Alexandria, VA, which she graduated from 2 years before Remember the Titans took place, was one of the feeder schools for T. C. Williams.  So I checked her senior yearbook, and sure enough one of the main characters from the movie, Gerry Bertier, was a sophomore at Hammond that year.

(While looking through the yearbook I also found
my new favorite picture of my Mom from her youth.)

On Monday, June 8th, the 2-week anniversary of George Floyd's murder, the kids and I participated in a FB Live event that included a 8:46-long moment of silence.  (Full disclosure: we were not silent the whole time, but it was a meaningful experience.)

For our Friday journal-writing time, I gave the kids the prompt, "How would it feel to be treated unkindly because of the color of your skin?"  It was a good exercise for all of us to sit on that for a little while.  Afterward, Cat and I wrote letters to our state senator asking him to support police reform.

That Saturday morning, Cat and I attended a march and rally in Provo.  It was a great experience and one I hope Cat will remember for a long time.  (I still remember my first protest when I was in high school.)  There was a really good turnout - I'm guessing the crowd probably approached 1,000 people.  Mostly young, mostly white, and completely peaceful.  The march started at a grocery store in Provo and ended at the courthouse downtown.  There were several speakers - going on for about an hour and a half - and they made very good points.  A few of the things that stood out to me:

• White people who fight racism have love, humility, and a desire to learn.
• It's not enough to simply not support racism, you have to be anti-racism.
• Do not represent voices of color. Amplify them.
• "Sit with me (listen, understand), then stand with me."

It feels good to be engaged in this movement.  And I truly feel like it is a movement, as opposed to the many brief episodes of unrest in our history, which didn't actually change anything.  It's encouraging  to hear open discussion about the brokenness in our society, acknowledging racism more than ever before.  And more than that, people are taking action and local governments are making changes in real time.  I hope this continues, and that my kids will not have to have the same discussions with their kids that we're having today.