What a month the last week of May and first weeks of June have been. We profess this: Black Lives Matter. As white women living in a very white state, running a yarn shop, we know that we need to go back to school to improve our understanding of centuries of bias, and this will take time on our part. We're ready for uncomfortable conversations with our families and friends. And we believe that immediate financial contributions to organizations who directly benefit black communities are one way to help as we start this process. We share our lists here. It's where we are starting and only a beginning; we're able to edit posts over time so if we come across something worthwhile we'll add. We hope they will be useful for the Yarn Bar Community, and we welcome any suggestions you may have for us.
The Diversity and Inclusion department at MSU has a good page with resource links.
We like this online portal from the National Museum of African American History and Culture to help families, individuals, and communities talk about racism. June is Membership Month
A 1989 essay from Peggy McIntosh; White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Podcasts:
- 1619 hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones
- Yo, Is This Racist? hosted by Andrew Ti and Tawny Newsome
Places to donate in Montana:
UPDATE 6/16/2020 (Sue)
I watched Just Mercy, a 2019 released movie based on the true story of Bryan Stevenson's defense of men on death row who were wrongly convicted of crimes. (Bryan Stevenson also has a memoir with the same title.) The movie is streaming for free during the month of June and it is excellent and eye-opening. Just search the movie and you can easily find a way to watch it this month.
Karida Collins, owner of Neighborhood Fiber Company (hand-dyed yarn that we have stocked since we opened our doors) has established the NFC Momentum Fund, a donor advised fund specifically designated to help with justice, empowerment, and equality in Baltimore.
Gaye Glasspie has an good website full of blogs and merchandise. Go support GGmadeit
Thanks Kathy and Teresa, for your comments. “Processing in public” via this blog is not my favorite mode but it’s clear that 2020 is a Year of Change.