Black Lives Matter Shouldn’t Be Political

The last few weeks have been beyond intense.  I’ve felt every emotion under the sun: furious, sad, defeated, unsure.  And then suddenly, public opinion changed and it seemed as if people began to understand that Black Lives Matter isn’t a political issue, but a human rights one.  Most of my life, I’ve been careful when talking about race because it can be closely related to politics.  Growing up, I was taught to be cautious when talking publicly about politics or religion because the conversations could become uncomfortable.

But then last week, it seemed like people wanted to have the uncomfortable conversations and hear how to do better.

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Black Lives Matter Shouldn’t Be Political | What You Should Know

This subhead is a little misleading because there’s a lot you should know.  You should know the facts of the cases. You should know that Black voices have been talking about police brutality for years.  You should know that you can say Black lives matter and not be anti-police.  But mostly you should know that these horrible events will keep happening if the majority doesn’t start to speak up.

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Last week was the first time I felt like the majority of America saw the realities that Black Americans live with.  There’s still a lot…A LOT to be done but the responses I’ve seen over the past week have made me feel optimistic about the future.

Some starting points:

• Continue educating yourself to be anti-racist and a better ally.
• Register to vote & ask local candidates to support policing reform agenda items, such as those included in the 8 Can’t Wait platform.  {I’ve had a few people ask my thoughts on 8 Can’t Wait; I think it’s a good start, but would like to see more reform. For example, “require warning before shooting,” doesn’t feel like enough?
• Hold elected officials accountable by calling, emailing, and signing petitions when you see injustice.
• Donate to organizations that fight for Black lives both nationally and in your local community.

Black Lives Matter Shouldn’t Be Political | What I’m Committing to Doing

I’ve written about inclusion and race before but shied away from sharing some experiences because I didn’t want anyone to feel singled out or guilty if they’d done something similar in their past.  Last week showed me how important it is to share it all: the good, the bad, the ugly.  In the past, when I’ve written about race I’ve felt unheard and often ignored, but that shouldn’t stop me from speaking up.

• I will continue to highlight Black creators and voices across my social platforms {Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook}
• Continuing to write blog posts about my experience as a Black woman
• Share more Black owned businesses in my “normal” content
• Sharing more than Black pain.  So much of the conversations of the past week have, rightfully, been about injustice and Black pain.  I want people to see that being Black is a vast experience by showcase Black joy, Black success, and beyond.

RELATED: Please Do Better: An Open Letter on Inclusion

Black Lives Matter Shouldn’t Be Political | How Things May Look Different

Writing and storytelling has always been a passion of mine and I hope to do more of that going forward.  I still plan to use What Nicole Wore to share my personal style, to talk about beauty products I love, and rant about bad dates, but I want to share more of my life and experiences with you.  Thank you all for following along these past five years as I’ve shared my heart.  Feeling optimistic that this community will continue to be impactful while being a space where we can all learn from each other.

Black Lives Matter Shouldn’t Be Political | What’s Up Next

Last week, I created and shared content that I’m really proud of:

• Memories I have throughout my life around racism and having to desensitize myself to survive in primarily white spaces
• Why I don’t expect you to be perfect when it comes to talking about anti-racism work
• Talking about race is going to be uncomfortable before you get comfortable
• What it’s like being the only one in the room
• Why getting defensive isn’t helpful
• Victims shouldn’t have to be perfect + the conversations Black parents have with their kids

RELATED: Self Acceptance, Race, and Hair: On Being Different

The feedback I’ve gotten around this content is that it’s helpful so over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing one IGTV each week to help educate and continue these conversations.  Some of my friends that are also Black content creators will do the same so that there will be new content 6 days a week.  We have gotten asked how others can thank us for the content so each week we’ll be highlighting a charity that you can donate to in our honor if you feel moved to do so.

Check out my gals’ blogs below:

• Amanda of Sequins & Sales
• Ayana of XO, Ayana
• Azanique of Lots of Sass Blog
• Tomi of GoodToMicha
• Nicole of The Life with Nicole

Black Lives Matter Shouldn’t Be Political | Where We’re Directing Donations this Week

This week we’ve collectively selected The Innocence Project.  If you’re unfamiliar, this nonprofit works to exonerate the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and to reform the criminal justice system to prevent future wrongful convictions.  The work they do is incredibly important.  If you’re looking to learn more, I highly recommend the Brian Banks movie which is available to rent for free on Amazon Prime Video.

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