Hi! I pride myself on bringing accessibility to tricky topics, but there's just no other way to slice this: our systems are built at every level, not to simply fail to support, but to actively oppress, impoverish and endanger brown and especially Black people. That's it.

There's no other way to see it. If you see it another way, you have been ignoring data, you haven't been listening to the right people, you are ensconced in the comfort of an experience that you perceive as universal, yet has nonetheless been painstakingly designed for you.

Racism is not simply interpersonal; it requires systems and institutions to perpetuate. It flows down, not up. No matter how many people say "fuck whites", it's not going to keep us from getting loans, jobs, offers to better schools, and friendlier interactions with the police.

Speaking of: the template for our modern police force was taken directly from slave patrols. This is history. Nobody reasonable would believe you can grow something in soil rich with oppression and expect its fruit to somehow be free of what has nourished it.

Whoever owns the most property in need of protection will always, de facto, own the police, who in turn strike with decisive proactivity against all others. The entwined ouroboros of capitalism and oppression will always keep itself fed, will always return to itself in this way.

There's just no other way to see it. I believe in everyone's ability to learn, and grow, and challenge the defaults and teachings of their society, but a leisurely education in these matters is not a victimless crime. The stakes are high. There was never time to take it slow.

If you're called to, drop resources that you've found useful in this thread. Don't go easy. If you're reading this and literally any of it feels new to you, then you have a lot to catch up on. Pleasure Activism can wait for later. Discomfort should be welcomed and expected.

Despite tone, I'm not speaking from a place of authority. I have a long, long way to go myself. I've acted with too much urgency and burned out; I've rested and felt calls back to action. It's a cycle. It's not all on your shoulders. But this is what is being asked of us: Engage.