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1/ It& #39;s been hard to focus this week on anything but the aftermath of the Minneapolis police& #39;s murder of George Floyd.
But a comment on a high school classmate& #39;s Facebook thread gave me a shred of hope, and it& #39;s inspired me to once again buy a boatload of books. Let me explain.
But a comment on a high school classmate& #39;s Facebook thread gave me a shred of hope, and it& #39;s inspired me to once again buy a boatload of books. Let me explain.
2/ Three years ago, I read a series of books that radically expanded my understanding of race in America:
- Just Mercy, by @eji_org founder Bryan Stevenson
- @thenewjimcrow, by Michelle Alexander
- Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Just Mercy, by @eji_org founder Bryan Stevenson
- @thenewjimcrow, by Michelle Alexander
- Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3/ And inspired by a post I& #39;d seen from @miaq, I decided that I& #39;d buy any of my White friends a copy of any of those books if they were willing to read them and share their thoughts afterwards.
4/ Fifteen friends took me up on it: a portfolio company founder. A high school classmate who& #39;s now a HS principal in NYC. A co-worker. A soccer parent. A high school classmate who in 2017 was a Captain in the US Navy. Several others.
5/ BTW, I& #39;ve read several other books since then that have further informed my understanding of race in America:
- The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein (thanks @cbracy)
- Locking Up Our Own, by @jformanjr
- Slavery by Another Name, by Douglas Blackmon
- The Color of Law, by Richard Rothstein (thanks @cbracy)
- Locking Up Our Own, by @jformanjr
- Slavery by Another Name, by Douglas Blackmon
6/ Each helped me understand that our system is not broken, it& #39;s working as intended. Each book shed light on an aspect of our country& #39;s history that laid bare just how pervasive, how all-encompassing, how destructive, how insidious, White supremacy is.
7/ Back to my book offer. I bought fifteen books in 2017. Then forgot about it, until this week.
After I wrote a post on Facebook expressing my distress at George Floyd& #39;s murder, a Black classmate of mine from high school re-shared it on his wall.
https://www.facebook.com/rklau/posts/10158511891174429">https://www.facebook.com/rklau/pos...
After I wrote a post on Facebook expressing my distress at George Floyd& #39;s murder, a Black classmate of mine from high school re-shared it on his wall.
https://www.facebook.com/rklau/posts/10158511891174429">https://www.facebook.com/rklau/pos...
8/ And in the comments on that classmate& #39;s post, that (now retired) Captain from the Navy, said this (sharing with his permission):
9/ To be clear: not looking for an ally cookie here. Not seeking a pat on the back. But when I saw Elliott& #39;s comment earlier this week, it gave me hope that progress *is* possible. That those who aren& #39;t already aware - of the injustice, of the unfairness of it all - can learn.
10/ So @repklau and I are going to do it again, but with a bonus: we will match every dollar we spend on books with contributions to @eji_org and @NAACP_LDF, two organizations we believe are doing critical work to help this country reckon with its racist past and present.
11/ Let us buy you a book. Join us in doing the work necessary to understand why so many are protesting, to understand what they seek, and to join them in their cause. #BlackLivesMatter 
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