Though everyone's experience will be different (I have a rocky relationship with my fam, but speak Mandarin), I used the SPIKES protocol ( #medtwitter) to engage my first-gen/ESL mom on #Asians4BlackLives. Here are my takeaways in the hopes that it will help your fam convos! (1/n)

S- Set Up. We watched the (relevant) evening news together. I asked if now was a good time to have a real conversation and if she would be willing to engage with me seriously.

P - Perception. What does she already know? Has she seen videos? Does she know the names of #GeorgeLloyd #BreonnaTaylor #AhmaudAubrey and countless others? What news sources does she get this information from? Most importantly, how do they FEEL about what's happening rn?

I - Invitation. Ask if it's OK to talk about something we don't normally chat about (yet). Focus on why speaking about racism/police brutality/inequity in America is important to not just to me, but to our family, our friends, our Black family, and our fellow Americans.

K - Knowledge. You will likely be an educator so do the work. Look up translations you need to know ahead of time (protest, police brutality, revolution, racism, etc). Tailor your conversation to your audience. Understand the hx of #BlackLivesMatter and #Asians4BlackLives

-History of #Asians4BlackLives https://a4bl.wordpress.com/who-we-are/ 
-An incredible "letters for Black lives to my Asian family" translated resource assembled in 2016 and being updated for 2020: https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1qwon6Q-h3YC2n_vZGKIVxZxEhXG8ZQah4IVCMQzGaUk/preview?sle=true&pru=AAABcpKa_0w*Y8w3dofEFpgEU7mP2HSabg#heading=h.k9w4fbplc5ii
-Please share any other readings y'all found helpful.

E - Emotions. Check in with your own. IMPORTANT. We often carry weight of our childhood into fam convos. This is NOT the place for that - #Asians4BlackLives is about demanding space for Black lives. Check in with your fam member. Acknowledge and feel your/their emotions.

S - Summarize. What action steps are you and your family doing together to support BLM? Can they have this convo/share these resources with their friends (WeChat, Kakao Chat etc)? Are they open to you holding each other accountable in acknowledging your biases?

Don't want to take any more space away from Black voices. DM me if you want to strategize more. Happy to do reading with you and pump each other up so we can engage our families directly! (n/n oops).