As I watch the protests against racism and police brutality in Austin and around the world, my first instinct is to rally friends and neighbors to support the effort and encourage action and communication. To make things better. But as I reflect more personally, I realize that I have to pause for this moment. I have more listening – and learning – to do. And I promise that in my journey as an anti-racist, to quote Dan Bullock in his recent Mosey Project blog, “I’ll do better.”
But this, I know: AustinUP proudly stands with the Black community and all people of color and pledges to fight against racism and inequity. As a nonprofit community alliance, AustinUP will work to demonstrate this commitment in everything we do.
When the time is right, I look forward to exploring ways that older adults can work with younger generations to help heal our community. In the meantime, I highly recommend the following resources:
ATX Together: Confronting Racism. Earlier this week, Chas Moore, founder of the Austin Justice Coalition, Meme Styles, founder and president of MEASURE Austin, and Simone Talma Flowers, executive director of Interfaith Action of Central Texas, joined Decibel host and journalist Judy Maggio for a really meaningful discussion. ATX Together: Confronting Racism airs tonight (June 11) at 7 p.m. on Austin PBS/KLRU. You can also view the recording on the Decibel website.
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man. Austin resident and former Longhorn linebacker Emmanuel Acho sits down to have an “uncomfortable conversation” with white America, in order to educate and inform on racism, system racism and social injustice.
13th. This is a 2016 documentary that explores the history of race and the criminal justice system in the United States. The title refers to the 13th Amendment.
If you have additional resources to recommend, please share them with me at [email protected] so that I can share with the AustinUP community.