Best of N.A.H. January 2017

February 1, 2017

On the 1st of each month, I share links to some of the best posts from my blog, Notes from an Aspiring Humanitarian.

Here are selected notes from January 2017.

“How Often Do We Choose Not To Know?”

“I had the opportunity to hear Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw; co-founder and Executive Director of AAPF talk about this video, where she talked about the societal necessity to move away from conceptualizing equity and social justice as “preferential treatment” and to instead move towards thinking of it as removing barriers that exist. She asked us to consider how the video is trying to tell a story about structural inequality across generations, and also to consider what story is present in the video that would make it so controversial, that the resulting outcry would lead to it being banned as it was, and still is, in that Virginia school district.”

White People: Increase Your Racial Stamina: Take the Pledge

“So often the responsibility is put on people of color to console you; to protect your feelings at the expense of our own. If you’re a White person who cares, it’s on you to make a commitment to interrupt this oppressive dynamic.”

Imagine

“Imagine how different our world would be if the term “pro-life” was truly understood, recognized, and acted upon as being reflective of the entirety of life across the lifespan and respected as such..”

Context

“One common misconception that I encounter about intergroup dialogue is that it’s not happening unless we all agree…One of the valuable gifts that dialogue can provide is context; the kind of context that can help us to question our perceptions, and to learn that others thinking can inform our own. We don’t all have to agree on opinions or ideology in order for dialogue to take place. What we do need to agree on however, is a commitment to learn from each other and communicate in caring ways.”

Brief Thoughts After Hidden Figures

“I had a chance to see the film Hidden Figures yesterday. Without saying too much for folks who have yet to see it, I share a few fragmented thoughts I had as I left the theater.

I am happy that Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson are being recognized through this film and the conversation it’s creating. It’s important to honor the bridge builders whose work lives and bodies paved the way for us.

We make Black history everyday. Thank you to the Black Women who endured so much racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry as they worked to establish a presence in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and solidarity to the Black Women in STEM today who are continuing that work.”

January 5th, 2017

“I hadn’t done anything wrong, but years of personal and societal messaging and lived experiences have taught me that a presumed assumption of guilt is often attached to my Blackness, and as a result has made it absolutely necessary to develop a kind of vigilance that is not experienced universally across humanity.

This presumption of guilt is not concerned with how positive I feel about myself. It is not concerned with the way I speak, the clothes I’m wearing, or some other victim-blaming factors that ultimately absolve white supremacy of any responsibility.”