Along with so many others, I was absolutely horrified by the brutal murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police two weeks ago. I am equally horrified that I have failed to notice, consider, or care about the racism displayed by the police and other authorities for so long. I don’t think of myself as an uncaring or unjust person, but that is how I’ve acted. It takes privilege to act that way, and that privilege is the result of a racist, unfair system. I’m not just talking about my experiences in the States, by the way – we have undeniable problems in this country also.
It has taken the hard, consistent work of so many around the world to make me see the unpleasant truth even just this little bit. I am thankful to those who have done that work, and I know I have a lot more to do myself. I am in no way a resource, or trying to make myself one through this post, but I do want to share what I’ve found helpful as a beginning point.
- This whole post by Gabrielle Blair (Design Mom) is well worth your time. In particular I found this thread on abolishing the police that she linked to be incredibly eye-opening; and I agree. Let’s abolish the police as we know them.
- I’m Finally an Angry Black Man, Issac Bailey, New York Times
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, S7, Ep 14. The episode of Last Week Tonight that aired 7 June is so recent it’s not even on HBO’s website yet; I assume it will be in the next day or two. If you can, watch it.
- The whakapapa of police violence, Emilie Rākete, The Spinoff
- Finally, the Ātea section of The Spinoff shows a different perspective from most of the media I consume.
This is of course far from an exhaustive list, and it’s problematic in its own right. I acknowledge that; diversifying my media consumption is something I need to do if I want to learn.
I was – and am – very much in two minds about whether to post this at all; however, The Judd Crew is about my family’s life, and currently this is part of it. It would be wrong not to acknowledge that important things are happening right now.
I hope this is the beginning of actual, deep, meaningful change, and that we will see the racist, colonialist power structures that have held for so long crumble away. I hope Amelie will grow up to realise her privilege a whole lot faster and more willingly than I have, and use it to make things fairer and better for those who don’t benefit from privilege in the same way. I hope this is not something we forget and hide and try to sweep under the rug in a bid to return to ‘normal’ as quickly as possible.
May we never return to the ‘normal’ we knew previously.
The Judd Crew 