Special issue: Thoughts on the world we live in
Black Lives Matter and here's what you can do
Hi friends,
I wanted to take a quick break from our usual, more light-hearted weekly newsletter, and share some personal thoughts and resources in light of what’s happening here in the U.S.
Personal thoughts
It’s been a tumultuous week. I am outraged and heartbroken by what’s happening in our country. The land of the free that my Chinese immigrant family adored is now a land deeply divided.
I don't pretend to know what it's like to be black in America. Although I get my fair share of the "where are you really from" questions, which annoy me greatly, I don't think about getting arrested when I try to enter my own home or getting shot when I go for a run. And that is a privilege.
As a woman and person-of-color, I want to channel that outrage into something productive: What is something I can do today?
Over the weekend, I asked myself again why I started StoreyLine. And here're my personal missions:
I want to build a platform for diverse DTC founders, especially women and POC, to tell their stories because they are not often heard or amplified.
I want to elevate consumer brands that challenge the status quo and fulfill needs that usually fall outside of the mainstream.
I want to empower consumers to discover brands that matter and connect with founders who they believe in.
To that end, I'm building a directory of brands built by minority founders and will be featuring them across StoreyLine's website, this newsletter, and various social channels. It’s something I’ve already started doing, but I know that I need to step up the effort. There’s no time to waste.
If you have or know a minority founder who has a consumer brand, drop your info here. I want to support them, so please help me.
Self-education
A list of resources for self-education:
Black Lives Matter Myths, Debunked
Franchesca Ramsey's Decoded channel synthesizes current events, history, and humor into highly educational videos. Here, she explains the Black Lives Matter movement and common retorts to the phrase "Black Lives Matter."
On Speaking for an Entire Race
Franchesca Ramsey strikes again, this time in a cheeky video showing the problems of singling out people of color by making them a "spokesperson" for their entire race.
"White privilege" is a phrase frequently used, but not thoroughly understood by all. Everyday Feminism is an excellent intersectional resource, particularly when it comes to talking about how white people can work to catch unconscious biases and understand their privilege.
Here, this Everyday Feminism author has a checklist for white people to understand the emotional/teaching labor they're asking POC to do.
Get Involved; Educate other White People
SURJ, or Showing Up for Racial Justice, has several chapters around the country to help people understand how to become more effective allies - find your local chapter on their website!
Shout out to Sarah for putting together this list on short notice!
Donate
The best way to support is perhaps donating to organizations that have a huge impact. Here are some top national and regional organizations that need financial support:
ACLU (National)
Black Lives Matter (National)
The Bail Project (National)
Reclaim the Block (Minneapolis)
Minnesota Freedom Fund (Minnesota)
The Liberty Fund (NYC)
Brooklyn Bail Fund (NYC)
If you have thoughts to share on this topic or want to add to the list of resources, let me know in the comments!
We’ll resume our regular newsletter later this week. See you then.
- Minette
Beautifully stated and great resources provided!