It is our annual practice to write and share a “Year in Review” blog, both as part of our own reflection process and as part of our accountability and transparency practices. We usually post this earlier than April, but that apparently wasn’t in the cards this year. Here goes…
Every year is a year like no other, but 2020 certainly outpaced most other years.… Read more
SURJ moves funds and resources to many of the same POC-led organizations as WNC. Please see their end of year donation request and offer what you can! -WNC
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Dear family, friends and comrades,
We are all receiving requests for donations for many worthwhile causes. Please consider how much of your giving goes to people of color-led organizing.… Read more
Today as many people around the country are gathering and sharing food, many more are also talking about the origins and mythology of thanksgiving, a feel-good story of settler benevolence designed to obscure the real history of land theft and genocide. More than any other time, except perhaps during the 1970’s and the height of the American Indian Movement, people are talking about and showing up for Indigenous struggles.… Read more
WNC Community,
1) From APTP: First off, thank you to EVERYONE for participating in the #DefundOPD Campaign.As we discussed not too long ago in our January dialogue:
Here we are at the start of unpresidented 2017, after the largest inaugural protest in US history, joined by marches around the world. Community organizing and outreach is happening in every state as people prepare for the worst, brace for scary realities on the horizon and work to keep them at bay.… Read more
Cross-posted from Catalyst Project:
Dear Friends,
Trump called himself the ‘law and order candidate’. He’s vocally supported “stop & frisk” policies that target Black and brown communities. His ‘first 100 days’ plan includes expanding federal funding for local police, federal law enforcement, and federal prosecutors. And he’s promised to have the Attorney General investigate Black Lives Matter protestors for criminal charges.… Read more
From Isaac Lev Szmonko,
on behalf of Catalyst Project:
Dear friend,
Yesterday morning I checked the news groggy-eyed and learned of the massacre in Orlando at ‘Latin Night’ at the Pulse gay club. The grief is overwhelming. I find myself unexpectedly in and out of tears.
Queer space is sacred.… Read more
This insightful article is cross-posted from New Republic:
We cannot talk about the violence that Dylann Roof perpetrated at Emanuel AME last Wednesday night without talking about whiteness, and specifically, about white womanhood and its role in racist violence. We have to talk about those things, because Roof himself did.
Rachel Dolezal Isn’t the Most Important Race Story in Spokane.
But she does seem to be an unraveling puzzle that continues to elicit curiosity, outrage, and comment. From Mia McKenzie’s discussion of Blackness and Blackface, to Kai M Green’s willingness to give Rachel a little more benefit of the doubt in discussing the similarities of race and gender constructs, to Lisa Marie Rollins’ explanation of what transracial actually means, plenty has been said already.… Read more
Thank you for taking the time to read this. This letter was written by white allies in support of certain Native members of our community who have already put a lot of time and energy into trying to explain why it’s a problem when people without Native/First Nations heritage use the term “Two Spirit” to describe themselves.… Read more
Cross-posted with permission from Catalyst Project:
“This is not just Baltimore’s problem, like it wasn’t just Ferguson. This is racism in America.”
Dear Friend,
I’m from a majority Black and highly segregated city near Baltimore. Wilmington, Delaware had the longest domestic military occupation since the Civil War when the National Guard occupied the city for 9 months in 1968 after Dr.… Read more
We are excited by the recent post from SONG (Southerners on New Ground):
THERE IS HONOR IN STRUGGLE
THERE IS HONOR IN THE WORK
SONG ON THE ROLE OF WHITE PEOPLE IN THE MOVEMENT AT THIS TIME
It opens with a powerful quote:
“White people are taught that racism is a personal attribute, an attitude, maybe a set of habits.… Read more
A galvanizing Black leadership has emerged from Ferguson in the weeks and months since the murder of Mike Brown and non-indictment of Darren Wilson which has stoked the fires of resistance across the nation-state, joining with histories of rebellion on this land and across the globe. This wave of uprising against injustice has shown a powerful strength in its messaging, its demands and its ability to continue to dominate the airwaves with important information about racism, police brutality and white rage against Black progress – an essential movement if we are to have real conversations or effect meaningful change.… Read more
We want to share thoughts and resources regarding the Darren Wilson Indictment released tonight. If you haven’t heard yet, the grand jury concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to indict police officer Darren Wilson of a crime.
Here is a brief FAQ on what that means. If you are interested in plugging into actions, please check out this tumblr page from the Ferguson National Response Network and the Ferguson Action page that share very comprehensive listings of planned actions around the country.… Read more