It’s important to me to put this on my blog because it is easy to post things on an Instagram story knowing that it will disappear in 24 hours. That’s not how I do things and not how I want to do things.

I believe that Black lives matter, and I have believed that. What I haven’t always done is voice that feeling or share that feeling with others. I used to think that it was enough to do the right thing in private moments. For example, if I didn’t accept discriminatory dialogue in discussions with friends or if I corrected someone in the workplace, I though that that was good. And, I still think that. What you do in private moments when no one is watching is extremely important. However, it is also important now that I use my voice to share those things that I know are right with others. It is right to be an ally, to stand physically and morally in unity with others fighting for racial equality, better education, more opportunity, and police reform.

In addition to trying to be a conduit for information on Instagram, there are a few other things I am doing right now that I wanted to share with you for inspiration:

• Contacting my local representatives via phone, email, and letter to advocate for necessary reform. This has been exciting because I have been writing letters to my state representatives since I was 12. My first letter at that age was actually to tell my senator that gay marriage needed to be legal. I enjoy this process, and in Philadelphia, we have already seen some important changes brought about because of this type of activism, like the recent denial of the proposed budget including a $14M budget increase for the PPD.
• Voting! This is important, not just every four years, but in every local election. It’s embarrassing to find out you don’t really know who you have elected in your area making decisions, so spending time acquainting myself with my local elections and candidates was an eye-opener for sure!
• Donating and purchasing. I have a ton of annual giving set up to support causes that I feel passionately about so this is no different. I also took inventory of how many BIPOC businesses I patronize and it was more than I thought but way less than what I would like. This has pushed me to think harder about what shops I currently support and the type of shops and values I want to support. I highly suggest everyone does this type of personal inventory.
• Protesting and rebuilding. I think that it’s important to show up, so I have participated in several peaceful protests and all of the neighborhood cleaning efforts. I think both are equally important. I want to stand and be counted. I want to be a part of the positive change we need. I also know that I need to help when my community needs me, and in Philadelphia, our communities needed us to step up to help clean, rebuild, and support the areas devastated by looting.
• Reading. Lots and lots of reading. I’m all about action, but that needs to be supported by education and understanding. Between books, movies, podcasts, and conversations, I’ve continued my learning on systemic racism and racial injustice in our country. Reaching outside of the resources I typically reference, it has been so important to drill down deeper into important topics like police reform, our prison system, and history in general (because it repeats itself).

It’s so important to me to do something, to be active in my pursuit of combatting racial injustice and fighting for equality. Everyone working towards a better future for our communities is going to take their own path. Some of us will donate our time, some of us will donate our money, some of us will use our voices and positions within the community, and some of us will do a little bit of everything and then some. It has always been important to me to fight for quality education for all of our students, to ensure that there is ample access to quality foods in all of our neighborhoods, and to ensure that our community members have the networks they need for support. Now, this work and anything that focuses on adding more support and resources into our communities is even more important.

I hope that everyone is staying safe, healthy, and positive during this time. Please do not forget to check in with yourself and protect your mental health. It would be easy to feel overwhelmed, tired, or anxious, but both the pandemic and racial injustice are going to require us to be strong and stay the course because we are certainly in a marathon, not a sprint. Always remember that we have this strong community, and I hope that we can all continue to connect and work together for the positive changes we need for equality for our Black communities and for the betterment of our future generations.

xx christe