I have spent much of the past 20 years answering questions, and latterly posts, about race, racism, inequality, the distinction between black lives matter and all lives matter, and why if I’m talking about “save the whales” it doesn’t mean stuff the dolphins.
As it stands, too much of my time is being taken up with that pursuit, so I’ve put this Blog together to save repeating myself, which leaves my time free to do the work.
The resources are in no particular order; I’ll add them to the list as I find them, so be sure to check back in and scroll down. New pieces are added to the end of the Blog, so scroll down to the bottom if you’ve been here before.
PS: I’ve just added a fabulous piece of original Windrush Art, and a new statistics about black mental health in the United States.
PPS: Because there are a ton of pictures and videos here, it may take a few extra seconds to load.
The most recent entry is a Anti-Racism Resources list supplied by Tavares J Bussey – @tavaresteaches on Instagram. The document was compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020 as a resource for white women. Scroll to the end of this Blog for a full overview.
An Oldie But Goodie from Pioneer Jane Elliott. Would You Stand Up?
This will take just ONE MINUTE of your time and be honest with yourself.
White Friend Asked Lori to Explain White Privilege – Yes Magazine
On earning a place at Harvard University . . . . .
Woman to Lori: “Where are you sending your boxes?” Lori: “Harvard.”
Woman: “You mean the one in Massachusetts?”
Lori thinks: “No, bitch, the one downtown next to the liquor store.” But I say, gesturing to my LABELED boxes: “Yes, the one in Massachusetts.”
Lee Rigby – An Appeal from His Mother
Lee has been added to many of my posts. Rather than get into that it is easier to let his mother speak on the issue. She has made an appeal to say Lee was for humanity and would not want his name used against it.
You can read one of her interviews here: https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2020-06-04/mum-of-lee-rigby-hurt-after-his-name-used-in-divisive-way-in-black-lives-matter-campaign/?fbclid=IwAR0iDUriaVEjd12lVWDs3zBtDdnUMUlixFQNX_to2s-c_lMnFwQf-l6ZBsI
Why You Should Stop Saying “All Lives Matter Explained in 9 Different Ways
The All Lives Matter – Billie Elish: “Stop Making Everything About You.”
Stark Differences in Treatment
How police, some of the world, and social media tend to deal with protesters differently.
Can you tell the difference between these 2 photos? Maybe treat it like those quizzes you did at school where ‘One of these things is not like the other.’
Colin Kaepernick lost his job almost immediately for his silent peaceful protest.
For the officer pictured it took global riots for that to happen, and further unrest for charges to be issued.
Views from Both Sides of the Pond
James Corden: It’s Time for a Change in the US
Everyday Racism – “I Wouldn’t Have Come to See You If I Knew You Were Black”
https://marilyn-devonish.storychief.io/i-wouldn-t-have-come-to-see-you-if-i-knew-you-were-black
I thanked her for her honesty.
More from Jane Elliott – A World of Difference
This will require 44 minutes of your time.
An Alternative View and Voice – Claire Brummell
I’m black, in case you hadn’t yet worked that out. It is also good to have alternative views and voices. Claire Brummell has been an advocate and strong voice in unpacking the issue of white privilege for many years. I definitely recommend following her on Facebook if you are open to listening and learning: https://www.facebook.com/ClaireBrummell?
Claire’s latest Facebook post:
“I've repeatedly said over the last couple of weeks "THIS IS NOT JUST IN AMERICA"
If you are in the UK and think that systemic racism is either not a thing over here or not 'as bad' over here, please read this post.
Because this is one of the ways that systemic privilege and inequity (like systemic racism) keeps itself hidden and protected…making it about ’those bad people’ over ’there’…i.e. not in our country, not in our communities, not in me.
It’s in the UK, it’s in Australia, it’s in New Zealand…it’s in most countries around the world, it is in every single one of us, and it is JUST as big a problem in these places as in the US…it just manifests differently.
In some respects it is even MORE dangerous here in the UK and other countries because the more subtle these systems are the HARDER they are to spot (for those of us not being systemically cost by them), and therefore the HARDER they are to address….so the more harm they are able to do unchecked and unnoticed.
But make no mistake, they are every bit as lethal.”
Support Black Businesses
I have decided to start a new thread here because part of the conversation is around what can be done to help redress the balance and support black businesses and entrepreneurs. Today I came across the first website I want to feature, and there will be many more.
Beauty Brite
A message from Beauty Brite:
At Beauty Brite, we support the Black Lives Matter movement. We are a diverse group of women and moms. We all come from different backgrounds.
We hear you. We see you. We stand with you.
We’d like to make one thing very clear: If you are a reader of this blog who responds to “Black Lives Matter” with “All Lives Matter,” we urge you to stop, listen, educate yourself and decide for yourself why that is scabrous. Otherwise, Beauty Brite is not the place for you.
Go to: https://beautybrite.com/black-lives-matter/
I Can’t Breathe – The Racial Evolution That Needs to Be Heard
The Spoken Word Version of my “I Can’t Breathe” Blog written in December 2014 is below:
The written version is here: https://marilyndevonish.com/cant-breathe-racial-evolution-needs-heard/
Releasing Ancestral Trauma Video Webinar
If you have been feeling the emotional pressure of recent events I ran a Video Webinar this week, which includes a Huna Energy Clearing Session, in addition to sharing insights about the overall global situation and the layers included.
Akala
Akala is one on my favourite voices for facts, statistics, and a constant history lesson.
This one from Akala doing the Oxford Union address is a mini history lesson.
A Potted History of Race and Slavery in Britain – A BBC Article.
The black history you may not know about from BBC Newsbeat. CLICK HERE to read more.
The Windrush Scandal
The context for this is people who lived in the UK for their entire lives, and some of whom were born here, being denied citizenship. It’s a long story, the roots of which have not been shared in the press.
The Guardian newspaper compiled a summary outlining some of the cases. You can meet the victims here: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/19/lambs-to-the-slaughter-50-lives-ruined-by-the-windrush-scandal
The Bristol Statue
For those who don’t understand why the monument to slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol was toppled, this pictorial from Hussein Kanji gives you a summary.
Black History Library
WOW. Impressive.
This is a FANTASTIC online resource: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0Bz011IF2Pu9TUWIxVWxybGJ1Ync?sort=13&direction=a&fbclid=IwAR1h-ADR0e7JOt0XLA4d5OzZUgxHiqJeXbQIXjFroSx-PH3URuERM32JeXE
Thank you Claire Brummell for sending me the link.
A Black and White Perspective on Race, Racism and White Privilege
A discussion with Marilyn Devonish, The NeuroSuccess Coach, and Anti-Racist Activist Claire Brummell. Claire also added an important Addendum and disclaimer the day after we filmed this video which is included in its entirely below.
EDITED TO INCLUDE IMPORTANT CONTENT UPDATE:
Very humbled to have been invited into this conversation, and thanks to some Huna from the lovely Marilyn before we started my back seemed to fare pretty well. Feeling it again now, but grateful to have been able to continue the dialogue…
EDITED to include:
If you would like to pay Marilyn Devonish for the education she provided in this free Facebook live, please do so here: https://paypal.me/marilyndevonish/
ALSO IMPORTANT CONTENT UPDATE:
I NO LONGER RECOMMEND 'WHITE FRAGILITY' by ROBIN D'ANGELO or her work in general. I apologise for doing so previously, I learned about this today, and have immediately amended my resources document accordingly. If you want to know why, please watch the video posted below (in fact, watch it anyway, it is IMPORTANT information).
THIS is the reason that I constantly say that I am not an expert or an educator on anti-racism.
THIS is the reason that I say we as white folks should be speaking less and listening more.
THIS is the reason that I say to follow, work with and PAY Black women (and other women of colour) anti-racism educators to do this work. THEY are the experts, THEY are the authority, because they are able to educate on the intersections of systemic racism, patriarchy, anti-blackness and misogynoir, not from intellectual understanding, but from lived experience.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBhVI5xnhzi/
If you have the means, please PAY Weeze (Louiza Doran) if you learned anything from this video, listen to her podcast, follow her on social media, and please consider working with her to unpack and dismantle where this conditioning and these systems live inside of you…
https://www.paypal.me/louizad
Venmo: @accordingtoweeze
Free Books Available Until 12th July 2020
This is a wonderful resource: https://www.cambridge.org/core/what-we-publish/journals/protests-policing-and-race? Thank you Llewella Gideon for the link.
Race and Racial Diversity Training with Marilyn Devonish
Marilyn Devonish has been working in this field since 2013. Click the image below for an overview of Corporate Workshops, Away Days, and offline and online Training Courses available.
For an overview of Case Study Success Stories CLICK HERE.
Donations
I have been asked several times if I can add a donations button to help with the time it takes to curate the resources, film the videos, speak on panels, write, etc. If you would like to donate click here and choose your amount: https://paypal.me/marilyndevonish/
Thank you.
The Windrush Scandal – Original Artwork
I absolutely love this piece from David Olusoga
I asked if I could feature it here. David’s response is below:
David Olusoga Stan Account@Hanecdote·
Replying to@marilyndevonish
and @DavidOlusoga
That would be lovely, thanks for asking! Please feel free to use it and credit either
@hanecdote or link to my website http://hanecdote.co.uk
Do head on over and give him a follow and some social media likes.
Unfortunately, I knew about the Windrush Scandal a good 4 or so years before it hit the news, so it wasn’t news to me when the story broke, simply a sad confirmation of what I believed couldn’t possibly be true.
Race and Friendship
This is a long but good read. Been there. Had that.
The paragraph which stood out for me was this:
“Expressing anger also comes at a cost for women like Aminatou. Being labeled as angry ensures that Black women are not allowed to experience a full range of emotions: vulnerability, fear, hurt, or fragility. Brittney Cooper, historian and author of Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower, told NPR, “Whenever someone weaponizes anger against black women, it is designed to silence them. It is designed to discredit them and to say that they are overreacting, that they are being hypersensitive, that their reaction is outsized.”
Read the full Blog at: https://www.thecut.com/2020/07/book-excerpt-big-friendship-by-aminatou-sow-ann-friedman.html
Another of the Old Guard is Laid to Rest
John Lewis, a man who walked side-by-side with Dr Martin Luther King on those iconic marches, and who has been arrested more times than I care to count, died today. The Guardian Newspaper did a great summary of his life in pictures: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2020/jul/18/civil-rights-activist-and-politician-john-lewis-a-life-in-pictures
I can’t even imagine what it must be like to spend 60+ years of your life in struggle at the sharp end of this fight for equality and human rights.
Black Owned. The Metro Newspaper
I was interviewed by The Metro Newspaper for their Black Owned Series. You can read the full article here: https://metro.co.uk/2020/07/18/black-owned-13007171/
Change Makers – The Freedom Riders
A great interview from the Oprah Winfrey archives. I chanced upon it today, 30th July 2020, which was the funeral of John Lewis who is also featured here.
The Old Guard are falling. It is time for the next generation to step in and step up.
Race vs Religion – Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man
This video contains messages I have been sharing for the past 20 years, and some of the best analogies for describing it. I love the “messy house” explanation, and the “neighbourhood watch.”
He gives great practical examples and next steps.
I have lived by the “what if I’m wrong” principle with my work. Those of you in my Membership Group have heard me speak of this for Tarot Tuesday.
Black Mental Health Matters
In the U.S. surgeon general’s groundbreaking 2016 report Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health, it states that Black Americans “are over-represented in populations that are particularly at risk for mental illness.”
Why? CLICK HERE to read the full guide.
Under Construction
As and when I have time I will add more resources here so stay tuned.
Feel free to share this Blog if you know others who can benefit from the resources shared here. Also let me know if you came across good stuff.
Anti-Racism Resources
This is an incredible resources supplied by Tavares J Bussey – @tavaresteaches on Instagram. The document was compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020. The document was written by a group of white women. They state:
“This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now.”
To view the full document go to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kx4P90ZekzPYBoBDaG3t0C-cUHdMki62HcbzGw60Db0/edit
Feel free to send me good links and I’ll add them.
Contact Information
Email: marilyn@tranceformationstm.com
Main Website: https://www.tranceformationstm.com
Blog: https://marilyndevonish.com
Online Coaching & Therapy Bookings: https://bookme.name/marilyndevonish
Online Workshops and eLearning: https://tranceformationstm.newzenler.com
Don’t be scared to talk about racism. Just be prepared to listen.
Preferably also avoid #Blacksplaining aka telling a black person what it’s like to be black from what you have observed. Even when it comes from a nice place because this often doesn’t go down well and can highlight that you are not actually listening.
There are the most wonderful and enlightening discussions and conversations to be had with learnings on both sides if as the Samaritans used to say, you can listen without judgement.
An open mind also helps.
Sulking or getting defensive if your feathers are temporarily ruffled tends not to be a helpful response.
The more you listen and sit with it, the more you can learn something and have what I call the #Aha and#LightbulbMoments as several of us did today in a previous Facebook conversation from our respective sides of the pond.
I also learnt about the pockets of great work being done, and others experiences of growing up witnessing the ugliness of it all.
Being black, or ‘of colour’ is one of the most obvious things about us, and one of the few things a human cannot change even with the vast array of surgical procedures now available, nor would I want to.
It seems easier and possibly more polite not to have what can be seemingly tricky conversations, I have however found it useful in moving the race conversation forward.
I’ve answered the: “Can you get a suntan” “How do you wash your hair” and “What is it like to walk into a place where you don’t look like you fit in” questions, and I don’t mind when they come from the right place because I don’t expect you to know the answer if that’s not your experience or upbringing. Why would you know? Answering breaks down barriers of ignorance.
I’m not interested in going round in circles for the sake of it because that brings us back to the listening, or lack thereof. I am however happy to have thought provoking and progressive conversations like the conversation I had today with Melanie Star Scot and Tracey.
Marilyn Devonish
The NeuroSuccess Consultant