Thinking about the police murdering George Floyd in Minneapolis + Amy Cooper weaponizing her whiteness in New York + all the ways the black community (+ other folks of color) have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic (+ how that’s shaped our national response to it).

And how this moment calls for truth-telling + public mourning + meaningful action.

(Living in a white supremacy means it’s always time for truth-telling + collective grief + meaningful action).

As I’ve thought about what to say + how to say it + what to do + how to be (as a white person) right now, I keep coming back to this:

Truth-telling matters.

I’ve seen lots of people say that speaking out + telling the truth isn’t enough.

And they’re absolutely right. It’s not enough.

But let’s not confuse “not enough” with “doesn’t matter”.

I believe it’s important to say things like:

- The United States is a racist police state + that’s fucked up.

- White supremacy is real + it kills people.

- As white people, we need to get really honest about the ways white supremacy is alive in us + how our whiteness ties us to white supremacy + how we use/ participate in/benefit from that connection in ways that hurt people.

- Black lives matter.

Not because saying any of this absolves us from responsibility. Not because it’s enough. Not because it’s never been said (and said *way* better) by others.

But because it’s an act of solidarity.

Because ideas matter. They create culture + build worlds + form community. And it matters that we speak + share + amplify good ones.

Because in a world where lots of people deny (+ stand in active opposition to) what’s real, we have a moral imperative to tell the truth. Loudly + consistently + powerfully.

So to my fellow white people who feel frozen right now because it feels like nothing you say or do is enough: Acknowledge that it isn’t. And then say one true thing + do one helpful thing anyway.

Speak truth *and* follow it up with meaningful action.

(Lots of smart people have ideas for that. I’ll share some of them below).

Let's keep going.