Imagine Better Futures

One of the most important messages of Flash Forward is that we can, and should, try to imagine better futures. But sitting back and picturing the future in our minds isn’t enough. It takes work to make those futures happen. That is what the recent protests and actions in the United States are all about — fighting for a better future, specifically for black Americans. That fight is incredibly important, and I want to take a minute to encourage you all (and in particular white listeners) to find ways to get involved in it. Not just now, in this moment of action, but in the long run.

We all have a responsibility to work towards futures that are more just, more caring, and more inclusive. 

In that spirit, I ask that folks engage with these resources, and spend some time thinking about how they can get activated and work towards a better tomorrow.

READ

• Understanding Systemic Anti-Black Racism in the United States: A Reference List
• Anti-racism resources
• The 1619 Project 
• So You Want to Talk About Race by  Ijeoma Oluo
• White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
• How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
• The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
• The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs

DONATE

• Find your local bail fund and donate there to help protestors.
• Black Lives Matter 
• Black Visions Collective 
• Reclaim the Block 
• To the victims (a list of verified funds for those recently murdered)
• To black owned businesses (find those in your area, and here’s a small list of those in Minneapolis who were damaged during the protests)
• To organizations doing the work

LISTEN

• 1619 (New York Times)
• About Race
• Code Switch (NPR)
• Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw

PARTICIPATE 

• 26 Ways to Struggle Beyond the Streets ← tons of great resources in here!  
• Have hard conversations with your white & non-black friends and family. It’s going to be uncomfortable, but that’s part of the work. As Kendra Pierre-Louis said on Twitter “Wanting racism to end without discomfort is like wanting abs without doing a crunch. It’d be nice, but it’s not going to happen.” 
• Get in touch with your local activists organizations and see what they need and how you can help. There are likely people in your community who have been working on this for decades. See how you can help them.

The future can be better, but it won’t get better unless we fight for it. You can be part of that fight right now. And if you think that this is outside the bounds of Flash Forward, you haven’t been listening very closely. 

In solidarity,

Rose