In light of the lynching of George Floyd, an African American man in Minneapolis who was killed by a police officer, and the subsequent peaceful protests throughout the country, stories started popping up in social media–stories by friends, people of color I like and respect. Who, exactly, would hear them? Outside of their friends lists, how many White people actually know anything about their struggles with racism or the pain they face watching their children being the target of racist, bigoted comments? My guess is, not enough.
As the African American voices (Can I call them Black voices for the sake of typing brevity?) rose in waves from large cities and small towns around the globe, my own voice needed to be quiet. This is frustrating because the color of my skin, a virtue of my genetics, gives me a privilege and voice my Black co-createds lack. For the last week, I’ve thought, How can I use my voice and my privilege to make things better?
It’s not my voice that needs to be heard, though.What if I used my privilege to highlight and amplify the voices of persons of color? And that is what I want to do–amplify their voices. I want to be the microphone and amps through which Blacks can speak so other Whites can hear them.
So I got an idea.
I could collect and curate stories of racism from members of the African American community. I could share their stories in their voices in a book. They wouldn’t need much at all from me. Maybe a few lines of intro, maybe a little extra information they share with me.
If you’re interested in letting me share your story, I promise the utmost respect. It’s your story, your tone, your voice. I would only be the amplifier. To share your story, email me at voices@SaraDNesbitt.com. The minimal information I’d want to accompany your story is your first name, gender, and approximate age (by decade – i.e., 50s, 30s, etc.). You can choose to be anonymous, too. Other information you can share if you wish is your last name and where you live.
I’m humbled and excited about the prospect of this book. It’s time for White people to hear the true stories of our African American fellow citizens first-hand. My hope is that through these stories understanding will come.
