Have a Loving Weekend.

I’m Cypriot- American and I cannnnnot believe how trendy haloumi has become in the past few years – No one know what we were eating most of my life haha

Thank you for linking “50 Conversation Starters” in your blog. As a college student, I occasionally find it hard to keep a conversation going with my family that I stay with on weekends since I am so far from home. I know that the article is geared more towards conversations with kids, but it has given me some ideas to start new conversations with my family rather than just talking about sports or what has gone on during our week.

Thank you for linking “50 Conversations Starters”. Even as a college student now, I occasionally have a difficult time trying to figure out what to say to my family who I stay with on the weekends since I’m so far away from home. Usually, we talk about sports or things that happened during the week but it doesn’t seem to keep the conversation going. But this article has given me some ideas about what to ask them even though the article is mostly designed for conversation starters for kids.
Also, the article “White people assume niceness is the answer to racial inequality. It’s not” reminded me of a class that I took last semester. The article and class made me think about how I had been treated because I look white (I am half white and half Asian), and how people treated my Asian mother because of the color of her skin. I saw a trend in the way that white people thought of me as one of their own because I look white, but whenever they would look at my mother, they tended to fake their smile and act polite to her face. I am a generally nice person to people I meet, but I’m not going to go out of my way to fake niceness for a person who might not be the same race or have the same views as me. All people deserve respect no matter what race they are. But that respect shouldn’t be faked just because their skin is a different color.

Thank you for your courage to post honest comments and links about race. As a Black woman of a certain age, it’ refreshing to find a forum where we can embrace discomfort, and contemplate without judgment.

Indeed, and an apple a day, and a cup of Jo!

Just finished “If Beale Street Could Talk” by James Baldwin in anticipation of the Barry Jenkins movie I now cannot wait to see. Beautiful, sentimental writing from a thoughtful author that I surprisingly was not exposed to in a single English class growing up (and I was an American lit major in college! It’s tragic.)

https://www.amazon.com/Tears-We-Cannot-Stop-America/dp/1250135990

This book is great, also loved The Hate U Give.

Important reads to make change. Feel like both should be required reading.

shasta- my hero!

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin Diangelo
This is a very thought provoking book about why we need to stop feeling uncomfortable about discussing racism in order to make real change in society. It is going to take white people talking to other white people about the issue and push the uncomfortable until we can start to make headway. As my dear friend said, “ I am tired of talking to white people about how what they say is wrong or offensive. You do it.”

The Gate U Give, Selma, The Help – all movies, 2 are books. Highly recommend each.

I´d recommend looking up Latasha Morrison and her organization Be The Bridge… great example of grassroots racial reconciliation:)

As a former teacher, I so wish kids had to go to school on days like MLK day and presidents’ day, etc so that time could be spent teaching them about those people and what they did instead of just an excuse to have yet another day off. I live in Northern Nevada and the kids (not mine because I don’t have any, but you know what I mean) JUST went back to school on Monday after three plus weeks of winter break. And now they have a long weekend for a thing that is loaded with teachable moments.

Black Dignity In a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown and Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson are must reads!! (Both nonfiction but so engrossing.) American Marriage by Tayari Jones is a great fiction pairing to Stevenson’s book.

Thank you for only having one product recommendation link!

A classic —The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Brilliant and honest insights on race, class, and life in America at an important time in our history. I was in tears at the end.

Love the ice cube count in 5 magical things about NYC. When I lived there I found the city full of these kinds of moments. I guess NYC gets such bad (and often lazy) press that we are surprised by moments like these.

I would add citizens gleefully and responsibly directing traffic during the blackout as if it was the culmination of their childhood dreams.

We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates is the most powerful and illuminating book about race in America I’ve encountered.

Thank you for this post, Joanna. I identify as a white woman, and for other white women I cannot recommend enough the book Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race by Debby Irving (https://www.amazon.com/Waking-White-Finding-Myself-Story/dp/0991331303). The author describes her process of unpacking all the ways in which she and her family, generations back, have benefitted from their whiteness; realizing that being white comes with all kinds of privilege that many white people have not examined; and coming to terms with the reality that, as The Guardian article that you shared says, it’s not enough for us white people to be well-intentioned and “nice” – or to have voted for Obama. It really packs a punch. A must read. And re-read.

I can relate ‘a bit’ of Logan’s journey. I grew up with both of my parents in the same house but we moved so much. We moved nine times in my first 17 years of life. There were financial difficulties, dependency issues and six children. Hard to make/keep friends. It has carried over into my adulthood. I don’t have many really close friends. I never felt ‘home’ until I married. We’ve only lived in 3 locations. And 32 (of these 38 years we’ve been married) have been in our current house. I am so happy Logan has found his home. God bless all foster/adoption families!

Britt Hawthorne’s instagram (@britthawthorne) has abundant resources, tools, insights, links, etc. She’s a teacher, and although I am not, I find her feed immensely helpful and always a great check for understanding as I navigate my own racial biases and racism. She saved some of her stories “MLK Donts” that white people should check out.

“And she is so little!” Tears.