30-Day Challenge from The Antiracist Table

A place/site called the Antiracist Table offers a free 30-Day Challenge. (You can find more in this online binder I curate.) Sadly, I've had it on my list to do since 2020 (or 2021?), and now I'm not sad that I started and completed it this July. (There is a small fee if you want the 26-Day challenge instead - I didn't see the point. I chose July because it was my least busy month this summer.)

I waited so long because I must've been under the assumption that I had to do all the work for each day on that day. Nope. It's self-paced. The days are there to keep you coming back, and there's freedom to do the activities at your own pace.

There are meditations that I sometimes did and sometimes didn't do. And there are journal prompts that I lazily just did in my mind instead of writing them down. Things that I wanted to really stick in my mind I wrote in another journal I have from reading Me and White Supremacy.

Here's a recap, should you be thinking of joining...

Week 1 almost put me off the timeline they set, but I kept at it - probably because I enjoy reading nonfiction. There was a LOT of reading - history! Some I knew, some that was new to me - including a history of lynching (which I didn't know happened well past the end of slavery). A couple of videos were included - including one documentary about the 13th amendment.

Week 2 touched on white fragility and white silence. It also talked about feelings - there were quite a few references to Brené Brown's work.

Week 3 shared some things that people started doing in 2020 to help dismantle racist policies. It was here that I could see this challenge was created in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

And Week 4 brought it all home... making sure the participants understand what we need to do to continue on our path to become more antiracist.

Boomers Gratitude

At the Schaumburg Boomers baseball game on Friday night, I told my nephew I bet I could get two full pages of things I was grateful for. He asked me if I still blogged, so I thought I'd blog about it today, as writing a gratitude list has a tendency to make me feel better about the world in which we live.

I almost did it...

Writing a gratitude list helps me put things into perspective.

I'll add these two to the list:

     No one choked on any food.

     We could all breathe just fine. 

It's the "little things," eh?

White Culture / Norms

I finished Waking Up White by Debby Irving this summer. When reading about race, I try to read books or articles written by Black authors, but this book was on a list curated from a Black author.

I nodded with a lot of what she was saying, as I'd done or thought the same things. I wanted to write about something I'm going to delve into more, however. The author said there are dominant white culture behaviors that hold racial barriers in place...

• conflict avoidance
• valuing formal education over life experience
• right to comfort / entitlement
• sense of urgency
• competitiveness
• emotional restraint
• judgmental-ness
• either/or thinking
• belief in one right way
• defensiveness
• being status oriented

I embody all of these traits. They're holding back efforts to dismantle racism. It's up to me to consider HOW. It's up to me to consider when I uphold these cultural norms and how those instances may be stopping me (and others?) from keeping the conversations going.

Talking to a friend who is in the middle of her treatment for breast cancer, she doesn't want to ask for help. Isn't that another cultural norm? Yet communities that thrive have people helping each other all the time. When we get to help someone, we feel good. Most (?) people WANT to help. Is it due to the competitiveness listed above or the fact that we're taught we need to be independent that we choose to not ask for help? What about when it comes to issues of race? I want help doing better - I'm not going to ask a person of color because they're already doing the hard work. So what's my next step? Look to their books and the list of books they recommend! Also ask a white friend who's in this with me. Get her (yup - for me it'll be a woman) to recommend her own, and keep the conversations going. Learn together.

Of these traits, one reminds me of "don't rock the boat" or "don't stir the pot." Hubby and I both "upended the cart" when we decided to divorce our spouses (or now-many-years-exes). We were taught to NOT do that, however. Our white culture includes "conflict avoidance" and "emotional restraint." Yet if we did NOT divorce them, we'd be slowly killing ourselves - our hearts, at least. How can this cultural norm hurt progress for racial equality? Hah! That's an easy one! We don't like conflict! So it stops us from having the hard conversations. It stops us because our white culture says we have a "right to comfort / entitlement." This one is probably where so many of us fail time and again. I need to STIR. THAT. POT. I need to settle into my discomfort - especially when things come up in my classroom that should need to be addressed. 

One that the author shared more closely - being status oriented... "We are programmed to run on time. It's a construction that supports a society built upon industry, capitalism and wealth accumulation... It's not the only way. And it's not always the best way in every situation... Slowing down requires intent and effort." How does this apply to race? Instead of just going on with life when something goes wrong (because "it's not a convenient time" or "not with these other people in the room"), I'll stop and analyze it. I'll stop and reflect on what I said or did. I'll stop and have the conversation with someone who was there or someone I can trust to give me constructive feedback or help me reflect deeper. I'll try to keep the people in the room so we can start to make reparations. 

Looking at the rest of these... wow. Changing my thinking requires intent and effort. If you're interested, here's a Google Slides printout of these eleven cultural norms so we can have them handy.

Everyday Gratitude

I started this post in June of 2020 when we weren't doing much of "normal" life.

I saw it in my drafts today, so I added a bit more - without deleting anything.

Before you read mine, please check out Denise Krebs's "Letter about Everyday Beauty," and find out from where she got the idea and what you can do once you write your own. I'll be writing about what I'm thankful for, as I felt the gratitude in Denise's post...

I woke up alive. That's always a good start. Systems check - solid. No aches or pains yet. No sniffling nose or scratchy throat. Looking over, I saw my love looking back at me. "Good morning."
Electricity is still on - thank goodness for the air conditioner. And if the air stops working, Hubby knows how to fix it or where to get a part. His coffee machine turns on and smells good. Laptop is charged, and I don't see any new messages on my phone. Glad there's nothing pressing in my emails.

Breakfast toast is lovely. Dan Active keeps me healthy. Hard boiled egg? Sure! Fill up the water bottle and I'm off for my walk.

Birdsong surrounds me. Leaves blow in the breeze. Others are headed to work, while I escape to the nearby forest preserve. I'm still working on doing one thing at a time, so I'm walking without my audio book. Enhanced birdsong reaches my ears and makes me look around - keeping my head up, I take in a deep breath. Grateful I'm healthy enough to withstand the heat of the day and the miles under my feet. The cicadas now make intermittent (instead of constant) sounds. Are there a few more ripe wild raspberries for me to pick? Enough to make me smile and know I've sure taken advantage of them this summer. I make sure to stop - look around - and take in a deep breath each time I feel my thoughts get swept up in negativity. On my way back home, I may take a photo of a newspaper headline or the creek or something different I see (a slug, dragonfly, flower, kayakers, etc.), so I can show Hubby part of my morning. I may even send a photo to a friend - in order to share some of the beauty.

My resistance bands wait for me when I get back. Trying to keep myself healthy for Hubby and I to enjoy our future, I figure out what day I'm on, and I get started. Now I can learn from the nonfiction audio book in my ear. Drinking water is plentiful and makes the humidity not feel so stifling.

We've got hot water that comes through a showerhead at the swivel of a handle. Amazing. Simply amazing. Since it's muggy this morning, I enjoy a quick shower of lukewarm water instead. We purchased the huge towels last time, so I'm enveloped and then dry in no time. I can wear whatever I'd like, as I won't be going anywhere. So many comfy clothes from which to choose. Short hair is such a treat I give myself, and I'm ready to enjoy the rest of the day. 

Duolingo and Babbel are waiting for me to challenge myself and learn a bit more today. 

Hmmm... what book shall I start with now? Sitting in my favorite chair with my book, I can see when the hummingbird visits and watch the sparrows find bugs in the grass.

Mom's accessible by phone - gotta love the Google Meet app (since she doesn't have an iPhone). Good to see her and Dad still healthy. 

Friends are just a text away.

Snacking on veggies and beef jerky and nuts... knowing the chocolate will be there when I need it. It's always good to get through a meal or snack by chewing a lot so I don't choke. Breathing easily is always a plus.

Being able to take a nap while the television on in the background is a skill (or a blessing?).

Setting time limits on apps - and following them - is something I get to keep working on. Especially TikTok & Instagram - oh, I'm fortunate to find  so many funny people and animals - and then be able to turn them off! The flowers outside depend on me for some water, and my brain is asking for more quiet.

The library is one of my favorite spots (if I can't be outside).

And this... is just the morning.