The first message I wrote was meant to be from the whole Dialogue group. But this one is from Mary Webb.
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
And vicious nasty attitudes toward African American people and other people of color need to be stopped now! Permanently! Forever!
During 78 dialogues, covering 22 years, we have explored racism. We call it Living Room Revolution: The Race Dialogues. We come from everywhere, and there have never been fewer of us than 20. We share food, and then we introduce ourselves. Many people say: I am Jane (or whoever) — I am here to listen and learn. I am Harry — I want to learn about other people and their lives. I want to understand. I want to appreciate their lives, their joy, their efforts and understand some of their pain. I want to help.
We did a workshop — not at my house — called “Crossing the Line,” where people talked about how crossing a cultural line to teach dance or to do art in the park with children you hadn’t known before could be enriching for everyone, including you.
BLACK LIVES MATTER!
We are endlessly grateful to people all over the world who have taught us something about how to live!
One of my closest friends told me: “Some friends are for a reason, some friends are for a season, some friends are forever.” Dialogue buddies are forever!
We hope to move other people in our direction. Maybe other people will start dialogues or dance troupes or reading groups where people study books like Jennifer L. Eberhardt’s Biased.
Listen to Jennifer Eberhardt.
Read Hilton Als.
Read Toni Morrison.
Read Cornel West: Race Matters and Democracy Matters.
Read Lorraine Hansberry.
Read anything by James Baldwin, but especially No Name in the Street.
BLACK INTELLECT MATTERS!
Black intellect teaches and opens the intellect of other people to new learning.
BLACK DANCE IN ALL OF ITS POWER MATTERS!
(See Katherine Dunham.)
BLACK MUSIC MATTERS!
(John Coltrane et al.) Ellis Marsalis (Wynton Marsalis et al.)
BLACK INTELLECT MATTERS!
One day my three-year-old grandson Jabari (who was holding my hand) leapt upward, and while his small legs pumped bicycle motions in the air, he shouted: “I love learning things!” I swore under my breath, “I will keep this alive in him, no matter what.”
We must keep the amazing intellect of Black Lives alive!
BLACK EMOTIONS MATTER!
Black emotions open us up to new ways of feeling and thinking and being.
BREAK WHITE SILENCE!
Speak from your heart. And do whatever you can to show how much Black Lives Matter (to you).
With special thanks to all the people in Alachua County, Florida, who taught me so much of what I know. With special thanks to all the people in California who taught me so much of what I know. And to the people of Africa who taught me so much of what I know.
Thank you Africa! Thank you Ghana for taking care of my son! Thank you Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco! Thank you Liberia!
I took my son, Alex, out of school when he was ten, and we hitchhiked through Europe and Africa for eight months.
BREAK WHITE SILENCE!
And tell us what you have learned.
Remember Africa!
(with special thanks to Leroy Andrew Tillman)