Support BLM in Everett: Practice Being an Ally
This article is addressed to my “White Everett Neighbors”, because I am White. I did my research from that perspective. I would never presume to make recommendations as these to Black neighbors or other people of color and wanted that to be very clear. I hope you will not take offense to that opening and continue to read and learn. -Linda
Dear White Everett Neighbors,
Many of us are trying to get our footing and figure out what we can do to support our Black neighbors in their protests and efforts to end police brutality against them.
The institutions, biases, and culture that oppress our Black neighbors have been built up and reinforced for over 400 years. They need to be torn down and rebuilt, and that is going to take some time. Right now the focus is our public safety system, a system I am told does not make Black people feel safe.
Next, there is the justice, healthcare and education systems. Housing. Lending. Voting.
It’s a lot and it’s a long road.
I’ve been doing a lot of reading and what I believe we need to do is practice being an ally. An ally is defined as a helper that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity, or struggle. Practice means we do it habitually, repeatedly or regularly.
We can be by our Black neighbors’ side as an ally through what will be an exhaustive battle to dismantle the racist institutions we built. Even more, there are areas of our system that we need to blaze the way and open up the doors for their voices to be heard. How many of our lawmakers are Black?
Here are a few ways I believe we can practice being an ally to our Black neighbors.
Learn
We need to listen and learn. Sara Boyle, Director of Connect Casino Road, suggests that we find out the demands and recommendations of our local Black grassroots organizing bodies, educate ourselves about them and then make THOSE demands our “North Star”.
An excellent resource for learning is Scaffolding Anti-racism Resources. It lays out stages of “white identity development” and has activities for each stage. We can determine which stage we are in and get to work. The document is packed with resources and to support the work to create the document, they ask for a donation to select organizations. You might consider it tuition - that is going to a good cause.
Another resource recommended to me is Seattle-based writer and speaker Ijeoma Oluo.
Contribute
We have some strong organizations in Snohomish County working for racial justice. Follow them on social media, learn from them and share their words. Donate to support their work.
Communities of Color Coalition (C3) works to problem-solve and advocate for social justice, cultural and religious respect and human rights, with a focus on people of color and other under-represented groups. They are working to eliminate personal and institutional racism, provide equal access to and opportunities in education, economic development and employment as well as fair and equal treatment under the law and in our society.
NAACP of Snohomish County works to counter racial injustice, discrimination and hate. You can donate to help support the organization and attend their events. On June 2 they issued an official statement with a list of items for adoption by County and City Law Enforcement. You can read it here and then advocate for them.
Leadership Snohomish County has a 5-month racial equity training program. If you can’t commit to a training program, consider donating to help pay tuition for someone else.
There are other organizations working on racial justice in Everett including Snohomish Ebony PAC and Northwest Justice Project and Persist PAC.
Advocate
The Snohomish County Council passed a resolution condemning racism, and supporting peaceful protests in Snohomish County. The resolution includes a commitment to finding actionable ways to make our system more just for everyone and to stand proudly for racial equality, and condemn any and all hate-based organizations that are counter to this mission. The Everett City Council has followed suit.
But a resolution is just words on paper. Our representatives have committed to these resolutions and it is our responsibility to hold them accountable.
You can find your representatives here.
Please sign up to receive council meeting agendas for Everett City Council (scroll down to agenda section). Snohomish County Council does not seem to have an option to receive agendas via email. Councilmembers have newsletters you can sign up for and you can find out about their meetings here.
These are just a few ideas I have. I know there is more to do and I am listening and learning every day.
Thank you to Everett City Councilmember and community activist Liz Vogeli and Director of Connect Casino Road Sara Boyle for their input on this article.
Linda War Bonnet represents south Everett on the Live in Everett Team. When she isn’t working, she is running the Westmont-Holly Neighborhood Association. You might spot her walking her dog in the Holly neighborhood.
