Issue #9 | June 12, 2020

Hey, friend!

I invite you to take a deep breath with me.

In through your nose.

Out through your mouth.

Overwhelm is real. Exhaustion is real. Content overload is real. As such, please accept this heartfelt, but intentionally and lovingly brief, issue of SHE DOES.

Whatever you take away from this newsletter, please a) register to vote by absentee ballot, and b) remember to permit yourself the space to rest and recharge when needed. It is not possible to give your best when you are depleted. You can't pour out from an empty cup.

As a gift from my community to yours, some of my black friends and family put together this Spotify playlist featuring our favorite music from black artists across several genres and decades. You’re invited to listen along and celebrate black art, patron black artists, and enjoy some good music!

Like I promised, the rest of this issue is blessedly short and incredibly intentional. As a biracial woman—half black, and half-white—I wanted to write a heartfelt love letter to my friends from each community, those who are of color and those who are not.

To all my sisters, hang in there and take good care.

Be well, friends.

Xx Taylor

 To My Black Friends 

You are seen, you are heard, you are supported.

I see you and your unmatched grit. I hear you and your undaunted persistence despite generations of hardship and trauma. I support you in your strength; I support you in your softness; I support you for all that you are. Let this post by Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving, and these words by my friend Nate Miles, remind you and encourage you of your worth as a black woman. Because you more than matter.

You are not alone.

Any person of color can name an instance, or several, in which they were the “only one” in the room. Perhaps that is the norm in your circles. Whatever the case, you’re not alone. You’re valued by your community, you’re needed by your siblings of color, and you’re doing the important work of being a good ancestor. Hang in there, sister.

You are loved.

And you deserve to rest. This journey is a marathon. This post by activist and author Rachel Cargle reminded me: resting is resisting. All of this—the pandemic + the movement + the lack of physical community for most of us—has taken a toll on mental health. In love and care, I wanted to share this Google doc of mental health resources for the black community, created by Girls’ Night In.

 To My Friends Who Are Allies 

You are needed.

It is interesting that this long overdue wave of activism has come while many of us are “stuck” at home with family. Is it a coincidence? Is it a contributing factor? Whatever the case, it’s an opportunity. Consider taking some of these thought-provoking questions to your family dinner table, with love and with patience and with the goal of common understanding. Find more food for thought on my BLM Instagram highlight.

 
You are allowed to be wrong.
Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. ” Forgive yourself for past ignorance the moment you recognize it, learn from it, and decide to be better. You may need to apologize for your actions or words, depending on the situation, but you don’t need to carry them with you. If you’re a reader, consider diving into this list of novels about black lives that can nourish your soul with a good story, while affording you a glimpse into cultures besides your own. Feel free to pass it on!

 
You are appreciated.
While I am not typically in the business of thanking people for doing what is right, as we are all called to do what is right, I acknowledge that this work is hard and that your privilege affords you the option to abstain. With that in mind, I say thank you for doing the work. You, also, deserve the space to rest and recharge when you are too depleted to push forward with the zeal necesarry to do the work. But please do not permit yourself to backslide into apathy once the work is no longer “trendy.” For a wonderfully succinct roadmap to a life of activism, see this infographic by artist Danielle Coke.

Until there is justice, there will be no peace.✨

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

"It’s up to all of us—Black, white, everyone—no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out. It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own."

-Michelle Obama (via Twitter)