[RP TownTalk] Parenting children to believe that #BlackLivesMatter (Heather Cronk)

[Al Spain]

Heather -

Thank you for the invitation to dialogue and your leadership in our
community.  The murders last week, in Lousiana, Minnesota, and Dallas, have
been beyond heartbreaking.

Affirming that Black Lives Matter in no way discounts that other lives do
not matter, rather, it acknowledges the reality that "the probability of
being {black, unarmed, and shot by police} is about 3.49 times the
probability of being {white, unarmed, and shot by police} on average.
"http://journals.plos.org/plosone/articleid=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0141854

Clearly, some in our community are not interested in having this dialogue,
but many more of us are and will not be deterred by the Guiliani's of the
world.

My experience with the Riverdale Police and their community policing has
been largely positive. I am interested in learning more about their
outreach efforts, as well as the experience of others in the community.
Riverdale's strength is in its cultural and economic diversity, and its
small town in the big city feel.  Perhaps we could be a model for other
communities by working together to evaluate the present state of affairs
and create a strategic plan for a stronger and safer future for all.

>From the article you referenced for parents, what really stood out for me
was this:

"As Dr. Brittany Cooper writes: “White people should recognize that the
best way to be good allies is to go work among their own people (white
people) to create more allies. Too frequently, white allies think we are
asking them to come into our communities to affirm our account of racist
acts and structures. What we are really asking is for them to 1) affirm
that account boldly among other white people; and 2) use their privilege to
confront racial injustices when they see them happening, whether in the
grocery store or the boardroom.”

As the mother of a white son, I know that I will not need to have the same
"Talk" with my son that my black friends and neighbors will have with their
sons.  That begs the question, what kind of talks should I be having with
my white son?  I look forward to further opportunities to dialogue and
act.  I would be happy to host and create a child-friendly space so that
parents can participate.

Sincerely,
Alison Spain
Tuckerman St.

Please excuse all typos
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