I want, like everything in me, to be able to write specifically about the mass shooting in New Zealand. As it happens, however, today doesn’t offer me the space or time to do so. Instead, I’m offering, here, links to blog posts I’ve written in the past about how to respond to tragedy’s like yesterday’s. In a perfect world I could add to them all some comments about how particularly and specifically lethal weapons are in the hands of white supremacists and other individuals driven by hatred, rigidity, and ultimately, fear of otherness.
Once you’ve felt your anger, grieved, and then gotten yourself grounded please do something active to become a better neighbor to those who are different from you. Learn something. Reach out. Own your racism (I am working through mine every. single. day.) and bias. Get uncomfortable. Challenge your assumptions. When ready, ask someone different from you to help you know their culture better (only if you can and will listen. Defensiveness is not allowed in this experience). Find out what activism might look like (please fight the desire to ride in on a white horse and be a savior) and dip your toe in the water when you’re ready. Without these actions, taken with intention and commitment, our world cannot heal and the tragedies will continue.
Blogs about gun violence, hatred, and tragedy:
How to Respond to Hatred and Violence
How to Respond to Unbelievable and Horrific Happenings
