Centering Anti-Racism, by Ib Grace

Now, when people call me "crazy" or the R word, I am proud of it, because solidarity, and also actually nobody knows what autism is. I can relate to both intellectual and mental disability. It's kind of physical, too. There's pain a lot. I fall upstairs, trip on nothing and break myself. Plus I'm a queer woman. So I can relate to a lot of things.

Nothing about any of this will ever make me know what it is like to worry every day that someone will hatefully take it upon themselves to murder my precious babies just because of the color of their skin. Nobody should be able to relate to this. It is unconscionable. But Black mothers know, and this is a lot of our friends, and when they try to talk about it, I cannot just sit there and think to myself, 'but that's not me though,' or be all "gun control ok bye."

Deep, committed solidarity, love and respect for racialized minorities. I need to learn to do more. For me, it starts now, in this intersection, for all the world and everybody's babies.

Here is my friend Kerima's post, which inspired this awakening. It hurts to read it. I will always be grateful that I read it. Another such breathtaking must-read post by a writer I admire but do not personally know is linked here.

Thanks for listening.

Love, Ib