Little, Tiny, Necessary Steps
When a young Black father was killed for having expired license plates, how can we brazenly post about wine? Rest in Power Daunte Wright.
When 7th-grade boys who still play with Legos are killed with their empty hands up, how can Nasty Woman Wines promote our business? Rest in Power Adam Toledo.
When elderly Asian grandmothers are punched in the face with intense violence and vitriol, what does it matter about something so silly as Instagram?
When children are gunned down in elementary schools year after year while politicians offer thoughts and prayers, are we to raise a toast to our culture that celebrates automatic weapons?
That is what life feels like sometimes. When death, racism, and systematic oppression are walls of terror around us, doing anything mundane or normal not only seems trivial but even… wrong and irresponsible.
How do we, as consumers, as humans, go on living when everyday life is filled with such hate and atrocity?
Like most Americans, we’re still reeling from the pandemic that we’re literally still in the middle of. Yes, that putrid orange Cheeto of a President is gone, and we have our very Black, first South Asian, and first woman Vice President. But that doesn’t resolve the issues of a country that was colonized stolen land built with the labor of stolen, enslaved people. We are built from violence. It should come as no surprise that violence continues unabated.
So when it feels overwhelming, when it’s all too much and too horrible, we need to focus the lens. Instead of a wide-angle macro view, we need to zoom into the micro and the minutia. The little details, the day-to-day, even hour to hour. We can make small changes, systematic changes, in our daily lives.
We can vow to educate ourselves. Listen to podcasts, watch documentaries, and read books about racism. Donate to local mutual aid organizations that support communities directly. We can contact our politicians to ensure they know how we feel – about police brutality, about racist rhetoric, about gun laws. And we can spend our money in a way that reflects our values. Perfect example – instead of buying White Fragility from Amazon, buy a book written by a Black author (we love Ijeoma Oluo) at a local independent bookstore owned by a woman.
These small steps add up. It’s being anti-racist in your daily life. As we stated before, being a feminist doesn’t mean you have to attend a Planned Parenthood rally, although that would be rad. It can simply be believing and supporting women. The same applies to being anti-racist. To ALL of your values and ethics. You don’t have to martyr yourself. It’s not healthy. But if you make the conscious choice to spend your time and money more thoughtfully, you are living a life that is making a difference.
We are a capitalist country. And money talks. So spend your money on goods and services sold by people who share your values.
Buy from Black-owned and women-owned businesses. People who pay their employees’ livable wages. Companies that hire, support, and promote people of color. Organizations that give back to their community. Products that are made in environmentally-friendly ways. Whatever matters to you can matter to others too, when you spend your money and time in thoughtful ways.