“Listen to the mustn’ts, child. Listen to the don’ts. Listen to the shouldn’ts, the impossibles, the won’ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me… Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” ― Shel Silverstein

Y’all, 2020 continues to amaze me. Who knew the first week of June would be like this? City curfews, Black Lives Matter protests in all 50 states, businesses scrambling to put out statements of support, more police brutality, y’all the list goes on. An exhausting and long week indeed. I do want to share a few resources that may be helpful during this time:

1. If you’re looking for ways to help, this link has a comprehensive list of petitions to sign, organizations to donate to, government officials to text/ call and more.
2. This resource here is an amazing collection of Scaffolded Anti-racists resources: movies to watch, books to read, how to tackle common questions and more.
3. If you want to be a better ally for the Black community and other underrepresented minorities in the workplace, follow @Betterallies on Twitter and subscribe to their newsletter. I posted their image below on my Twitter page and folks loved it!

Now on to the get down!

What I’m thankful for: Everyone who has been speaking out against the racial injustices against Black people. Those who have been protesting, sharing their experiences with racism, amplifying the voices of others, and moving towards action, thank you, thank you. Yesterday, my husband and I participated in a demonstration of solidarity. Along with other healthcare professionals around the country, we took a knee for 10 minutes, in complete silence to honor George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others who have suffered from racial injustice. It was powerful.

What made me laugh this week: Twitter is typically my go to for laughs, but maaaan, this week y’all, rough. It honestly felt like this tweet. I did get a lot of good laughs on a show I started watching – talking about it below!

What inspired me: The same thing as what I’m thankful for. Everyone protesting, speaking out, demanding change, all amazing and inspiring.

What I’m loving: The amplification of black businesses, yes, yes, YES! I am so here for it. Yesterday, Forbes published 75 Black-Owned Businesses to Support; Uber Eats announced it will stop charging delivery fees to black-owned restaurants for the rest of the year; and if you’re into make-up like I am, Allure published 41 Black-Owned Beauty Brands to support.

What I’m reading: I’m still finishing up “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office.” Once I’m done, up next is “Queenie” by Candice Carty-Williams. I’m part of a book club and this is our June book – really excited for this one.

What I’m listening to: I ran outdoors a few times this week and Soca music got me going. This Spotify playlist is my absolute fav for soca runs.

What I’m watching: Love Island (UK) season 6. I’m late to this show, but ahh I’m totally digging it. Funny, entertaining, exactly what I needed this week. Soon as I’m done I plan to watch the previous seasons.

What I learned I could do better: I said I wanted to do a full social media fast in my last post, and I tried several times this week but was unsuccessful. Earlier in the week, it was definitely affecting my mood. I decreased my usage, and eventually deactivated my Facebook two days ago. Now if I could stay off Twitter and Instagram for 24 hours or more, that would great.

One goal for next week: Trying a social media fast again, 24 hours minimum, lehgooo.

Hope you enjoy your Saturday!

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