Colors of Change

Ever since Angela announced the RSC color for June, I started noticing pink everywhere.

Hot Pink Blooms

Kid Bike on a front yard

Even the Garbage was Pink

A lone blossom

It was as if these blooms and bicycle were not there before. They were gentle reminders to me - work on your RSC blocks, Preeti.  But it was difficult to look at fabric with swollen and teary eyes.


Me: I cannot stop thinking about those 9 minutes.
Paul: Babe!!!
Me: It wasn't just an impulsive decision. It wasn't the pulling of a trigger that happens in a fraction of a second. It wasn't the misstep of the moment. It was nine minutes of constant, deliberate pressure. What was he thinking in the third minute, fifth minute???
Paul: Will you please consider taking a break from the news?
Me: I don't want to forget it. I want to focus on it.
Paul: I understand. I am asking you to spend a few minutes with the news switched off and then when you have gathered yourself somewhat, think about what you can do to help the movement.
Me: OK.

Gathering/Auditioning

I gathered my pinks, but continued listening to the news. I heard how the outrage and the protests spread to 700 cities in all 50 states and all over the world.  There were protests in UK, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and Canada where thousands condemned racism and carried signs reading "Black Lives Matter". This was new.

Shortlisted

There was something remarkably different about this time. May be it was the brutality of George Floyd's killing that came shortly after Ahmaud Arbery's murder and Breonna Taylor's shooting in her own home, or that the American people were frustrated due to the pandemic and it was time to step out of their comfort zones and do something, or perhaps it was a combination of several causes and George Floyd's brutal death was just the last straw.

For RSC Project #2

I was horrified to see the excessive use of force by the police on peaceful protestors. The current administration reacted and poorly. That reaction was condemned by senior military leaders and former presidents. This condemnation was definitely unprecedented.

Doing the easy part first

There were calls to defund the police. I didn't think that would ever happen. But 9 out of 13 council members in Minneapolis decided that previous attempts at police reforms had failed and that they would not just defund the police department but completely disband it and replace it with something else. This is revolutionary!!!

Love how the contrast brightens everything!!!

I have seen what our combined energies have achieved in ten days. Worldwide protests were followed by several authorities announcing policy changes.  Other police atrocities came under a spotlight leading to dismissals, arrests and charges. Several cities and states are revisiting their policies, banning chokeholds,  requiring other cops to intervene when one is using excessive force, and insisting on accountability. Jurisdictions are pledging to divert funds from policing to education, neighborhoods and healthcare. Confederate statues are coming down. NASCAR prohibits the display of Confederate flags at all racetracks.

Using Paintbrush Studio fabric

A touch of gold

There is much hope and light at this moment.  It has reaffirmed my faith in America. I am aware that this journey towards Equality and Justice has only just begun. We have ways to go and I promise to do my part.

I promise to stay engaged and vote. I have also set up a monthly recurring donation to the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit legal practice set up by Bryan Stevenson in Alabama, dedicated to challenging racial injustice and defending the wrongly condemned.

Fish & Bubbles

Dark and Intense

Bryan Stevenson's book, Just Mercy was made into a motion picture starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx. Just Mercy is streaming for free (YouTube, Google Play and Amazon) in June 2020, so that we can learn about systemic racism.
Here are some other ways to learn about Bryan Stevenson and his extraordinary work.
Preet Bharara's podcast with Bryan Stevenson
Bryan Stevenson TED talk

Soothing Pinks

Floral Pinks

We all have work to do. If you feel uncomfortable about race and racism, it is time to self-examine.
I recommend the book "White Fragility -  Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism" by Dr. Robin DiAngelo. This book has been so popular that it is currently out of stock on Amazon. Fortunately, you don't have to read the book - she has several lectures and presentations available on youtube. Start with this video, just under 4 minutes. My favorite is this one -  What it means to be white in a society that proclaims race is meaningless.

Picket Star Quilt - June Blocks

And finally, I encourage you to read this article about how protests in America sparked policy change in New Zealand!!!  Yes we can and yes we did :-)

Baby Quilt - Almost Done

A new quilt - coming soon

If you came just for the pictures and skimmed over the text, I thank you.
If you read every word, I love you and I am thrilled that you are with me in this journey.

And so on...

I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties including Angela's So Scrappy, see full list on the sidebar.
As always I welcome your comments - be they about my pink blocks or my thoughts on matters black and white.

I can't breathe...

The pandemic made Maya lose her mojo for sewing, she said.
Mari wrote that she was in deep despair.
I understood but did not share their despondency.
So we have to isolate. That is all. We quilters are good with that. Work and Play continued.
Paul supplied all the hugs and my life went on largely unaffected.

Infections soared and death toll hit an ominous milestone while lies and misinformation flowed fast and free. There was no news that was not directly or indirectly related to the pandemic - what led to it, who is responsible for it, how do we see our way out of it...and so on.

On Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, one of the participants joked - I'd love a "toddler fell down a well" story right about now.  Paul and I laughed.

And then there were stories. Yes, non-pandemic stories. And I could not wish them away.
And now I am in deep despair. I have no mojo. And I am a mess as I type this. But I must.

I know I will get it together, dry my tears and wipe my snot on the sleeve of the t-shirt and begin sewing again. But not now. Not this minute.

Right now I am going to cry and scream. I am going to mourn the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and I am going to grieve over the cruel murder of George Floyd.

I am saddened and I am angry and I am frustrated. Mostly I am disgusted.

What is the color of sorrow?  Anger may be red but what is the color of disgust?
Why is hatred so white and why is hopelessness so black?

I am in this deep pit of sorrow and despair.

Is there any hope? Yes.
I listened to Jacob Frey, the Mayor of Minneapolis, and I saw hope, in spite of his brutal honesty.

Is there anything I can do? Yes.
Here is a list of things that I can do.

If you know of any quilters honoring these black men and their memories, please let me know.

Although the vaccine for Covid-19 is in the works and will become available within a year, I don't know if America will ever have a vaccine to prevent racism.

Here is a community poem shared on NPR - echoing some of my thoughts but with greater eloquence.

https://www.npr.org/2020/05/27/862339935/running-for-your-life-a-community-poem-for-ahmaud-arbery

I wish it was just the pandemic...