we know we matter: messages for this moment

I wrote this around 8:30 am on Wednesday, June 3rd. I started jotting down notes to share on Instagram Live, but the messages kept flowing.

These messages are for us. I hope this resonates. I know we will win.

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Be safe.

Think locally. Think short-term.
Think long-term. Figure out what you need to know.

Make sure you’re connecting with whom you need to be connected.

Offer support and be specific.

Remember to eat.

Sleep is important.

Art is important.

Knowledge is important.
Study. Read. Learn.

Be aware of your community and local organizing efforts.
With curfews and shipping delays, we need to know where to get things around us.

Ask for help.
Let your community and loved ones and ancestors support you.
Be open to receiving what you need to receive.

If you’re not in tune with your intuition, get in tune.
Listen. Really listen.

Protect yourself online.

Be gentle with yourself because the world is harsh enough.

Remember to breathe.

Look at a plant.
They’re with us.

Light a candle and watch the flame.
Fire is with us.

Drink water. Take a bath.
Water is with us.

This is a moment and this is a movement and we need to be ready for what is to come.

Call your homies and lovers and aunties to check-in.
Video chat the babies.
Remember we’re still living through a pandemic.

Breathe.

Pay attention to what’s going on in your city.
Know that people stand with us around the world.
Know that we are not alone and our siblings across the diaspora are fighting similar fights.

Gather your tools.
Food, notebooks, protective gear, first aid, herbs, candles, coloring books.
Deodorant.
Make sure you have what you need.

Protect your energy.
You don’t have to convince anyone of your humanity.

Be generous in ways that do not harm you.
Be generous because energy flows.
Money is energy.
Phone calls and home cooked meals are energy.

Buy Black, but remember capitalism cannot save us.

Care for those facing the most violence.
Listen to those who built the foundation for this moment.

Stay grounded.
All the elements support us.

Remember you are not A Black Body.
You are a Black person in a Black body. A spirit. A soul.
Don’t let people call you A Black Body.

Make sure you write and document what’s going on.
Explain it to the kids.
Tell them the truth so they don’t grow up thinking racism is just someone being mean and not something sinister, systemic, and global.

Take care of your bodies, your skin, your hair, your muscles, your immune system.
If you haven’t found what works, keep trying.

There is momentum.
There is fire. Spirit. Rage. Readiness. Fear. Anxiety.
Hope. Let us not forget hope.
We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for hope.
We wouldn’t be fighting if not for hope.

And lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we are all important.
We must all get free together.

All Black people are important.
We know we matter.
Let’s get what’s ours. 💚 ✊🏾

Originally published at https://www.thestarfruitproject.com on June 13, 2020.