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W42ST Daily 6/8/2020
It’s exhausting, isn’t it? Feeling. Fearing. Questioning. Answering. Being vulnerable. Getting it wrong. Being angry. Being scared. Marching. Chanting. Changing.
The revolution is work, my friends. It’s going to take time and effort and showing up again and again.
My trainer friend Amanda Wheeler likens anti-racism to exercise. “Remember when you first started working out,” she says, “remember how uncomfortable it was, and how nervous you were about doing it in front of other people, and how weak you were, and how your form was not correct for a while.”
We get better and stronger by showing up and doing the work. “Just like fitness is a lifelong endeavor, anti-racism is also a lifelong endeavor. We can’t workout for a month and be fit for life … Anti-racism is a muscle we have to consistently exercise to keep it strong.”
And, just like fitness, we need to pace ourselves. “Rest,” says the Nap Ministry, “is a form of resistance and reparations. It is liberating.”
Yesterday, I rested. I made carrot and zucchini fritters with my friend Matt (try them, they’re yum), and ate Chinese food in Riverside Park. I napped in the sun. Today, the work begins again.
NEW YORK STORIES
Last June, for W42ST’s Pride issue, I asked what it means to be an ally. The answers then are just as relevant today. Listen. Educate yourself. Recognize your own privilege. Make space for each other. Be kinder. Read all the enlightening, honest, vulnerable, hopeful interviews here. And, as part of our ally series, this conversation between young people highlights the intersectionality of the issue. It formed part of a larger performance piece called Artivism by Developing Artists.
WATCH
The History Channel is airing a prime-time town hall discussion tonight, in conjunction with Ozy, featuring thought leaders from the NAACP, popular culture, and beyond. We Need to Talk: Race in America starts at 8pm. Find out more.
PARTY
Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party tonight sees improv star Colin Mochrie and his wife, actress Debra McGrath, Broadway’s Tony Yazbeck and Adam J Levy, and jazzers Nicole Zuraitis, Amanda King, Nicolas King, and Anais Reno all put on a show from their living rooms. Tune in here.
VOTE
The deadline for absentee votes has just been extended to June 23. Get active here.
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