June 5th, 2020
To the Blue Balloon community:
I’ve hesitated to write anything this week because I believe this is a time to listen and let Black people speak. But racism breeds in silence and I am committed to doing everything I can to stand in solidarity and make a difference.
I want to be really clear on where we stand.
Black Lives Matter. We stand with our Black families, the Black community and the protesters. We support you, we stand with you.
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery are unconscionable and horrific. And this feeling of horror and terror is not new. I think of Philando Castile, Freddie Gray, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Rodney King, Emmett Till and countless other Black people whose names I haven’t mentioned and whose names I may never know who were murdered by the brutal police and our culture of white supremacy.
I am not neutral. Blue Balloon is not neutral. I am committed to being an Anti-Racist, and for Blue Balloon to be an anti-racist organization. I recognize that there is more I can do to actively condemn and fight against racism and racist violence, police brutality, micro-aggressions and systemic racism. I recognize that while Blue Balloon is an extension of myself as a solo founder of over 10 years, there is more I can do as a company (and should have been doing all along) to make sure Blue Balloon is actively being Anti-Racist.
As Toni Morrison said: “White people have a very, very serious problem…and they should start thinking about what they can do about it.”
I am thinking about it. I want to do more.
Many of you may know that I am married to a Black man and have two biracial boys. As a wife and a mother, I spend as much time as possible reflecting on my own privilege and exercising the muscle of listening. I discuss race and racism with my children and have done so since they were babies. I attempt to have the difficult conversations I’ve been conditioned to shy away from. I am committed to feeling the discomfort, fighting against oppression and being the biggest ally I can possibly be.
But I recognize this is not enough. I think of George Floyd calling out for his mama — and I look in the eyes of my own children and other children of color in our community and know I have not done enough.
HERE IS WHERE WE ARE STARTING
We are making donations to Black Lives Matter, The Conscious Kid (they are currently matching donations to provide rent assistance to Black families), The George Floyd Memorial Fund & The Liberty Fund (which helps post bail for people in NYC).
We have expanded our scholarship program to include more full-ride opportunities and will actively seek out more children of color beginning NOW.
We will provide Blue Balloon teachers and staff with access to a wealth of anti-racist resources and guidance for age appropriate discussions about race, equality and justice.
We will continue to post additional resources over the coming days on how white parents can talk about race with their children and consider ways in which we can better support our families and teachers of color.
We encourage you to text 504-09 with “Sign Ristus” to repel 50-A which insulates police disciplinary records from public scrutiny in the state of NY.
We will continue to do the work needed to be Anti-Racists even if this movement is eclipsed by others in the coming, days, weeks, months and years.
To the families of color in our community: we are here for you. We hear you, we see you, we are listening. We also recognize it is not your job to teach us. It is our job to educate ourselves and figure out what we can do about our problem.
