To my dear fellow Mamas & Friends,
Like so many of you, we, at Miki Miette, are devastated by the recent events and the centuries-old stronghold of racism in our country. And even as a POC and an immigrant, I can personally say that my experiences are nothing compared to the injustices, oppression, racism and classism that Black people have endured generation after generation. This needs to stop now, along with the complacency of the privileged. This issue has endured far too long and has hurt far too many of our family, friends and neighbors.
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - Martin Luther King Jr.
A very powerful question I’ve heard being posed is: “When your grandchildren ask you what you did to stop this, what will you tell them?” I wanted to share with you what my experience has been. On a personal level, my family and I found ourselves right in the thick of it, all thanks to my son Grey - or as I sometimes refer to him, my CEO ❤️ He was born on MLK day, and I’ve always told him how important that day is and how amazing Dr. King was. We have multiple books on him, Rosa Parks, RBG and the like, and over the years he has taken a keen interest in civil rights. So it did not surprise me when he told me he wanted to go protest for George Floyd this last Saturday, so we did. I could see he was electrified, fascinated, empowered… everything you want to see in your child. It was one of my proudest moments as a mother that I will never forget because I knew at that moment that the seed of fighting for racial justice is now engrained in the fibre of his being. At the end of the day, our kids are what we are doing this (and everything) for, right?
For Miki Miette, my other 8 year old “baby”, my standpoint on the matter is the same and non-negotiable. We stand for anti-racism and equality for all. Period. We have joined #amplifymelanatedvoices on Instagram through June 7th, and will only be sharing and amplifying Black voices that need so desperately to be heard now. We encourage you to do the same if you have not already. Today, we are donating $1000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund to help fight for racial justice, education equality and voting rights. While I wish that number could be much larger at the moment, we all have to do what we can in the now and come together for the greater good.
We've done some research and are happy to share some excellent organizations doing attainable and quantifiable work. See the links below. I urge you to take a look, open up the discussion in your homes, learn and unlearn together.
Sending you all so much love. Stay safe and smile,
Sawako x Miki Miette
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