The Struggle
The Yarn Mission exists within a larger struggle. This is a struggle for life and liberty for black folks. This struggle is inclusive of ALL contained within these marginalized groups, because we know that not all people in marginalized groups are marginalized equally. (Please read work by Kimberle Crenshaw for a WONDERFUL introduction to intersectionality: Click here to open a PDF in a new window.)
We fight because Black lives matter in light of treatment that suggests otherwise. The devaluing of Black lives is evident by our disproportionate risk for being killed by the police, living in poverty, being unemployed, lower life expectancies, and greater likelihood of being stopped, searched, arrested, and incarcerated. Black lives matter in light of the fact that white supremacy continues to perpetuate the conditions, policies, practices, and ideologies that prompt these negative consequences. Black lives matter in light of the fact that our death, criminalization, and marginalization is profitable. And we struggle even though not all negatively impacted by the status quo recognize their marginalization. We struggle for all of our Black sisters and Brothers. In solidarity, we struggle because our Latino brothers and sisters deserve much much better. We struggle because our native family has been killed and mistreated for FAR too long.
Demands
To be clear, the struggle has many demands. These demands incorporate varying perspectives but can be rooted down to “don’t kill us anymore.” The methods and tactics to achieve this ultimate demand varies. They have been summarized through many demand lists and include calls for reform, abolition, and reparations. Some of these demands may seem to contradict one another (e.g. a call to reform the police cannot be done while abolishing the police); however, the primary objective is the same. If you care about life, you are part of the struggle. From there you may pursue methods and tactics that best align with facts and understandings.
Information
The Yarn Mission is NOT the struggle but it is part of the struggle. Part of our commitment to you, is to help connect you to the struggle more broadly. Below are some websites where you may find information related to protesting (checklists, calendars, past documentation), the core issues (police brutality, systemic racism, biased reporting), and various organizations involved in the struggle. Please contact me if you know of a resource that would be useful to include.
Black Lives Matter (organization)