Running Head: BLACK LIVES MATTER

Field Trip Reflection: Black Lives Matter

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Event Description

This event was hosted in partnership between the Northwest African American Museum
(NAAM) and the Seattle People of Color Salon and held on January 15, 2015 at Mount Zion
Baptist Church. Set up as a Pecha Kucha style presentation, this event highlighted thirteen
Seattle community members. Each speaker was allocated six minutes to speak about their
reflections on the Black Lives Matter movement, their current research, or their stories as a
Black member in our community.
Why This Event
I was particularly drawn to this event because of the connection to current events, and for
the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about racial climate in Seattle and globally. I was very
aware of the trending #BlackLivesMatter movement on social media, but had not created space
to hear personal stories and narratives about individuals experiences as a Black community
member outside of Seattle University. I was able to also identify that although I had been reading
several news articles and posts about this movement, I had not become as engaged in it as I
would have liked, and I recognized that inaction merely contributed to the systems of injustice. It
was time for me to actively become engaged in creating a more equitable system of privilege and
oppression both personally and professionally. I felt this event would provide me a good starting
place to feel more connected to this movement and spark tangible ways I could support this
movement as an ally, but still giving voice to the Black lives that are directly impacted by the
racism that exists in our country.
Reactions to the Experience
When I first entered the space, I was very moved by the lack of White representation in
the audience. Out of the crowd of hundreds of community members, there were only a handful of

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White individuals. Walking into this space and noticing this lack of representation from White
allies was very startling and impactful. It made me realize that like myself, other White folks
were not outwardly connected to the movement. However, it also made me sad to know that the
most privileged people in our society, who have the power and voice to make systems of
privilege and oppression more equitable, were not in solidarity at this event and didnt appear to
truly want to create change. I made it my intentions for the event in this moment to deeply listen
to the stories and experiences, and to critically reflect on what I could do in this movement
personally and professionally.
Out of the several speakers that presented on a variety of topics, two stood out the most to
me. The first memorable speaker was a gentleman who works for City Council. In his speech, he
shared his reflections on White allyship and connected Simon Seniks Three Golden Circles idea
to Black Lives Matter. He shared that in his experience, White allies are more concerned with
what they do versus why they work to create more equitable systems. While I had been aware of
The Golden Circles concepts, I had never heard it applied to allyship and social movements until
this moment. It was only in hearing this, that I was able to recognize that I had never identified
why I am passionate about this work, and why I personally and professionally choose to create
more equitable systems of power. This speech really stood out to me in the call for White
community members to take action rather than choosing to disengage from the movement.
The second speaker that was the most memorable for me was a woman who shared her
experiences as a Black woman living in Seattle, while still having her family and community ties
to Ferguson, Missouri. Throughout her presentation, she kept repeating the phrase, I have 43
first cousins and one sibling, and by the grace of God we are all still alive. Having the
opportunity to hear this sentiment repeated several times throughout the six minutes was very

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startling and jarring. It wasnt until the speaker shared this statement for the fourth time that it
finally resonated with me. As a White person, I have been granted the unearned privilege of
being able to walk in my communities at night and not fear for my safety, and I have never had
to worry that my siblings or cousins would be unsafe in their own communities. It was at this
moment in the event that I started having a very emotional response and felt myself having to
hold back tears. I finally heard the powerful message that was reiterated throughout the night- all
lives will matter when Black lives matter, and inaction perpetrates oppression.
Reflection and Learnings
Overall, I found this event to be incredibly impactful both personally and professionally.
This event gave me the opportunity to unpack my own identities further, to further understand
how my identities impact my relationships with those around me, and provided me with a call to
action within my communities.
One of the biggest reflections I have from the experiences is how much more work I have
to do to create more equitable systems. These past two years I have had the opportunity to do a
lot of self-reflection about my own identities and how my identities impact the way I show up
professionally with colleagues, peers, and students. While I feel I have come to understand
myself on a much deeper level, this event showed me how much more work I have to do on this
journey. Through attending this event, it became clear my intentions and impact can be vastly
different in terms of the social justice issues I am passionate about. My intentions are to help
create more equitable systems for underrepresented students on campus, and more broadly for
underserved populations globally. However, by choosing silence and choosing to not fully
engage in movements like #BlackLivesMatter, the impact I have is merely perpetrating systems
of privilege and oppression.

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Another key reflection I had after attending this event is the lack of White
allyship, and the impact this has on creating change. I was very uncomfortable entering into a
space where the majority of folks in the room were people of color, and there were only a
handful of White individuals. This made me uncomfortable, not for being in a space without my
race represented, but rather I was uncomfortable at the lack of White individuals who were
visibly taking time to listen to these stories and presentations. After taking some time to reflect
on my uncomfortability, I was able to identify that my White friends utilize social media to
engage with this campaign, but have not given up time to listen to others stories in person and to
truly sympathize with the experiences of resilience and racism felt in our own community. This
idea led me to question how movements happen, and what would it take for everyone to care
enough to become involved in the #BlackLivesMatter campaign. So what would it take for
everyone to care about this issue, and care more than simply posting a status or article on
Facebook? What would it take to give members of our community who are experiencing racism
and oppression the dignity everyone is entitled to?
In this process, I have realized my role is to engage other White folks in this conversation
about racial equality. After taking time to understand the liminal space between wanting to be
involved in movements that create equitable systems and still giving space for underrepresented
voices, I have learned that I can engage other privileged people in the conversation about racial
equality. While I do not have all of the answers, I firmly believe that the first step is not shying
away from engaging in the conversation. Not only will I intentionally bring this conversation
into the workplace with my students and colleagues, but I will also navigate conversations about
racial equity with my family and friends. I anticipate these latter conversations to be trickier to
navigate, but since I have been able to identify why I believe this work is important, I am willing

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to be in the uncomfortable space to continue the conversation. My hopes are that by beginning
the conversation within my sphere of influence, I will prompt others to also bring the
conversation of #BlackLivesMatter and racial equity to their spheres of influence, which will
then have a ripple effect. Again, through this process I have recognized that until privileged
people in power believe this is an important topic and are willing to have the conversation, as a
society, we will not change the racial climate or systems of racial inequality.
Finally, in this process I have been able to recognize the importance of self-care in social
justice work. During the experience, I was having a very emotional response to many of the
speakers. Although I felt uncomfortable in the space at times, I always felt safe. After hearing all
of the stories throughout the night, I was able to recognize that my safety and ability to engage or
disengage from the conversation is a huge unearned privilege. Others are not granted this same
privilege and are not able to disengage from the conversation and movement. However, after
being in this space I was also able to hear all of the frustration, anger, resentment, and exhaustion
the speakers were feeling. This led me to truly comprehend and understand just how emotionally
and physically draining social justice work can be at times. Although there is always more social
justice work to be done, it is important that we take care of ourselves in this draining process and
bring life back into ourselves to fuel our work. Whether this is choosing to let a micro-aggression
go un-called out, spiritual practice, or work on our physical health, it is important to take care of
our minds, bodies, and souls during this work. Without being able to attend #BlackLivesMatter
Pecha Kucha I dont think I would have been able to truly understand and reconcile the impact
emotional, and mental health has on social justice work.

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Conclusion

This experience has been unbelievably rewarding and allowed me to reflect on ideologies
and concepts that I truly needed to- both personally and professionally. Through attending the
Black Lives Matter event I have been able to identify that my intentions and impact are not
always the same and how to reconcile that gap in my work towards creating more equitable
systems of power. Additionally, I had to truly reflect and understand why I was not fully engaged
with this movement until this event and unpack more of my privilege and how that impacts the
way I interact with the world around me. Finally, I have come to understand that until privileged
community members believe this is an important issue and engage in conversation with one
another about racism and systems of privilege and oppression, we will not be able to create a
more equitable and just world.