no. 8: things I read and things I wrote
from the rose garden in omaha’s memorial park
Things I read
Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You by Roxane Gay. Roxane (who was born in Omaha and is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln alum, fun fact) and her fiancée Debbie have been in a long-distance bicoastal relationship, but decided to quarantine together during COVID-19. The experience has made them closer and she wrote a very sweet piece about it. (Sidenote: I love watching Roxane’s Instagram stories every day where she shares what she is cooking and baking.)
I finished Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest, by Sandra Day O’Connor and her brother, Alan Day. The book documents the fascinating everyday life (and especially the fascinating personalities!) on the ranch in the American Southwest where Sandra’s family settled before the Gadsden Purchase. I was gifted a signed copy and it took me a few months to read, off and on. It was my bathtub book, but I had to be careful not to get it wet because of the priceless signature!!
White allies, read suggestions from Black Lives Matter here about how to protest for Black lives without pulling focus or making it about you.
The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir, by André Leon Talley. I couldn’t put this book down, and I read it in two days. It was beautifully written, and very juicy. The book covers his incredibly lucky and glamorous career in fashion, the careers he has championed, racism in the fashion industry, his struggles with weight loss, a dash of romantic heartbreak, and the mark he has made on American culture as a fashion editor and writer. It also paints Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in a pretty unflattering light, but without the sexist tropes that usually accompany criticisms of her. The Chiffon Trenches is one of the best books I’ve read in the last 5 years.
Remember, No One Is Coming to Save Us, another piece by Roxane Gay in the New York Times, published May 30. “Some white people act as if there are two sides to racism, as if racists are people we need to reason with. They fret over the destruction of property and want everyone to just get along. They struggle to understand why black people are rioting but offer no alternatives about what a people should do about a lifetime of rage, disempowerment and injustice.”
A list of Omaha and Lincoln Black-owned restaurants for you to support, by food writer Sarah Baker Hansen.
Things I wrote
Black Lives in Omaha Matter - I wrote this on May 30, the night a young Black protestor named James Scurlock was killed by a bar owner at a protest in downtown Omaha. There are several videos of the murder. As of now, the County Attorney has declined to bring charges against the killer, saying he acted in self-defense. But with this decision, our justice process never even had a chance to work. It is not the job of the County Attorney to play judge and jury. The killer should present his own defense in a court of law.
Unfortunately since James Scurlock’s murderer will not be tried in court, the case will be interpreted in the court of public opinion during one of the most racially tense moments in our lifetimes. That’s why I feel this is such a dangerous abdication of responsibility on the part of our County Attorney.
Government leaders need to understand that when the justice system doesn’t work, it has wider implications than for one single case. People do see what’s going on, and the impact of each instance of injustice leads to decreased public trust in our institutions. Just layer by layer, year after year, injustice after injustice.
And on that note: So, what are we going to do?
Senator Ernie Chambers in the documentary A Time for Burning, 1966
What else
“It’s up to you to talk to your brothers and your sisters and persuade them that they have a responsibility. We’ve assumed ours for over four hundred years and we’re tired of this kind of stuff now. We’re not going to suffer patiently anymore.” -Senator Ernie Chambers, 1966
The iconic clip of Senator Chambers speaking about racial injustice as he barbers in North Omaha, in the Oscar-nominated 1966 documentary A Time for Burning, has gone viral over the last few days. It's been shared hundreds of thousands of times on Twitter by famous writers and producers and professors all over the world, including Chuck D of Public Enemy, actress Yvette Nicole Brown, and Jarrett Hill of NBC.
Film Streams currently has A Time For Burning available to stream for free online. If you haven't seen this film, watch it soon with your family. Its message is important, because until we acknowledge and understand our history, we will continue to repeat it.
Last night I participated in a listening session about COVID-19 with workers from food processing plants around Nebraska, many of whom spoke anonymously out of fear for losing their jobs. One worker said, “In the beginning of the pandemic, workers felt angry and scared. Then we started to feel helpless. Now we just feel numb. We are forced to come to work every day, hoping we aren’t the next to die.”
A Short, Nowhere-Near-Exhaustive List of Local Organizations and People to Support Right Now:
HelpBLM on Venmo, the verified account for young activists in Lincoln and Omaha who are organizing protests
Terrell McKinney, a candidate running for the State Legislature seat vacated by Senator Ernie Chambers, who is term-limited. I would like him to be my colleague.
Marque Snow, the current Omaha Public School Board president who, if elected, would be the first out gay member of the Nebraska Legislature. I would like him to be my colleague. Another note: Cringeworthy conversations with my current colleagues over the past week have reminded me exactly why we need diversity in government. We need people in leadership who reflect the people they serve—people who have experienced poverty, who have been exposed to the reality of struggle, and who understand the threat of state violence and can face it with courage. In Nebraska we have a famine of representation…
I Be Black Girl Omaha, a local nonprofit investing in Black women and girls
Black and Pink, an Omaha-based national prison abolition organization. You can donate directly to their fund to bail out protestors.
More to come. If you know someone who would like this in their inbox, forward it to them and tell your friends to subscribe. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter, too. Stay home, and stay safe.
Meg