Blood Money
Taking a $tand with My $
At the beginning of the summer of 2020, I've mulled over what to do with the unexpected (small) Covid-19 stimulus check I received. The payment feels like blood money with bad mojo, and I would much rather that the U.S. Government direct funding to help others in far greater need than our household, instead of mortgaging our children's future to stroke the vanity of the puerile Racist-in-Chief and his Congressional enablers.
In late May and June, the news — from the video of the Central Park macro-aggression to the lynching/murder of two men of color in Georgia and Minnesota — also disturbs me deeply, because once again, this violence against people of color holds up a mirror to our country, and the reflection of our nation's systemic racism and widespread inequality is far from flattering. There is nothing I can say to my African-American and Latinx friends except that I hear their pain. And to commit to listen more than I speak, and to do the hard work needed to grow as an anti-racist, instead of simply a passive bystander.
But I'm a guy, and my XY chromosomes want to DO SOMETHING. I need to do something. And so this morning, I donated my government surplus check to three charities/organizations:
* Bryan Stevenson's book "Just Mercy" opened my eyes to the systemic racism in our judicial system. If you can, please consider donating to the Equal Justice Initiative (eji.org) to support racial justice and criminal justice reform.
* Over 40% of homeless youth are LGBTQ+, and many of them are black and Latinx teens. The Ali Forney Center in NYC (aliforneycenter.org) continues to provide a safe home for teens who are shut out of other faith- or gender-based shelters during the Covid-19 crisis. Please consider supporting their work if your finances currently permit.
* Finally, I donated to the Biden for President campaign (go.joebiden.com). No, Biden was not my candidate of choice and he is not perfect -- but then again, neither am I. (Heaven help if the internet existed in the 1980s, when I voted for Reagan… twice. I would have been cancelled by even my most moderately liberal friends for the views I held then. Always remember that there is redemption, no matter how evil.)
It’s not a lot of money, but I feel there is justice in directing it this way. And whether canvassing or registering people to vote or marching in a Black Lives Matter rally with a medical face mask, I will do whatever I can to oust the evil, infantile racist and his right-wing enablers from power, whether in the White House, the U.S.Senate, or the New Hampshire governor's office.
There isn’t much that I can do with my limited resources to make the world a better place, but I will do what I can with what I have.