I ate a delicious caramel pumpkin roll with my family today. A friend of ours, who is an activist/a nurse practitioner in neurosurgery/a single mom of 14 year-old girl, baked this beautiful pastry in order to raise money for the organization, The Innocence Project. https://www.innocenceproject.org
She sold each roll for $20 and ended up raising $600. She will send the money to the organization to help release those who are falsely convicted of crimes. I did some research on this organization and found out that their project takes on district attorneys and courtrooms to fight for innocent people who are falsely convicted of crimes. Many of those falsely convicted are black men, some even on death row for murders they did not commit.
I bought two of her delicious home-made pumpkin rolls simply because I was moved by her passion to take immediate action in supporting black people and helping to fight against racism. She spent her day-off baking more than 30 rolls in her own kitchen and reached out to her friends, so that we would be able to support the movement together. She also drove to several cities in Southern California to deliver the pastries after she got off from work.
I believe that it’s right that we take the time and do something to stop the violence imposed on black people’s lives every day. Anything counts. Donating money to causes that need funding is one way to support the movement, or just showing up to a protest is another way. However, above all of those things, listening to the voice of black people who have been treated differently than white people and others by police is one of the most important “actions” to understand how they have become the victims of violence at the hands of law enforcement.
Until just recently, I didn’t know what Juneteenth was exactly about, although I had heard about it in the past and it was associated with African American culture. The hearing of black voices has really helped me to understand why these “uprisings” are happening today. And the more I listen, the more I acknowledge how I can never fully understand what black people have endured.
Even though I don’t know what I can do, exactly, I see we need for transformative change, and that can start with me. I want to stand up, and do the right thing.