Five years have passed since the quick succession of murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd in the spring of 2020 gave rise to Black Lives Matter demonstrations. At that time, the artist posted, in her majority-White community, short narratives of shocking evidence. She continues to write these portrayals, evocative of epitaphs, which are a form of elegy, to stir people afflicted directly and indirectly by police brutality. Today, saying the names of Ahmaud, Breonna, and George still elicits pain. Police reforms have soured. The legality of DEI is central to the political debate. We need clarity on what we’re doing to promote equity and inclusion. Leaders need new terminology to build inclusive workplaces infused with respect. It’s impossible to build trust in a vacuum.
Part of being American is to reckon with our past and memorialize it. Presented here are resources from conversations organized to elicit dialogue around issues of racial justice, a downloadable history of voting rights and suggestions for experiential learning. We must rely on ourselves to get educated. A Living Memorial is searchable by name, date, or location. It is the online version of the artist’s site-specific work that evolved while A Memorial Field was installed at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid from 2020–2024.
ABOLITION
What is abolition? Beyond its history, it is the response to an injustice that deeply shocks your psyche. You wake up to a keen sense of what is right and wrong. You use your skillset to nurture a different way and to grow an effective engagement to end harm. Your imagination and your identity are now rooted in abolition, a comprehensive, courageous movement to redefine safety, justice, and relation in America.
EDUCATION
Why is our country’s history of racism repressed or distorted in schools? Why are patterns of harm hidden or denied? White families have long had the privilege of not talking about racism. Dig into hidden histories to find facts that contradict a complacency around you. Your awareness grows of complicitness in systems of oppression. You find the courage to reimagine policing in America.
COMMUNITY
How do you make contact with people who recognize your passion? Your spark leads to a larger network of support. You touch a difficult subject and learn how breaking the silence touches a nerve, and why the struggle to provoke social responsibility makes us alive to our everyday surroundings. Courage anchors our commitment to redefine our relationships. Courage endures. Even if the dream is confounding, you facilitate authentic possibility and nurture joyful connection.
