Lately as I lie about the house, as we do, scrolling through Instagram and Facebook, I am saddened by the declining number of calls to action I see on my feed. Particularly those pertaining to the Black Lives Matter movement.
I learned of the above quote while listening to a book by Jodi Picoult; Small Great Things. The book opens with this solid and extrospective quote, and in the middle of sewing I had to stop and write it down. As you can see by the images in this post, it has stayed with me for longer than that moment.
The statement was made by Benjamin Franklin, a man who in his lifetime went from owning slaves to being the president of an abolitionist group in Pennsylvania. It strikes me that if a man of those times can swing so far from one side to another, why is it so much of a struggle still? Now especially when what we are swinging over is so much smaller.
Maybe there is something that I am not seeing. Maybe this new tide is already reshaping the landscape of America and while the change may not be immediate, maybe it is here, and moving forward.
For those of you that have made a conscious change to your platform I want you to know that I see you out there fighting, and others do too. I see the posts that are still being shared and the art that is still being made. I see the people that cannot help but keep this moving. Your voice might be quieter now than it was in March, but it is still there. Maybe that is how the change is going to morph. Maybe it is turning into what is next, a constant underground river of small statements, small profound bursts of clarity for equality. Something that will eventually eat through the hate.
I urge you to continue to be the voice, continue to post and talk. Educate yourself so that you have new information to share and be there, stand up, be seen and be heard.
You may be one person in a sea of others, but so was Benjamin Franklin. And think about it, his quote from the late 1700's is relevant today. If he had not made that statement, Jodi Picoult would have found another quote to use in her book, and I may not be writing this post right now. This is what I am choosing to do with my voice and my platform to continue keeping this flame lit.
What is it that you are going to do with yours?
Best, Sarah K - Whimsberry
PS Please feel free to share and use these images.
