I wasn’t originally planning on talking about the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I had decided that I am too ignorant of the real plight that faces Black people, or frankly all minorities. I recognize that I’m more privileged than most, and while I don’t come from a wealthy history (my parents were teachers), I still recognized that I had a great childhood compared to many and have had many opportunities that others have not had. I felt like I had a basic understanding of the state of racism in America, but the past weeks have been eye-opening to just how wrong I was.
This morning, I listened to the latest episode of Coffee with Butterscotch, an excellent and hilarious podcast by the developers of an incredibly fun maker-game Levelhead. Before listening to this episode, not only did I feel like I wasn’t qualified to talk on the subject, I also felt like I wanted my community to be a safe place free of the stresses of the world – at the time, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic. Coffee with Butterscotch also took this approach until today’s podcast.
The guys quickly convinced me to re-evaluate my position on staying silent. As I reflected on the topics discussed on the podcast and on my feelings of the state of the United States throughout the entire year of 2020, I came to the conclusion that staying silent is not okay. I highly encourage anyone who does read this to give a listen to the podcast episode.
I’ve been hearing more and more of companies making changes, sometimes on their own free will and other times due to social pressure. I believe that it is the right time to try to stamp out racism. I’m worried about the effects of protesting on the COVID-19 pandemic, but the energy behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement is incredible. We need to use this energy to drive actual change, and everyone needs to recognize that staying silent in fighting racism is not morally defensible.
For me, upon reflecting more closely today, it was a natural choice. I have no customers yet. My plans were already to create a heavily-moderated community to ensure everyone felt welcome and included. For those who have businesses and are uncertain how their customers would react by associating themselves with this movement, I understand your plight. If your customers respond negatively, it may mean the difference of paying the bills next month. But by not joining the movement in making a statement that Black Lives Matter, you are not helping provide a unified front in confronting those who have immoral and racist beliefs.
My personal actions will be to continue privately donating to non-profit organizations that support equality, human rights, and social injustices. And, to that end, I will also be investigating how to make this a core part of how Khonsu Labs works. I don’t know what exactly that entails, but I have a few ideas I’m looking into pursuing.
I’ve been starting to stream on Twitch, and I remember seeing an option in StreamLabs to configure donations to a charity. I’ll be getting that set up to show my support, and I’ll just always keep relevant charities enabled. I’m not looking to make money with my streaming; this is not a sacrifice for me. This is just a minor way I can show my support.
Lastly, I’m going to be skipping an update on my other projects this week. I have been fixated on what has been happening, and I don’t have as much to report this week.
To everyone who is fighting injustices, keep fighting the good fight. Black Lives Matter.