Hello ♡,
I had another newsletter planned, but with the news of another Black life lost at the hands of police brutality, I am putting it on pause.
Sometimes, if you are paying attention, it feels like the death and loss and injustice are everywhere. And I want to make space, holy and heartbreaking space, to honor Tyre Nichols’ life - to not just operate business as usual. That’s part of the insulation of my privileged life as a white person and white parent- I can. Some of you reading share that privilege too, and some of you do not. And I want to honor that too.
How Tyre’s death impacts all of us matters. How Tyre’s death impacts the Black community specifically matters. How Tyre’s death impacts every Black parent matters. How Tyre’s death impacts every spouse, sister, brother, cousin, friend of a Black man they love matters. How Tyre’s death impacts everyone who knew him and loved him matters.
I don’t have any fancy words for you. I am making my mother’s soup and about to pick up kids from sports and thinking about our shared humanity, and that grief must be both collective and personal. I am in my human world connecting with yours and what we are reading about in the news from each of our little worlds.
And as I think about Tyre Nichols today and make soup for my family, I think about what he was planning to do the rest of his week. I think about what he was planning to do this year. I wonder what his favorite food is. I wonder what his favorite show is. I wonder what his mom’s favorite thing to cook him is. I wonder what her favorite thing about him is.
A news story is not a news story. A case of police brutality is not a statistic. It is a person. Systems that hurt and kill Black people at statistically higher rates are hurting and killing individuals that will no longer have a seat at the holiday dinner, or say that funny thing they always say. It is a person, it is personal. And it is Tyre Nichols.
I believe God calls us to weep with those who weep, and Tyre’s family is on my heart. And I thought maybe he was on your heart too, and so I wanted to create a space for us to say his name, and name this grief not as just collective, but as personal.
“Let us never forget there is no such thing as other people's children.” Glennon Doyle
With you,
Monica
To read more from writers and leaders I am learning from:
(I have linked their Instagram profiles because it is a great way for you to read what they are writing this week, you don’t have to have Instagram to do so. But also, subscribe to their newsletters, buy their books - which will all be accessible from the links in their Instagram profiles - I know not all of us are on Instagram so I wanted to break that down!)
A wonderful existential pause ... strong!! Thank you