Like many bloggers over the past few weeks, I have put my blog on mute since June 2, #blackouttuesday, in order to step back, listen to black voices and educate myself more on racism and racially-motivated police brutality in America. As a white suburban southern mom who has long known that #blacklivesmatter, and who has been pretty vocal about it, it’s wonderful to see so many other white people finally waking up to the experiences of black Americans and the many changes that are needed to truly become a nation where all are treated equally and have equal access to opportunities and to the pursuit of happiness.

I’ve given a lot of thought to how to move forward with my blog. Since diving into the world of sewing again and exploring my newfound hobby of vintage pattern collecting, I’ve been so excited to share some of the beautiful patterns I bought in a gigantic mystery box, but I want to balance my excitement with some social responsibility. I want to use my platform to #amplifymelanatedvoices.

Moving forward, I will continue to post about sewing, cooking, travel, cocktails, genealogy and more, but each post will also amplify a black voice – whether it be a restaurant, a sewist, a designer, a shop, a place to visit, a writer, etc. In addition, I will be adding petitions and donation opportunities to forthcoming posts.

For those readers who are already a part of the struggle for freedom and justice for black Americans, indeed for ALL Americans who have historically been left out of the American dream, thank you for all you have done. Keep it moving and help out anywhere and in any way you can: donate funds to organizations doing important work, patronize black-owned businesses, speak up when a friend or family member or co-worker says something you know to be wrong, use your voice and your platform in situations and institutions where change is needed.

For those of you who watched a black man be murdered in front of your eyes on your cell phone or computer screen and felt that pit deep inside you of knowing how wrong it was, and felt spurred on to do something, anything to try to put the wrong things right, welcome. There is far to go, but we are all in this work together. Educate yourself on the history of the concept of race, and the history of race in America. Listen to your friends, neighbors and co-workers of color when they share their experiences with you, and amplify their voices anywhere you can.

As a start, I have donated to a project in my home city of Richmond, Virginia, that will provide funding to Ms. Impson, a city public school teacher who is writing a curriculum to use the movie “Freedom Writers” to teach tools exploring the themes of bias, racism and how to build a sense of community in the inner city. If you would like to donate to this cause, please visit https://www.donorschoose.org/project/race-and-reconciliation-using-freedom-wr/4971141/.