We center Black women and Black families in everything we do, as we should. Black women bear the brunt of many of the injustices we organize around and rail against. Earning equal pay, having affordable childcare and/or affordable housing are amid the many issues that Black women are facing in our journey to economic fairness.
This should not suggest that men from all walks of life don’t experience these same issues or see them as unjust. I’ve been giving more intentional focus to building out a small army of Black and Latinx men that are tired of seeing these same injustices passed down generation to generation.
Back in March, I convened a group of men looking to improve the conditions of our communities and the families we live, work and play alongside. Our conversation was anchored by the economic devastation that COVID-19 caused and how it individually impacted each of us. We also spoke at length about our physical safety as melanated men and how the events of the past year give many of us an unsettled angst every single day.
It was a sobering moment to share space with other men sharing their experiences and vulnerabilities, because in my experience, men don’t do that. We talked further about how we can show up in our communities more and what components of this work these brothers would be willing to undertake (cause, there is no shortage of work).
In the short term, we’ll continue to cultivate relationships with the brothers that have identified Make It Work Nevada as their organizing home. This summer, you can expect that you’ll see our cadre of brothers showing up in support of our 3SIX71 Economic Fairness campaign as we begin to change how we talk about the economy and who it’s working for, cause it definitely isn’t working for our families or our community members.
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