“My humanity is tied to yours, your struggle is my struggle, your fight is my fight, your liberation is my liberation,” is an Instagram caption I used on January 14, 2017 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.
Social media, in the past few months has been a helpful tool in bringing awareness to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery…and the list goes on and on. Additionally, social media has been a place where we see 24.9 million posted a box for #blackoutTuesday but only 11.8 million people have signed the petition to charge George Floyd’s murderers. Someone wrote, “the point is being missed.”
Here at Landed, we do not want to miss the point. We don’t want to just understand the point. We want to continue to commit to do something about the point.
So, thinking back to 2017, I'm recalling how my experiences have shaped me to stand in solidarity with the black community since before I had the words to express what solidarity meant. Today, I’m writing with so much gratitude to be in a company that also stands in solidarity with black lives - yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
To that end, I’m working with our Landed staff on sharing a series of reflections with you all in the form of blog posts. I was inspired to suggest we do this both in my new role as Team Experience Lead at Landed, as well as in my role as a staunch supporter of black lives: thank you to the black community — your resilience inspires me everyday.
The reflections that will be shared will shed light on what has allowed us to build a culture of vulnerability and mutual respect. One where we navigate difficult conversations to move forward as a collective. A collective that aspires to uphold those who uphold us, and the black community has upheld us.
We will share these in the hopes of finding the interconnectedness amongst our team as well as our greater community - you all. This interconnectedness is what allows us to truly understand liberation, or as Lilla Watson puts it, “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Here at Landed, our liberation and success is bound up with one another’s both internally and externally, with the communities we serve.
Over the course of the next few weeks and beyond, we’ll be sharing reflections on:
- How this work is deeply personal. It begins with the internal to have the external impact we hope to have.
- Asian American solidarity with the black community.
- The experiences that allowed non-black people to become better allies.
- The impact this moment has had on a teammate who is black, female, a mother, a leader, a friend, and more.
- The journey as a black parent in America.
- Navigating a career as a black woman.
- Navigating founding a company as a team made up of both black and white people.
- And more!
We hope you’ll join us on this journey of self reflections as we continue to become a stronger community. This work is not easy, and if along the way any of our words or actions don’t sit well, let us know so we can all learn. Let’s give each other grace and grow together.
This work cannot be done alone. We look forward to doing it with you.
