On the Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action – an excerpt from Your Silence Will Not Protect You
Better to Speak is a brand I started three years ago with the intention of building something that helped Black folks to feel empowered to use their voice and share their stories. What started as an attempt to advocate for better representation of Black folks in children’s literature has evolved into an opportunity to challenge my understanding of my community as well as my role in it on a much deeper level.
This year alone, the idea for Your Silence Will Not Protect You evolved from what was going to be a simple voting guide and summary of the history of the Black vote into an encapsulation of an extremely tumultuous and volatile period in our modern history.
As a writer, a journalist, and a storyteller, my instinct reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic and mass civil rights protests in response to state violence was to try and offer folks with the information necessary to stay safe, connected and involved. I wrote to find meaning and make sense of what I was seeing take place in the world.
Similar to most of you, I donated, signed petitions, and spent time reflecting on how current events weighed on me. As a young Black woman trying to finish her undergraduate degree, the weight of trying to figure out the next steps in my life seemingly paled into insignificance by the larger call to find my role in the movement for Black liberation.
I’ve since realized that the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive. This moment’s invitation to recognize my role in the shaping of society has coincided with my journey to step into personal power and accept responsibility for my life as an adult. I understand now that living in a way that is liberatory for both myself and the individuals I cross paths with is not only possible but mandatory. I also understand that choosing this path then confirms I must commit to - in the words of Audre Lorde - make verbal what is most important to me “even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.
I believe this goes beyond any election, political ideology, public official, or policy. I believe the gravity of this moment is about our capacity to not only imagine but actualize fundamentally new ways of being. I believe the rigidity with which we believe our most basic social institutions are inherent to human life, mandating that Black folks bend and adjust while the status quo remains constant, is a self-imposed barrier maintained by a lack of belief in our personal and collective power. It is understandable given what our people have been subjected to throughout history, but I want to invite us all to require more for ourselves while we are here in this life.
My own journey these past few months has shown me that it is a fruitless battle to demand anyone, let alone the world change on a fundamental level before I confront my own capacity to do so. This has involved getting over my habit of planning “someday to speak” and waiting “for someone else’s words.” In this moment, I believe my call to action is to my voice heard and share what is most important to me, so I can then make room to listen, learn and collaborate with others in my community. It has required me to know when to speak up for myself and stand firm in my beliefs and when to be quiet and listen actively. This zine is a first definitive step at that call to action.
Your Silence Will Not Protect You will take a comprehensive look at how Black folks’ have transformed silence into language and action today and throughout history. Grounded in the context of our ancestors’ efforts - namely the Southern-led movements to achieve voting rights for Black folks in America - we hope to emphasize the power of our individual and collective voices, examine the meaning of transforming silence into language and action across various communities within the Black Diaspora, and - with clear calls-to-action - engage more Black folks in conversations to reimagine and rebuild a sustainable culture of Black civic engagement in 2020 and beyond.
Kési Felton (she/her) is a writer, doula and the founder and head of storytelling at Better to Speak. Her goal through storytelling is to learn about how to best leverage digital platforms to tell impactful stories that create lasting change in real life. You can find her online @kesifelton.
