Many individual people in the book trade have expressed their thoughts and anger about the deaths of people of color (and others) over the last few hours, days, nights, years. Yes, how long? Decades long. While words will almost never substitute actions (which is critical NOW), as a unit, as Lux Mentis, we are expressing our words against neutrality and silence on the issue of obvious oppression and racism against black communities by the police, the justice system, and for that matter, the law makers of the United States. What we do in the trade is important to facilitate knowledge, liberties, and freedom of information, we also have the ability to deconstruct these systems that oppress people that clearly do not have the privilege or the position right now to do so because of their race. We take a position because it is critical and encourage others in the book community to speak out and demand to dismantle this inhuman brutality immediately. Too many guns. Too many deaths. It must stop.
Speaking out is a first step, but here are many tangible ways to start the motion:
From Black Girl Dangerous blog:
We Can Help Each Other Cope: One Simple Way to Be With Each Other Through Pain Right Now
from Ravishly blog, “What You Can Do Right Now About Police Brutality.”
http://www.ravishly.com/2015/04/10/what-you-can-do-right-now-about-police-brutality
Serious and outraged,
Lux Mentis, Booksellers