together for justice + equality

Posted on by pebbletossers
As a community service organization, Pebble Tossers provides opportunities for youth to develop compassion and empathy. These traits are needed now more than ever. Our hearts break over the senseless murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and too many black men and women before them. Our community needs to come together to listen to each other and to actually hear the voices of our black brothers and sisters. Our country has work to do to eradicate racial discrimination and inequality and a first step can be to speak out and condemn these situations and indifference to suffering when we see it. Our country has the opportunity to learn from past mistakes and never make them again.

The Pebble Tossers mission is to equip and empower youth to lead through service. By service we mean providing help and assistance to our community, to our environment, and to people – regardless of racial, economic, social, ethnic backgrounds. We work side by side with youth and families of all colors, backgrounds and faiths. We want to empower youth with the opportunities and resources to help others. The nationwide protests are scary for kids and difficult to process, but this is a time when honest, authentic conversations can provide life lessons and help mold kids into compassionate, resilient, and unbiased adults. Open conversations with families can start with the current protests but should also discuss root causes of systemic racism, oppression, overt and covert racism. We can start by looking within ourselves and honestly assessing our own biases. We believe in the power of youth and know that teaching kids about justice, humanity and inclusivity is a step in the right direction. In the words of Pebble Tossers’ President of the Board, Rebecca Sandberg, “the most important things we can do right now are listen, learn, reflect, and then act.”

During presentations, we often explain that through service to others, you see things that cannot be unseen. When you interact with someone experiencing homelessness, you get to know them and learn they are just people in a rough situation. You make a connection and that affects your heart. That situation cannot be undone. Watching the tragic video of the officer pushing his knee into the neck of George Floyd cannot be unseen and the world is forever changed.

What can we do as a community?

~ we can remember names;
~ we can educate ourselves on history + root causes;
~ we can listen to all sides of an issue;
~ we can vote for justice + equality;
~ we can use our voice to speak out against acts of inhumanity;
~ we can shop local + minority-owned businesses;
~ we can serve;

~ and we can treat others the way we would want to be treated

Pebble Tossers has compiled a list of resources to provide families with tools, books, videos and experts to help us learn and take action and for families to have open, untempered discussions. It is our desire that our nation comes together to affect change, bring justice, and promote equality.

In solidarity,

The Pebble Tossers Team
Jen Guynn, Lisa Gill, Beth Freeman and Eric Greenwald


Pebble Tossers has compiled the following list from our own research and posts by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein, and our friends at Doing Good Together.

Resources for white parents to raise anti-racist children

Books:
Podcasts:
Articles:

Articles to read:

Videos to watch:

Podcasts to listen and subscribe to:

Books to read:

Films + TV series to watch:

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
  • Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
  • Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
  • I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent
  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO
  • Talking Race With Young Children – NPR
  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
  • Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
  • The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

Organizations + people to follow on social media:

More resources to check out: