The Hyphen: Getting Uncomfortable & People To Follow

Hi friends—

How are you doing this week?

It's been a heavy week on the Internet. Black communities are hurting beyond words; Twitter, like the real world, a constant stream of pain. The video of George Floyd. The Millions of Amy Coopers. Black parents are having to explain these horrific realities to their young children. I wanted to shout out to some incredible people I've been following on Instagram who have been sharing some very useful information on anti-racism work: Munroe Bergdorf, Jen Winston, Rachel Cargle and Refinery29 Unbothered. If you are wanting to donate this is the official George Floyd memorial page. I chose to donate to Minnesota Freedom Fund as per Reni Eddo Lodge’s tweets. If you want to sign a petition and seek justice for George Floyd, there are a few choices here on Beyoncé’s website. If you are not in a position to make a donation right now, maybe you could pass on the link to someone who might be able to?

I also wanted to give Layla Saad a shout-out whose book ‘Me and White Supremacy: How to Recognise Your Privilege, Combat Racism and Change the World' is the one of the best resources out there. This week it actually sold out on Amazon — but please don’t let that stop you from buying it from other places. It's not a book you read, but a book you ‘do’, and it is so worth it for the person you become on the other side of it. I feel embarrassed for the things I said before I read this book. I would be "well-meaning" but be actually causing harm. I would tone-police through wanting "positivity" and got defensive when I sat on an all-white panel because I didn't organise it. I am learning and have learned, thanks to this book. I want to keep doing better. So please, please, if you are white (and therefore have white privilege) do read and do the work in this book and then pass it on to all your friends. Layla is also next week's Ctrl Alt Delete guest, and it was an honour to speak to her. Make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so you don't miss it. 

 I've decided to make this newsletter weekly (instead of monthly) while *all of this* is happening. Please do let me know what sort of things you'd like to see more of round ‘ere.

Hope you enjoy today’s newsletter! 
Love,
Emma xo

Four things I've consumed this week...
 

1. A NEW podcast called Might Delete Later, from sisters Gina and Stevie Martin. Gina loves social media, Stevie really doesn't, and each week they discuss the highs and lows of their social media feeds with a guest. Very funny.

2. Passo To Go make your own pizza kit. I saw someone Instagram their home-made pizzas and they looked amazing so I jumped on the bandwagon and bought a kit. It's £18 for two balls of dough and toppings and I can confirm: it was delicious. 

3. I Am Not Your Baby Mother, by Candice Brathwaite. This book is part memoir part manifesto about what it is like being a black British mother. (This book will also be next month's Hyphen Book Club pick — more info on that soon!) It is INCREDIBLE. Extremely thought-provoking; enraging; funny; urgent; inspirational. I have SO much respect for Candice as a writer, businesswoman and mother. 

4. Pixar Storytelling course. This free course on Khan Academy ‘all about the art of storytelling’ is incredible!
 

This week’s Ctrl Alt Delete episode:

This week's podcast episode is with Julia Ebner, counter-extremism expert & author of Going Dark. In this episode we discuss the book, infiltrated alt-right groups, created her "characters", dealing with troll campaigns against her and how she stayed safe online. Listen HERE or wherever you get your pods! 

My official SABOTAGE cover!

In Case You Missed It:

— I did a LinkedIn Careers Q&A with Anna Whitehouse. We answered questions regarding flexible working and career changes. You can watch it here.

— I went on Jessica Murnane's podcast One Part Podcast. We spoke about self-sabotage, The Multi-Hyphen Life and wearing nice pyjamas. Listen here!

— I did a live-stream podcast for Choose Love with Dawn O'Porter, Lliana Bird and Emma Dabiri to raise some money for a great cause! You can watch the replay HERE, you just need to donate £3 to watch.

— Have you joined The Hyphen Book Club? I picked this month's book club pick, it's Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny. Join in, grab a copy, and follow the Instagram page here!