8 June Selena on Instagram: “What led to this racial crisis?”

@selenagomez: “What led to this racial crisis?” ⠀
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History shows us that culture—images, films, music, literature—not law alone, has led to this racial crisis and our focus on police violence. Culture is a powerful tool. It creates narratives that can honor human life or denigrate it.⠀
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Law alone did not result in the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Travyon Martin, or any of the other unnamed lives lost due to racial terror. Law combined with culture shapes our social narratives. It can justify biases and stereotypes with deadly consequences. ⠀
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But this is also the good news. It means that we all have a role to play by how we shape, make, and engage with the culture around us. ⠀
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This is a 1 day Instagram class called, “How to See in a Racial Crisis.” You will get a new set of tools in the posts and stories through resources and artists to follow. Our 4 topics:⠀
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1) Racial Terror as Culture (What is the connection between the history of lynching and the racial violence we are witnessing today?)⠀
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2) Racial Bias in Media, Photography, and Tech (We’ll discuss how stereotypes and counternarratives are reinforced by culture)⠀
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3) The Cultural Tie between Policing and Slavery (How did slave patrols, the surveillance of black bodies via the Fugitive Slave Act, and convict leasing help develop our police force?) ⠀
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4) The Power of the Public Square (What does it mean to still have Confederate monuments in public?)⠀
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These are 4 arenas of our cultural battleground: Media, Images, Public Symbols, and Spectacles. Racial terror has impacted them all.⠀
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How we choose to see each day can be a form of daily activism. Understanding this is the mission of the @visionandjustice project. ⠀
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Please post in the comments and I’ll engage with as many of your questions as I can! I’m saluting Selena Gomez for turning over her platform for the purpose of education and justice for all. Thank you! Special thanks to @radcliffe.institute, @fordfoundation, Whiting Foundation, Lambent Foundation, @hutchinscenter, @americanrep, @harvardartmuseums, @aperturefnd, my colleagues, students, and many more for their support. Please be well and safe!⠀
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— @sarahelizabethlewis1