⚖️ All Deaths are not Equal

After the recent death by police brutality of Tyre Nichols and the shooting of teen Ralph Yarl for knocking on the wrong door, I was called to revisit this powerful essay, Grief Belongs in Social Movements. Can We Embrace It? written by grief activist, Malkia Devich-Cyril in 2021. Devich-Cyril says metabolizing grief and embracing death as a part of life is a radical act that is crucial in social justice movements (more below).

Death is the great equalizer, but not all deaths are equal. Being a person of color, disabled, lgbtq+ or experiencing financial hardship should never be a barrier to accessing compassionate end of life care. As death workers and activists, it's important to address this in our work. It's important to acknowledge the brokenness in our systems, lack of resources, inequalities and injustices.

This is an ongoing dialogue of how we shift dominant narratives about grief and death, for all of us, but namely for those who have been systematically oppressed. Please help us continue this dialogue.~ Kirby