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Consider this a primer guide for white people who want to better, but aren’t sure where to start.
Why? Because that is what we’ve heard the most this past week - people who want to do good, to help, and to understand but say they don’t know where to start. Thankfully, we live in a time when self education and information are freely and easily available via the internet. Google is your friend and we hope these resources are just the place you start learning instead of being the only thing you read. Most of these resources focus on racism as it affects Black people in the United States, but racism is pervasive and systemic - anyone who is not white has experienced racism in some form, even if it doesn’t look exactly the same.
Start here
Before you read further there are a couple of things you need to think about because you may have said or thought these things in an effort to be kind or helpful. The words we use matter and it is important to understand the impact of what you say. Why saying “I don’t see color” is a problem. - https://theeverygirl.com/i-dont-see-color/ Things you may be saying that are harmful, even if you don’t intend them to be that way, and what to say instead - https://www.katykatikate.com/the-blog/2020/5/26/5-racist-anti-racism-responses-good-white-women-give-to-viral-posts Unpacking the Invisible Backpack - this is a fantastic resource that helps you examine the privileges you have. - https://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/mcintosh.pdf 
Racism is Systemic
As the graphic above says - racism is a system, not an event. When something is systemic it means it affects everything. Racism affects every part of our culture, history, public policy, and day-to-day interactions. If you’re feeling defensive right now, congratulations - you are experiencing white fragility - but KEEP GOING (White Fragility is in the reading list below, but here is a quick article about it to read before going further - https://www.theconsciouskid.org/white-fragility) The next link does take you to the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream site, but it is also a good, quick overview of what systemic racism is and the impact it has. Quick overview of reach and impact of systemic racisim - https://www.benjerry.com/home/whats-new/2016/systemic-racism-is-real If racism is hard-wired into the world we live in, what does that look like? Who does it benefit? What are the generational effects it has on people who are impacted by it? Instead of asking your Black friends and family members how they experience racism, read these stories of existing while Black and understand that this is a tiny, tiny sampling of what your Black friends and family deal with as a regular part of living their life. - https://www.huffpost.com/interactives/existing-while-black 
Talking to Kids About Race
If you’re a parent you know your kids are watching and learning all the time. If you’ve been trying to teach them not to see color, hopefully you’re beginning to understand why that isn’t helpful (if you’re skimming, go back to the top to find the link). Youre kids aren’t too young to learn about racism and what their responsibilities are to dismantle it. This link is packed with links for parents including books and podcasts - https://www.prettygooddesign.org/blog/Blog%20Post%20Title%20One-5new4 Having “The Talk” about racism with your kids: https://medium.com/@ralindaspeaks/black-parents-know-about-the-talk-white-parents-its-your-turn-a6a1209e5be2 
What to Do Now
This single blog post can only scratch the surface of the impact racism has on our friends, family, culture, and day-to-day interactions. At the end of this post there are links to books, trainings, and other resources to keep learning. You may be wondering what you can do now and how to help. This link gives you 75 actionable ideas. - https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234 
Supporting Black Owned Businesses
One of the biggest impacts of racism is economic. One of the best ways you can combat that piece of it is to support Black owned businesses. Seek out and buy from Black owned businesses in your area. Buy from a Black Woman not only has a directory of Black woman owned businesses, she also has educational resources for Black business owners, and a yearly grant program - https://www.buyfromablackwoman.org/ Black Owned bookstores - when it comes to buying books (in general and from the reading lists below), do more and support a Black owned bookstore. At the link are 50 independent Black owned bookstores you can support - https://aalbc.com/bookstores/list.php We Buy Black is an online marketplace of Black owned businesses - https://webuyblack.com/ 
Book Lists & Resources for Further Learning
The links shared here are a small sampling of the education available. To keep learning read the books on the book list (and purchase them from a Black owned bookstore). Understanding White Supremacy Book List https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nEMDTfsavXD8va7mhWuV7yUSFwa_B6i5v0y60wh8xpc/ Excellent list of resources including books, videos, podcasts, and movies - https://docs.google.com/document/u/3/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/mobilebasic 
Courses & Trainings
Empress Rules Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion trainings - https://www.empressrules.net/services-1 Online DEI training - https://diversityequityinclusion.com/online-learning/ Hard Conversations : Introduction to Racism: http://www.pattidigh.com/racism/ Whiteness Race and Social Justice : https://www.pattidigh.com/whiteness/ Free short DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) courses - https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-free-online-classes-for-managers-diversity-inclusion
Keep Learning
Even if you read every book and link in this blog post, watch every movie, and listen to every podcast episode - you're still not done.
Dismantling racism is a lifetime work and it will be exhausting. Keep going. Keep learning. Make impacts in your own circle every chance you get by calling out racism, questioning policies and attitudes you see as racist.
The downloadable PDF is a manifesto against emotional-reasoning, confirmation biases, intolerance, and hate by Dr. Melissa Bird and Amy Wolff.
When faced with your own conflict, you may this a helpful way to refocus your work. 
Trevor Noah, host of the Daily Show, shares thoughts on the ideas of what forms a society and what happens when social contracts are broken.
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May is Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage month and to celebrate we're highlighting some phenomenal Asian and Pacific Islander MOB Alliance members - including our founder, Aria Leighty! One of the things that makes the MOB so unique is the variety of businesses MOBs represent, and this list is a great example! We're excited to feature these MOBs and their work!  What inspires you? Creative women that go after their dreams. Community building. Women sharing their stories and showing up in their power! What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? You’ll never feel 100% ready! Don’t wait til the perfect time, there is no perfect time. Hop in now, with the skills and resources you have. Learn, grow, and evolve along the way! What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? It means I’m crazy! It means I have a responsibility to my daughter and my community to show up for myself and my dreams! Connect with Aria: MOB Nation Glitter Mindset  What inspires you? The people I am friends with inspire me to become a better person every day. Seeing all the good things they do make me try even harder because they have such big hearts and I love that about them. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? I tell other businesses to plan ahead and have some emergency funds. It is going to take a lot longer than you think before you will be profitable and able to take a real paycheck. They say it takes the average business 2 to 3 years. So plan to cover your overhead and not pull a real paycheck for at least that long. Then if you become profitable before then, you just have extra funds to do what you need as you continue to grow and expand. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? I am a mom first. So when COVID "stay at home" first began, I was able to take on the role of teacher (we formally moved to homeschooling). I love the flexibility that having my own business gives me so that I can be there for my kids. Even when they were at school, being a business owner allowed me to flex my schedule to go on field trips with them, to help with class parties, and be there for special events at their school. They are my number one priority so balancing my work with their needs is what I try to achieve. Connect with BWild Kombucha: Website  What inspires you? Happiness on my clients face :) Quality pictures in affordable price. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? HARDWORK! What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Crazy life but I love it as I can take a break whenever I want and spend that time with my daughter. Connect with Grace Photography: Website  What inspires you? Nature, art, and strong women. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? First, I believe it is important to have a strong business plan that covers all aspects of your business. Also, I have had success in taking risks in business while also listening to my instincts. Follow your passions and don’t let others put limits on your potential. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Being a mom and a business owner makes me whole. I have learned so much about myself in the process of growing my business and raising a family. My family and business are two of the most important things to me, and I am so grateful for all I have learned so far on my journey. Connect with WholeTree: Website  What inspires you? I come from a family of healers. For generations we've been harnessing the power of Nature to heal. The Blessings of my ancestors inspire me to share the healing with our community here. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? * Believe in your business with every cell of your being. *Hire a business coach from day one who will help you make strategic moves towards success. *Write down why you started your business, and keep true to that. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? It is my legacy. It is what I was born to do, and what I do best. I consider sharing the healing knowledge of Ishq with others as a Blessing. It is a responsibility that I take very seriously. Connect with Ishq Skincare: Website  What inspires you? I’m inspired by good design. Design that makes you think. Design that connects. Design that evokes an emotional response. Weather it's product design, graphic design, website design or interior design...good design will always seeks to solve real world problems. I'm also inspired by art and nature. And by art in nature. I'm inspired by women who push themselves in their businesses and in their personal lives. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Absorb everything. Listen to your friends, family, coaches, "experts" but in the end go with your gut. Your gut is always right. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? To be honest, I never wanted to be a mom!!!! My business was thriving....I literally had to say no to clients because I had so much work. I knew having kids would mean that my business will take a hit. And I knew it was way too much work to raise kids in this country anyways :) Long story short, it wasn't until my dad passed away that I realized that I needed my own family. It was the best decision I ever made! No doubt, it has its challenges, but I love every minute of it. Connect with OCHRE {art + design}: Website  What inspires you? The people I make jewelry for! They send me photos of their backyards, gardens, favorite nature spaces - I love recreating their favorite florals or reminding them of a particularly special place! What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Play. Stay curious. Don't try to do the one perfect thing, just do it and adjust as you go. Join a group like the MOB for support and education, and try to do more of the things that energize you, and find ways to delegate or do less of the things that drain you! What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? It means bringing my kids along for the ride -- they're there when I go live to my customers, they play with clay beside me as I create my next pair of earrings. It means I attract a clientele that's understanding and nurturing as well, and I love that. Connect with Royaboya Handmade: Website Veronica Hanson - Pure Romance by Veronica & Vacay Visionary  What inspires you? I am inspired by the concept of balance. I believe every entrepreneur has a passion and purpose beyond their professional aspirations. For me the down time is just as important as the hustle time. I work to create a lifestyle for my husband and children that embodies our dream balanced life. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Don't create your business in a vacuum or echo chamber. A lot of entrepreneurs are afraid to tell anybody about their business until it's ready to launch. Instead you should be gathering feedback and pivoting aspects every chance you get. The emotional connection you have to starting your own business has a tendency to cloud judgement on factors that are easily changed if you take a step back and look more analytically at the execution. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Being a mom and a business owner is a special kind of chaos. You can go from feeling on top of the world to seeing failure everywhere within a moment. Having children allowed me to achieve success while maintaining balance. Without my children I can easily see myself becoming a workaholic who's addicted to the success, but because of them I found out I'm at my happiest when I'm out of the spotlight. Connect with Pure Romance by Veronica: Website Facebook group Connect with Vacay Visionary: Website  What inspires you? To help people process their pain and see them happy inspires me. When I can help someone reduce their pain and I see the smile on their face and how much gratitude they have, it fills my bucket. It's such an amazing feeling to be appreciated that way and to know that I can help make a difference in their life. There's so much negative energy around us and I want to help be that ripple effect that brings more positive energy in this world. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Don't give up. It may seem challenging at times but if this is your passion then don't give up and don't give in to negative energy from others. Also know that you don't have to do everything on your own and it's OK to ask for help. Don't think that your business has to be perfect before you get it started. Get it started and you can get it perfected while you're working. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Oh boy, lots and lots of work. Some days are stressful and there's hardly any downtime, but it beats having a 9 to 5 job and having to answer to someone else. I love the flexibility I have with running my own business and making my own schedule. I don't have to worry about getting disappointed comments if I have to go pick up my child when they're sick. I think running a business and to be a mom is similar in the fact that how much you love it and nurture it is how it will grow and be successful. Connect with the Bowen Body Whisperer: Website  What inspires you? Helping and seeing my team members grow. Being around passionate people. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Do your homework/ market research, lots of it. Overly prepared. Create a cashflow plan and be conservative. The road a head may be bumpy but you have the MOB! What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? I'm a better boss when I'm a mom. As a business owner and a mom, I've learned to become more efficient and better at prioritize/ delegating tasks. My girls taught me that it is okay to fall down as long as you learn from it and stand back up. That applies to doing business. Connect with Frenchie's Modern Nail Care: Website Facebook Portland Facebook Beaverton  What inspires you? My kids inspire me to pursue what fills my cup--creating beauty makes me happy! What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Even if you have a ton on your plate, start anyway. Use the itty bitty pockets of time you might have and keep moving the needle forward. You likely won't nail it on the first try, so keep going and iterating as you move along. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Being a mom means I have a constant, ever present source of inspiration as to why I do what I do. It's the strongest, unflinching "why" behind my business! Connect with Jen Wilson Creative: Website  What inspires you? I'm inspired by the women leaders I see in the world: how they use strengths like connection and collaboration to lift others up; how they lead with compassion and values; and how they fight for the right just to get into leadership roles in the first place. Women leaders are making the world a better, safer, kinder world, and that inspires me in my work, my parenting, my relationships, and my volunteering. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? My profession is in massage therapy, so when someone in my line of work loves their work and wants to start their own business, that means more time spent learning how to run a business and less time doing the fun hands-on work with clients. Running a business involves so much more than just doing the thing you love (i.e. you're suddenly in charge of planning, marketing, finances, stocking supplies, client management, etc), but also allows you to do it all your own way. Be sure to consider all the elements of this new role, and how comfortable you are with learning what you need to know and finding the right support. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Being a mom and a business owner allows me to life the live I want, do the work that I love with clients I adore, and model responsibility and leadership for my kids. It's a lot to juggle, and it's a constant learning process, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Connect with Mama Needs Massage: Website  What inspires you? Mothers inspire me! What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? Mindset is everything so fill your thoughts with positivity! The only way you can fail is if you quit! What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Being a mom and a business is the greatest blessing. Both can be very trying and stressful, but it's so worth it. Connect with Steadfast Virtual Solutions:  What inspires you?
My Kids: I want them to know that if you work hard and never give up anything is possible. Women: Believes name comes from us wanting to inspire other women we believed in ourselves and worked really hard and went for a dream, it’s been hard but I wouldn’t change it for anything. What advice would you give to a brand new business owner or someone looking into starting their own business? To never give up. Always show up and work hard and in the end it will pay off. What does it mean to you to be a mom and a business owner? Being a mom owned business to me means I get to inspire other moms and I get to teach my kids that mom can do it all + being able to pick my hours and not having to miss sports and such makes all the hard times worth it. Connect with Believe Boutique: Website Three mom business owners, all working independently of each other, have sent hundreds of creams, balms, and lotions to frontline healthcare workers to help with the chafing, redness, and irritation that comes from wearing masks and gloves all day as well as extra hand washing. “Seeing our medical community bearing the stress - physically and emotionally, and the effects of that being visible on their faces and in their eyes, how could I not share the Ishq,” says Ishq Skincare founder Sarah Zareen. “Ishq” means “love” in Urdu. Danielle Trapp, founder of Halisi says seeing an Italian nurse’s red & raw face on an Instagram post brought her to tears. “I began brainstorming when Italy was in their peak, but it took time to formulate, get necessary supplies, and find contacts.” Alison Warlitner, founder of Cherry River, says “I have multiple cousins who work as RNs and I know more doctors than I realized. They started telling us how their skin was chafing under masks and under gloves, and we realized that our lotion or shea butter would give relief, and the CBD would help with skin irritations, redness, and swelling."  Ishq Skincare ready to ship. Rynly is mom-owned local shipping company. Ishq Skincare  Local pharmacists holding Ishq Fitoor scrub and Uns clay mask. Through Ishq, Sarah has sent nearly $1,000 worth of organic moisturizing creams, scrubs & masks to contacts working at OHSU and pharmacies around Portland, Oregon. Sarah also says “I know my products bring healing. It was a driving fire that rose within me. As soon as the thought of sharing came into my mind, I asked members of the MOB Nation for connections. Service to others is what my brother & I were taught from childhood, and it being Ramadan, I felt this urgency to share Ishq’s healing powers.” Halisi Skincare  Halisi chafing balm. Halisi, which was created to create safe and natural solutions to skin care problems, has sent over over 700 tubes of her newly created chafing balm to nurses in New York City and California. Danielle is also distributing them to employees at local senior homes. Although the project started as a service project with her teenage son, they have surpassed the original goal. The new goal is to send 1,000 tubes. Danielle says “Medical professionals have no choice when it comes to wearing a mask, and they’re sometimes two masks at a time for their entire shift, every day. That gets painful - not only the chafing, but also the humidity inside the masks just wreaks havoc on the skin.” Cherry River  Cherry River Mango Aloe Gel, Muscle Gel, and Beauty Lotion Cherry River’s program of sending items to healthcare workers on the front lines is part of a larger donation program.
“Our primary concern was getting items to people working in healthcare, but we also realized there was going to be a need for donations because many who use CBD as medication would not be able to afford it,” Alison explains. Cherry River’s first donation arm acts as a buy one, get one program, except instead of the purchaser getting an extra item, Cherry River makes an in-kind donation and gives items away via an application system. There is no screening or documentation needed. Through this program they’ve sent out over $4,000 of CBD tinctures, capsules, topicals, and even bath bombs to close to 100 applicants. That program also funds donations to healthcare workers, and allowed them to give over 40 lotions and shea butters to pediatric doctors, nurses, ER technicians, and personnel making PPE for medical staff.
What happens when you combine running your own business, suddenly homeschooling, trying not to leave your house, and pretty much everything “normal” being turned upside down?
Things get very interesting very quickly.
When your kids realize you're on a Zoom call.
Learning to work from home with your partner.
Getting MOB happy mail.
Attempting to balance home life, work life, and homeschooling in the same day.
Being excited to get out of the house.
Getting burned out on Zoom meetings.
Dreaming of getting away when this is all over.
Trying to get some time to yourself.
When a new order comes in or you get a new client.
Looking forward to in-person MOB Meetups.
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