Anti-racism is the new norm. Here’s our homework.
If you’ve been doing the work and you’re ‘on board’ with anti-racism as the new norm, you can jump to Part 2 (though the resources here are helpful and informative for all of us, so feel free to stay and check them out).
If you know you’ve got work to do and you’re here to learn, thanks.
We, as white people and as an American society that was built to fit the whims of white people, have a lot of unlearning to do.
And it is going to be uncomfortable.
That goes for a great many of us, myself included.
I am by no means an expert. I am just trying hard to listen to those who are experts on racial injustice as well as scholars and activists within the Black community, and use my small platform to amplify their voices as much as I can.
Before we dive into the links below, let’s just take a moment to breathe and remember a few things:
- It is okay to change our minds when confronted with new information.
- It is okay to rethink the things we’ve been taught, especially when we learn that what we’ve been taught hasn’t been the truth.
- It is okay to feel uncomfortable and to sit in our discomfort so that it helps us grow.
- It is okay to examine the actions of our past, recognize the inherent wrongness in them, and then move forward with a deeper knowledge of ourselves and a stronger understanding of how to do better from now on.
- It is okay to examine the experiences of our lives, recognize our inherent privilege, and then move forward with a real desire for and willingness to make change.
Not only are these things okay, it is immensely important that we begin to do this work of unlearning– this uncomfortable work – so that we may build a more comfortable world for everyone.
With that said, here we go…
Watch:
**DO NOT SKIP THESE**
Hasan Minhaj – We Cannot Stay Silent About George Floyd
*SERIOUSLY. WATCH THEM. ALL THE WAY THROUGH. **
Read:
Racial injustice and structural / systemic racism affect nearly every aspect of life in America: healthcare, housing, employment, wages, education, incarceration. Everything.
Here are some examples:
America’s long, rich history of pretending systemic racism doesn’t exist
Confessions of a Former Bastard Cop
Structural racism, economic opportunity and racial health disparities: Evidence from U.S. counties
Systemic Inequality: Displacement, Exclusion, and Segregation
Systematic Inequality and Economic Opportunity
Here is statistical data on police use of violence against Black Americans:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Police-Brutality-in-the-United-States-2064580
This one says, specifically: “Notwithstanding the variety among groups that have been subjected to police brutality in the United States, the great majority of victims have been African American”
Follow:
Black activists and other important voices in the fight for racial justice:
Instagram: @OsopePatrisse, @opalayo, @aliciagarza, @bellhooks, @Luvvie, @mharrisperry, @VanJones68, @ava, @thenewjimcrow, @Lavernecox, @deray, @thedididelgado, @TaNehisiCoats,
Facebook and/or LinkedIn: Ally Henny, Lace on Race, Blavity, Madame Noir, The Root, and The Grio
Incorporate:
Books and movies into your ongoing life that represent the Black American experience and bring to light ugly truths that our white-washed educational systems lied to us about.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/want-learn-anti-racism-10-211700935.html
https://medium.com/wake-up-call/a-detailed-list-of-anti-racism-resources-a34b259a3eea
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/g32742390/movies-about-race/
A quick point on this: Please watch The 13th (full feature on YouTube) from Netflix. Please.
If you ever wondered anything about why it “seems” that Black Americans make up most of the prison population – WATCH THIS MOVIE.
It will tell you, point by point, how the penal system is set up as a trap for Black Americans and has been since the abolition of slavery.
If that sounds crazy to you, you’re right. It’s ABOSLUTELY BONKERS. And it’s true.
Learn:
About the Anti-Racism Movement:
https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/white-antiracism-living-the-legacy
About the bombing of Black Wall Street:
https://daily.jstor.org/the-devastation-of-black-wall-street/
Michelle Silverthorn, Diversity Expert and CEO of Inclusion Nation, said it beautifully in a recent LinkedIn post:
“If you don’t know the answers, now is the time to learn them. Now is the time to address change. Because it is never, ever too late to begin. This world, and that awaiting our next generation, is counting on you. Let’s go.”
I know it feels overwhelming, and you don’t have to do this all at once. Bookmark these things, save them, and keep coming back until you’ve gotten through them all.
But don’t lose your urgency. I’ve already been through most of the things on this list, and I’m just getting started.
We can’t let this moment pass without massive, systemic overhauls.
As Michelle Silverthorn said: “Let’s go.”