Our great nation is also a nation built on great injustice. From the near total annihilation of hundreds of nations of indigenous peoples, to the brutal enslavement of 12 generations of Africans who build the foundations of our prosperity. Our nation has a responsibility to educate our selves and perform consistent actions to address and redress these wrongs. Unfortunately, it has taken the ugly pressure cooker of COVID-19, racist presidential policies and the murder of innocents like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, our nation is reigniting an inclusive movement which hopefully can create powerful and lasting change.
There is so much important and useful information being generated right now, but I wanted to offer my only simply guide to getting started recognizing and fighting the racism that is so deeply entrenched in our culture.
1. Understand and unpack your white privilege: Peggy McIntosh’s feminist studies allowed her to see how being male in our culture power afforded innumerable advantages for men over women. In 1989, she turned her lens to examining the relative power she was afforded by being born into white skin and penned the prerequisite piece for every social work student, “Unpacking the Invisible Backpack. McIntosh, still an active member of the National SEED Project, which partners with schools, organizations & communities to develop leaders who guide peers in conversational communities to drive personal, organizational, & societal change toward social justice, offers her article free on their site and includes additional commentary for facilitators, like the following,
My work is not about blame, shame, guilt, or whether one is a "nice person." It's about observing, realizing, thinking systemically and personally. It is about seeing privilege, the "up-side" of oppression and discrimination. It is about unearned advantage, which can also be described as exemption from discrimination.
2. Seek out and amplify black voices: No, you should not call your black friends and apologize for your white privilege, nor should you ask black people to explain racism to you. You should also never assume an expert opinion of what it is like to grow up black in this country. Yes, you should use your time on social media wisely, follow, share and listen respectfully to those who have been left holding the mantle in the fight for equality in this country for far too long. One accessible forum to start with is OnBeing’s Civil Conversations & Social Healing Project. While you’re there, listen to the OnBeing interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson, author of the epic work of narrative nonfiction, The Warmth of Other Suns. In this podcast, she discusses this book and her upcoming book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, about America’s foundation of inequality.
3. Take Action: Evolve from actor to ally to accomplice: This terminology is borrowed from Jonathan Osler’s comprehensive White Accomplices clearinghouse, which offers active resources broken down by desired level of engagement. Even SELF magazine has compiled a list of 31 resources that “Will Help You Become a Better White Ally. To learn more about how to free yourself from internalized racism Danyale Reed’s article on Mom.com is a good place to start, “How to Use White Privilege to Defend Black Bodies.” Donating money is always welcome. Although we cannot pay away racism, putting our money where our mouths are is a nice way to contribute to causes we can about. Westchester County residents may want to access this guide from Westchester Magazine, “10 Westchester Nonprofits to Support the Black Community Right Now.” UltraViolet is offering an easy way to take action right now:
Write a letter to the editor of the Louisville, Ky., newspaper on behalf of Breonna Taylor. It has been more than four months since three plainclothes police officers shot and killed Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, in her own home. Breonna was shot at least eight times, and then left without medical attention that could have saved her life. To date, only one officer has been fired from his job, and none of the officers have been charged with her murder. By writing a letter to Louisville Courier Journal Editor Richard A. Green demanding more investigative reporting on Mayor Greg Fischer, the Louisville Metro Police Department, and Breonna's murder, you will be taking action and demanding accountability.
4. Educate Yourself: Learn more about the intricacies of how racism operates today: Victoria Lynn Alexander, a PhD student and Diversity & Equity Facilitator, has compiled an Anti-Racist Resource Guide with a free (though donations are welcome) downloadable PDF that offers links to current, interactive scholarship like The New York Times 1619 Project and Harvard University’s Implicit Bias test.
Join the conversation to learn more about anti-racism and allyship. Join the conversation on Thursday, July 23, at 6:30 p.m. ET with our allies at MoveOn, NARAL, Indivisible, and Supermajority to learn about how systemic racism has been historically built into the foundation of the United States and what people of color and allies can do about it.
5. Teach Your Children: Racism is taught. Being an anti-racist can be taught as well. Start with Dr. Joy Bradford’s Therapy for Black Girls and the podcast episode, “Talking to Kids About Race” where she interviews Dr. Bedford Palmer, author of Daddy, Why Am I Brown? Then listen to NPR’s Life Kit, “Talking Race with Young Children.” Check out Bello Collective’s list for more related podcasts for parents and for children. For children 5-8, read “Each Kindness,” by Jacqueline Woodson. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis. Woodson was the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and Each Kindness won a Coretta Scott King Honor and The Jane Addams Award. For ages 9-12, try “Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness,” written and illustrated by Anastasia Higginbotham. Through July 15th, Dottir Press is offering a free PDF download of the book. Meena Harris, from The New York Times calls it,
An honest explanation about how power and privilege factor into the lives of white children, at the expense of other groups, and how they can help seek justice.
Also, don’t be afraid to bring your children to local protests, or to start a family friendly protests of your own. Civic engagement is vital part of positive parenting and raising your own anti-racist accomplice.
