Racism in America - Taking Time to Listen, Learn, Reflect, and Act
We are currently in a time of reckoning. As a white person who is privileged by structures of institutional racism in America—I am committed to actively and mindfully utilizing these unearned advantages to "take on the problems borne of oppression as my own, without remove or distance", as professor and writer Roxane Gay defines it. I want to exercise allyship as a verb, not a self-proclaimed noun. This intention is something I must choose every day.
It is time for me…
to listen.
to learn (or to unlearn, as the case may be).
to reflect.
to act.
This will be a process.
I realize the internet is full of ideas on how to proceed with this intention. I have broken down a few of the ways, I am seeking to be an antiracist.
1. Listen to marginalized voices, and remember the importance of intersectionality.
Instagram Accounts I am Appreciating
Consider donating/supporting them in the work they do.
2. Learn
Note: Do NOT rely on people of color to teach and do your own work for you. There are plenty of resources you can access and learn from all on your own.
Movies I Have Seen and Recommend
13th—a documentary on the criminalization of people of color in America.
Eyes on the Prize documentary on PBS
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
4 LIttle Girls
The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson
Just Mercy—a movie based on the work and life of Bryan Stephenson (who wrote a book by the same name). The film centers on a wrongly condemned death row prisoner but also shows the corruption behind law enforcement and the justice system in the south for people of color.
Blindspotting—A man just released from prison witnesses a police officer gun down a man of color late one night. We see into the psyche of this character in such a stirring way. If you love music and poetry—you may especially like this film.
Red Table Talk on Colorism (but every episode is worthwhile) on Facebook
I am not Your Negro—a documentary about James Baldwin
Malcom X
The Central Park Five
The Hate U Give
Selma
Roots (the miniseries) based on the book by Alex Haley
What Happened, Miss Simone?
The Color Purple
If Beale Street Could Talk
Fences
Podcasts I Have Listened to and Recommend
Serial (Season 3)— focuses on the impact of one courthouse in Cleveland and its impact on the black community. Engaging. Masterful. Tragic.
White Lies—attempts to solve the mystery of who killed Jim Reeb in Selma back in 1965 after the famous march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Three men were tried but none were convicted. A look at how racism covered the murder but also, how those lies have affected the community ever since.
On Scene (Season 2)—Seeing White—I am about to start this one. It was nominated for a Peabody award.
Books I Have Read and Recommend
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (nonfiction)
Just Mercy by Bryan Stephenson (nonfiction and memoir)
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton (memoir)
The work of Toni Morrison (They are all masterful)
The writing of James Baldwin
The Autobiography of Malcom X by Alex Haley
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Mistake Were Made (but Not By Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Jubilee by Margaret Walker
Books on my List to Read
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
Stamped :Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi
How to Be an AntiRacist by Ibram X. Kendi
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
My Vanishing Country by Bakari Sellers
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Hood Feminism by Mikki Kendall
Books for Children and Teens
I am Enough by Grace Byers
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry
The Snowy Day or A Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
Antiracist Baby by Ibram X.Kendi
This Book Is Anti-Racist by Tiffany Jewell and Aurelia Durand
Well-Read Black Girl by Gloria Edim
Dear White People by Justin Simien
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The Hate U Give and On The Come Up by Angie Thomas
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
3. Reflect
Take time to process what you learn. Integrate it. Make it part of you. See your own blinds spots.
4. ACT
Sign petitions. To begin with…
Protest safely.
Vote intentionally.
Get involved where you can.
Speak up in conversations.
Donate intentionally.
https://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/supporting-black-lives-matter
https://cupofjo.com/2020/06/where-to-donate-black-lives-matter/
Support black-owned businesses.
See here and here for some ideas
Support Instagram accounts monetarily that educate (see above for some ideas).
Want more ideas? See here.
It is a privilege to educate yourself about racism instead of experiencing it.
Tess Holliday
Now, what have I missed? Have you found additional resources to share? May we lean into our full humanity as we dedicate ourselves to the work ahead. Sending love your way.
