A Plan of Action for Antiracism
YES is something you feel down to the bone.
When I get a writing opportunity with a nonprofit: YES.
Dedicating time to better habits like yoga and journaling: YES!
Earlier this week my friend Sarah B posted a very profound (and admirably authentic) article. One that filled me with YES.
Sarah B’s impactful and beautiful letter to her fellow White Americans is worth a read. There are insights and resources that might be helpful to you, if you’re a white person wondering how to navigate systemic racism. You might also feel your YES when you read her letter.
After this last week, I have felt a lot of NO. The death of George Floyd at the hands of white police officers last week was a monumental tragedy. His death and the deaths of countless other Black Americans (Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McCatee, to name a few) have left an incomparable void in our communities.
The protests in this country are a reminder of the injustice of those deaths, and how much hurt, pain, and sadness the Black communities have been burdened with, while we’re trying to make progress.
People think we’ve made progress in this country, but when it comes to racism, we have a lot of work to do.
“We” in this case, means white Americans.
The time to do that work is now, and while I am feeling very YES! about doing that work, I’m educating myself on what “that work” looks like, because I’d like it to be effective.
So I need a plan of action. Yesterday I got another email from a brand saying they stand with protestors around the country — what made this particular email (from Thinx) stand out was the subject line: “A plan of action.”
I want to invest in a future for this country. That needs to be sustainable, long-term, and intentional work. It’s not Twitter activism and sharing memes. “The work” means dismantling a system that has been around for centuries, so that better, more thoughtful solutions can evolve. Lives are at stake.
So I’m gathering resources and information on systemic racism, implicit bias, culture appropriation, and what anti-racism looks like (and I’ll leave a few of those resources in this post). There’s a lot of discussion and learning that I will be doing. So I’m sharing my plan of action.
But first …
A Note About White Privilege
I don’t remember when I first heard the phrase “white privilege,” but I know I felt a tug of discomfort when I learned it. Even after I recognized that I had privilege, I immediately wanted to shrug it off.
I wanted equality, after all. But equality means that I have to acknowledge that my whiteness gives me leverage in a LOT of situations. Even as a queer, struggling freelancer, my whiteness is a privilege that makes it easier for me to benefit more than others.
Do you experience similar tugs of discomfort about your whiteness?
Are you trying to have hard conversations right now about whiteness and racism, maybe in your own family and communities?
I’m with you.
So here’s what I’ve been doing to support the Black community as an anti-racist, and what I plan on doing to continue those efforts.
My Plan of Action
(Note: I’ll be adding to this as time goes on. Like I said, this is work.)
I’m listening to and supporting Black educators, writers, and artists.
It’s important to make a distinction here. I’m learning from these people and listening to them; but it is not their responsibility to teach me. That responsibility falls on me.
There are loads of Black educators, writers, musicians, activists, and creatives who you can support. You should read their work, learn their stories, and uplift their voices in whatever way you can.
Here are just a few of the people I follow and learn from. I’m always adding to this list, which is now in alphabetical order:
Ben Barres was a transgender scientist, MIT alum, Stanford professor, and author who passed away in 2017. Barres made groundbreaking and important discoveries through out his career about brain cells and gender discrimination.
Rachel Cargle is a speaker, writer, activist, and educator, whose work has helped black women and girls gain access to the mental health care they need.
Bryan Hancock is a poet, performer, musician, and community leader in Roanoke, VA. He runs Soul Sessions, a local open mic event for creative expression.
Ericka Hart is a queer Black sexuality educator, activist, and breast cancer survivor.
Ibram X. Kendi wrote the book on how to be antiracist, and he’s a #1 NY Times best selling author. He founded the Antiracist Research & Policy Center at American University, and is a professor of history and international relations.
Kendrick Lamar is a Pulitzer-prize-winning rapper and artist, who recently launched pgLang, a creative project + service company.
Rodney Robinson is a teacher in Richmond, VA and was the 2019 National Teacher of the Year. The Root ranked him #8 of the “top 100 influential African Americans of 2019.”
Layla Saad is an activist and author of “Me and White Supremacy,” which I’m reading now.
There are hundreds of thousands of artists, educators, and leaders who I haven’t mentioned. Feel free to suggest a few.
I’m educating myself.
I’m going to take some online courses that Layla F. Saad offers on racism and intersectional feminism. She’s an author, but also a racial justice leader who has worked for a long time in this arena, and she offers several classes, workshops, and books on white supremacy and white privilege.
I’m working on being actively anti-racist: in discussion, action, and thought. I’m talking to my white friends and family about all of it.
A few tips: learn more about culture appropriation and microaggressions. Tell people you don’t want to hear racist jokes. Stop saying “All lives matter,” when you hear “Black lives matter.”
I’m supporting protestors and anti-racist organizations.
There are hundreds, and you should do the legwork to make sure the orgs you donate to are legit. Here are a few resources and organizations I’ve come across.
National Bail Fund Directory: bit.ly/localbailfunds
NAACP: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/naacp-1
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice: https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234
ResistBot is an online tool that makes it super easy to get in touch with state and federal leaders: https://resist.bot
And here are a couple more articles, tools and resources you can check out. Let me know of any others that you come across and I’ll add them!
“First Encounters With Racism” — a devastating but important NY Times article about children experiencing bigotry, racial profiling, and racism in their own communities.
Another huge Google doc list of anti-racism podcasts, books, classes here: http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES
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Anti-racism means un-learning racism: today, tomorrow, next week, next year, etc.
It’s an everyday thing. Not just something we do while the protests are going on.
I hope you’ll join me.
