- Erin Coles
Antiracist Resources
Angela Davis, American political activist, philosopher, academic, and author said, “In a racist society, it is not enough to be nonracist. We must be Anti-racist.”
Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to be an Antiracist, defines an antiracist as “someone who is expressing an antiracist idea or supporting an antiracist policy with their actions. And I define an antiracist idea as any idea that says the racial groups are equal.”
"To be antiracist is to think nothing is behaviorally wrong or right -- inferior or superior -- with any of the racial groups. Whenever the antiracist sees individuals behaving positively or negatively, the antiracist sees exactly that: individuals behaving positively or negatively, not representatives of whole races. To be antiracist is to deracialize behavior, to remove the tattooed stereotype from every racialized body. Behavior is something humans do, not races do."
The resources provided are a mix of educational tools (books, podcasts, videos, etc.) to learn more about racism and white privilege in the United States, as well as actionable items (places to donate, and petitions to sign).
This list is nowhere near comprehensive, but will lay some groundwork for those who want to do something, talk about race, or condemn the actions of certain police officers and vigilantes, but don’t know where to start.
And although I hope you don’t need this reminder - just in case - the Black Lives Matter movement campaigns against violence and systemic racism towards black people. The Black Lives Matter movement doesn’t suggest that black lives are more important than other lives. Instead, it’s pointing out that black people’s lives are undervalued in the United States, and that black lives are more likely to be ended by police violence and vigilantes. The point is to end violence inflicted upon black communities and black people.
Anti-Racism Resource Lists, Articles, & Stories:
Anti-Racism Resources for White People - Google Doc
For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies - Sojourners
75 Things White People Can do for Racial Justice - Medium.com
A Detailed List of Anti-Racism Resources - Medium.com
5 Ways White People Can Take Action in Response to White and State-Sanctioned Violence - Medium.com
I’m An Angry Black Woman: This is What I Want White People to Know - HuffPost
How do I make sure I'm not raising the next Amy Cooper? - CNN
Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup - Pretty Good
You Can Have A Black Friend, Partner, Or Child And Still Be Racist - Scary Mommy
Crissy Rutherford Instagram - “It’s not enough to just say “I’m not racist.”
Videos / Documentaries / Movies:
A Class Divided Jane Elliott: Brown Eyed, Blue Eyed Experiment
Jane Elliott on the Oprah Winfrey Show (1992), Blue Eyes Brown Eyes Exercise
White Racial Responsibility by Dixon White and Dixon D. White & The Racial Healing Challenge
Let's get to the root of racial injustice | Megan Ming Francis | TEDxRainier
A limited four-episode series by Ava DuVernay, When They See Us the story of The Exonerated Five, also known as The Central Park Five. It’s based on a 1989 case where five seventh- and eighth-grade students of color from Harlem were falsely accused of a brutal attack of a white woman in Central Park. They all served time for a crime they didn’t commit.
Freedom Riders is a documentary that tells the story of over 400 Black and white Americans who risked their lives to challenge the segregated interstate travel system.
Directed by Ava DuVernay. The documentary 13th analyzes the criminalization of African Americans and the prison boom in the United States. The title is derived from the 13th amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as a punishment for a crime.
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - Amazon
This 2013 film, based on a historical-fiction novel by Christopher Paul Curtis, tells the story of an African American family from Flint, Michigan. When their son gets into some trouble, the family decides to take him to spend the summer with his grandmother in Birmingham, Alabama. Tragic events take place when they arrive during a period of the Civil Rights Movement.
Podcasts:
Tell Black Stories
Website - Apple Podcasts - Spotify
#TellBlackStories was created as an extension of Color Of Change Hollywood — our initiative to change the rules in Hollywood by ensuring accurate, diverse, empathetic and human portrayals of Black people in film and TV.
Still Processing, New York Times
Website - Apple Podcasts - Spotify
Step inside the confession booth of Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham, two culture writers for The New York Times. They devour TV, movies, art, music, and the Internet to find the things that move them - to tears, awe, and anger. Still Processing is where they try to understand the pleasure and pathologies of America in 2020
Code Switch
Website - Apple Podcasts - Spotify
On NPR’s podcast Code Switch, hosts Shereen Marisol Meraji and Gene Demby discuss how race impacts everything from politics and pop culture to history and sports. A recent episode explored how two Los Angeles-based Capoeira instructors are staying afloat after COVID-19 forced them to close their gym.
Books to Read:
I’ve listed the links to purchase each book at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Kindle, and Audible below. If you prefer to purchase from a local bookstore, which I would recommend, please visit Indiebound.org, search for the book, then enter your zip code to find local a bookstore that carries it.
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Angela Davis: An Autobiography by Angela Y Davis
Invisible Man Got The Whole World Watching by Mychal Denzel Smith
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Unapologetic: A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene A. Carruthers Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Lovable Racists, Magical Negroes, and White Messiahs by David Ikard, T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting
Occupying Privilege: Conversations on Love, Race, & Liberation by JLoveCalderon
Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle - Audible
Women, Race, & Class by Angela Davis
Barnes & Noble - Amazon - Kindle
Where to Donate:
Official GoFundMe to support the Floyd Family.
Community-based non-profit that pays criminal bail and immigration bonds for individuals who have been arrested while protesting police brutality.
Support the Black Lives Matter movement and their ongoing fight to end state-sanctioned violence, liberate Black people, and end white supremacy forever.
A black, trans, and queer-led organization that is committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence, and shifting the public narrative to create transformative long-term change.
Coalition that advocates for and invests in community-led safety initiatives in Minneapolis neighborhoods
Online platform and organization that utilized research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America.
Non-profit organization that is dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues.
National Police Accountability Project
National Police Accountability Project (NPAP) is a project of the National Lawyers Guild. NPAP was created as a non-profit to protect the human and civil rights of individuals in their encounters with law enforcement and detention facility personnel. The central mission of NPAP is to promote the accountability of law enforcement officers and their employers for violations of the Constitution and the laws of the United States.
The National Bail Out collective is a Black-led and Black-centered collective of abolitionist organizers, lawyers and activists building a community-based movement to support our folks and end systems of pretrial detention and ultimately mass incarceration. The National Bail Out Collective coordinates the Mama’s Day Bail Outs, where we bail out as many Black Mamas and caregivers as we can so they can spend Mother’s Day with their families where they belong! The National Bail Out Collective also provides fellowship and employment opportunities for those we bail out in order to support their growth and create a national community of leaders who have experienced incarceration. We also work with groups across the country to support ongoing bail reform efforts and create resources for organizers and advocates interested in ending pretrial detention.
Mutual Aid NYC is a multi-racial network of people and groups building support systems for people in the New York area during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We work at a citywide level to help those actively working in communities find the people and resources they need to do their work. We believe that this access will help them provide mutual aid, advocacy, and services to as many people as possible—now and in the future.
Justice for Amaud Arbery Fundraiser. This fundraiser was designed to assist Ahmaud's mother; Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones and her immediate family with financial support during this extreme difficult time and in their struggle for justice for the murder of Ahmaud Marquez Arbery.
This is a petition, and a fundraiser. Breonna Taylor was an award-winning EMT and model citizen. She loved her family and community. She worked at two hospitals as an essential worker during the pandemic. On March 13th, a division of the Louisville Police Department performed an illegal, unannounced drug raid on her home. Not a single officer announced themselves before ramming down her door and firing 22 shots, shooting Breonna 8 times, killing her.
Petitions to Sign:
Justice for George Floyd - Change.org
The officers involved have been fired and the FBI has been called for an independent investigation. We must do our part to ensure that George Floyd receives the justice he deserves. Please sign this petition addressed to the FBI, The President, The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Mayor Jacob Frey, & Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (formerly: DA Mike Freeman). An email on your behalf will be sent to all of the above upon signing.
#JusticeforFloyd - Colorofchange.org
Demand the officers who killed George Floyd are charged with murder.
Tell Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to #StopRacistTwitter by banning white supremacists and adopting the Change the Terms coalition’s model policies and terms of service.
Demand Racial Data on Coronavirus
In order to protect ourselves and those we love, we need the government to collect and release demographic data on the coronavirus. Also, the CDC must aggregate and release data to provide the Black community with information and resources targeted to our needs.
Buy from Black-Owned Businesses:
https://officialblackwallstreet.com/directory/
How to Check in with your black friends (if you’re white):
The first thing to remember is that this is not about you. Don’t center the narrative around yourself, and don’t defend your own actions or your story. Leave your pride and your ego at the door, and open up your heart to listen and support.
When checking in with your black friends, try to refrain from asking “how are you doing?” That’s an incredibly difficult question to answer right now, and your friends might honestly not know how to respond. Here are some other ways to check in:
Tell your friends how you’ve been feeling first, and how this has been affecting you. Then open the door to ask how they’re feeling. Example: “I’ve been feeling so hurt, and all of this is weighing so heavy on my heart. I’ve been having trouble focusing on work lately. How have you been feeling?”
Ask about something specific like, “what have you been thinking about,” “How has your day been,” “How does it feel to be you right now?”
Offer support without asking questions, and hold space for them. “I love you, and am just checking in because I’ve been thinking about you. I hope you’re doing OK. There’s no need to answer if you don’t feel up to it, but know I’m here for you if you’re struggling or want to talk.”
Be curious. Ask, “what’s helping you cope right now,” or “are there particular resources - books, podcasts, or shows - you’d recommend right now?”
Offer to do an activity together. You can offer to watch a movie together over Zoom, have a vent session over drinks, plan a socially distant picnic in the park, etc. If they say yes, follow up to actually make it happen.
Instagram Accounts to Follow:
Shaun King - @shaunking
Rachel Cargle (The Great Unlearn) - @rachel.cargle / @thegreatunlearn
Layla F. Saad (Me & White Supremacy) - @laylafsaad
Brittany Packnett Cunningham - @mspackyetti
Check Your Privilege - @ckyourprivilege
Rachel Ricketts - (Racial Justice Educator) - @iamrachelricketts
Reni Eddo-Lodge - @renieddolodge
Ibram X. Kendi - (How to be an Antiracist) - @ibramxk
ShiShi Rose - @shishi.rose
Ericka Hart - @ihartericka
Cleo Wade - @cleowade
Mireille C Harper - @mireillecharper
Showing Up for Racial Justice - @showingupforracialjustice
Resources:
These are some of the people, places, and websites I used to compile these resources.
@ellamosco - Where to donate
@revelatori - How to check in with your black friends
@beescolnick - Where to donate and Accounts to Follow
@mireillecharper - Accounts to Follow, How to check in with your black friends
Jessica Robinson - PurePoint International