I’m definitely not an expert, but I can share existing resources for anyone needing a place to start in the quest to dismantle racist systems.
I think an excellent entry point is to self-educate. Read, watch, and listen. This is how I started, several summers ago. My favorite books from that summer: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and The Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward. Here’s a much more inclusive curriculum: Anti-racism Resources for White People. And here’s a collection of resources for all ages.
If you’re not sure where to start, this list has a variety of ideas ranging in engagement levels: 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice. Even if you can only write a letter, here’s a template you can use. Just go to File –> Make a Copy, and you can make it your own.
If you are on Twitter or Instagram, look at who you are following, and see if you have room for more diverse voices. Some Instagram suggestions: Baratunde Thurston, Black Coffee with White Friends, The Equal Justice Initiative, We Need Diverse Books.
On Twitter, Celeste Pewter often offers scripts for when calling elected representatives. If you don’t know what to say, follow her. Her tweets help. Nikole Hannah Jones is a great Twitter follow, and my favorite is Michael Harriot, who uses the platform to shed light on history lessons left out of your textbooks.
And if you have extra funds, donate to organizations that work to dismantle white supremacy. The second link at the top of this page has several options.
Listen–LISTEN–and learn from these people and resources. Sit with what you hear them say. You might feel uncomfortable. That’s okay. Challenge your own long-held (and often invisible) beliefs, and then act. And if you have more resources to share, send them my way! I am happy to add them.
Julie Rowse 