Community Reactions: Anti-racism Resources
[Edited by Clare Everson]
“In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”
(Angela Y. Davis)
Witnessing the tragic murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer under our very eyes has been paralyzing to say the least. As uncomfortable and numbing as this tragic event is, it is our responsibility to speak out. It’s on all of us.
There is no gender justice until there is racial justice. No one is free until everyone is free. Staying silent is not an option; it is a passive stamp of approval for racist behavior.
We stand in solidarity with the black, brown and indigenous lives that have been lost and voices that have been silenced in the US and beyond. On this particular occasion, we stand with the black community who has been a victim of overt and covert forms of oppression for hundreds of years. We stand in solidarity with #GeorgeFloyd #AhmaudArbery #BreonnaTaylor #BellyMujinga #RegisKorchinskiPaquet #TonyMcDade and the many before them.
We urge all members and allies of the shesaid.so community to take a proactive stand against racism and speak out. If that’s all you can do at the moment, please speak to your friends and relatives, express your outrage and provide resources so they can engage in further. If you can take the extra step, please donate. If you live in the US, call your local authorities to take a stance. Together we can make a difference. Staying silent is not an option.
Below is a list of resources anyone of any gender or ethnicity can use to familiarize themselves further with this urgent issue, including mental health resources and ways to support social and racial justice.
Funds, petitions and collectives for taking action:
Donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund
Sign the Color of Change Petition
Sign the Change.org Petition
Black Visions Collective website
Find your Black Lives Matter chapter [USA + Canada]
An extensive list of Anti Racism Resources
Mental health resources:
Talk Space infographic: How To Cope With Traumatic Racial Events
Liberate Meditation- Meditation for Black, Indigenous and People of Colour
Therapy For Black Girls Podcast
Self Care Tops For Black People Struggling From A Painful Week [Vice article]
For white people wondering how to engage in anti-racism:
1. Pass the mic: Join the conversation but be careful not to centre yourself within it.
2. Use your white privilege to ensure Black, Brown and Indigenous voices are heard.
3. Endeavor to be color-conscious, rather than color-blind.
Further resources on being an ally:
Infographic guide on white privilege
Your Guide to Bystander Intervention
For further reading about intersectionality, read; The Intersectionality Wars
Books on the subject of racism in the US (recommended by Yasmin Lajoie, shesaid.so Intersectionality Chair)
White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
How To Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide by Crystal M. Fleming
Other recommended authors: Audre Lorde, bell hooks, Angela Y. Davis, Maya Angelou or Toni Morrison.
From a British perspective:
Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
The Metro newspaper runs a series called ‘The State of Racism’ on race in the UK today, examples from which you can read below:
The way you define racism may stop you from seeing it.
Institutional racism is more harmful than individual racism.
Current articles on US racism:
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?
The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying
Podcasts:
The New York Times — 1619 on how slavery transformed America
