An Invitation to Learn and Practice Antiracism

Systemic racism impacts the mental well-being of people of color every single day. In order to change that, we have to be part of ending racism. And that requires us to do more than just believe in equality, but to learn and practice antiracism.

“Antiracism is the act of opposing racism/white supremacy in all forms – even the racism that exists within you and the forms you perpetuate with your behaviors. It is about identifying the root causes of racism and putting an end to them.” – L. Glenise Pike, “Antiracism Starter Kit”

“In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.” – Angela Davis

“I think first and foremost I wanted to convey that this sort of striving to be antiracist is an ongoing journey.” – Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist

We want to invite the TWLOHA community to join us on this necessary and overdue journey toward antiracism. These Stages of Becoming Antiracist, created by L. Glenise Pike, founder of Where Change Started, can help you figure out where you are and where you might need to go next.

This journey requires commitment, but there are others who have taken it and can point us in the right direction. There are antiracism resources being shared across the internet right now. We have compiled a list from what we’ve seen from other organizations and individuals over the last few days.

There is a lot here. And participating in this work will stir up a variety of emotions and discomfort. It’s OK to work through one article or video or book and then take time to absorb and reflect on what you read or heard. You are not expected to do this in a day. But keep going.

Resources for Educating Yourself *

Begin here with these articles and videos:

Read Stop Killing Us: A Real Life Nightmare by Tamika Butler
Watch Rachel Cargle’s Public Address on Revolution: Revolution Now and download the Revolution Now Simple Syllabi
Read 6 ways to be antiracist, because being ‘not racist’ isn’t enough by Rebecca Ruiz
Download and read the Antiracism Starter Kit created by Where Change Started

There are so many books to read, documentaries to watch, podcasts to listen to, and diverse voices to follow on social media that can help us become antiracist. These guides and lists attempt to make it easier for us to find a place to start and then keep going.

Anti-Racist Resource Guide created by Victoria Alexander
Shareable Anti-Racism Resource Guide created by Tasha K
Do the work: an anti-racist reading list by Layla F. Saad
75 Things White People Can Do For Racial Justice by Corinne Shutack
Anti-Racism Resources for White People compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein (Our friends at Good Good Good made some additions to Sarah Sophie and Alyssa’s list based on feedback from their community.)
26 Ways To Be In The Struggle Beyond The Streets shared by Racial Justice Rising
A World Of Activism: How You Can Get Involved by Cultures of Resistance Network

Check out these lists on social media:

A list for learning more about race, mass incarceration, and allyship from Represent Justice
6 Ways to Activate Beyond Social Media from Jezz Chung
Mapping Our Roles in a Social Change Ecosystem shared by Terisa Siagatonu and created by Deepa Iyer
5 Ways To Take Action For All Non-Black People shared by The Conscious Kid and created by Shift Consulting
Raising engaged anti-racist children, a Twitter thread by Catherine Garcia
10 Simple Ways White People Can Step Up to Fight Everyday Racism shared by From Privilege to Progress and created by Derrick Clifton

* Thanks to Good Good Good, Stephan Monteserín, Jen Bokoff, and others whose posts helped us discover these resources.

Ways to Support Antiracism Financially

Use the National Bail Fund Network to support bail funds in your community.

Donate to bail funds specifically created for those participating in the protests.

Donate to organizations supporting the mental health of people of color. Here are a few suggestions:

Research and frequent businesses owned by people of color in your community, including bookstores so you can purchase the books listed in the resources above. [You can also use Bookshop.org to order books online while supporting independent bookstores.]

If you prefer online shopping, choose to order from businesses owned by people of color. This post lists Black-owned small businesses with online stores.

Use platforms like Substack and Patreon to support the work of artists and activists of color whose work you consume. This includes the people who have put together the resources we listed above.

Organizations to Follow *

We encourage you to consider also supporting these organizations financially.

* This list is compiled from the antiracism resources created by Victoria Alexander and Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein (listed above) as well as a post on the NAACP Instagram account.

Comments (1)

Ellen Foster

Thanks for this! I shared on Facebook.

Reply | June 5, 2020

Resources for Educating Yourself *

Ways to Support Antiracism Financially

Organizations to Follow *

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Comments (1)

Get Email Updates