Unlearning & Remembering
Anti-Racism Resources
Artwork by Chelsea Hughes
Racism is just one piece of our greater UNLEARNING and therefore REMEMBERING that we are not separate beings but of ONE source- interconnected, worthy of belonging, validation and peace.
With that said, the time is NOW for America and white people in particular to become aware of our history and participation in racism so we can learn, do better and evolve.
Some quick notes on how to use this post.
You will find the original post first and updated resources at the bottom.
There is a lot of content here that can be engaging with in multiple sittings. Learn, reflect, act. Repeat.
I want to be very clear that this post is not created to amplify my voice but was instead created as a direct bridge to the activists that have committed their life’s work to this cause. If you find value in this resource, I invite you to make a donation to any of the following organizations, there are so many doing great work. Here are a few that I support: The Conscious Kid , The Loveland Foundation, Together Rising.
ORIGINAL POST (scroll to bottom for most updated resources)
“Critical Knowledge + Radical Empathy + Intentional Action”
Rachel Cargle’s directives and teaching philosophy are the outline for this post- Critical Knowledge, Radical Empathy and Intentional Action. Each part will include first an action step then a reflection question. Ready? Let’s get started!
DIRECTIONS
Step 1. Grab pen and paper. Step 2. Experience resource. Step 3. Reflect. Step 4. Repeat. Soak in it. Apply what you learned to your life.
CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE
Action 1: Watch this Systematic Racism Video created by Act TV. Find linked resources here.
Reflection Question 1: Write 1 thing you learned about systematic racism and 1 question you still have.
CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE
Action 2. Watch this public address from Rachel Cargle.
Reflection Question 2: Write down one emotion you experienced while watching, write down one question you have.
CRITICAL KNOWLEDGE
Action 3. Click through this slideshow “A Guide to White Privilege” created by Courtney Ahn.
Reflection question 3: What is one thing you didn’t already know about white privilege? What is one example you experienced in the last week of white privilege in action? What is (if white) one experience that you personally benefited from due to living in white skin?
RADICAL EMPATHY
Action 1: Read and do Layla Saad’s “Me and White Supremacy”
Reflection question: Do you have anti-racism books and resources? If not, why? If yes, how are you actively applying their content to your life?
RADICAL EMPATHY
Action 2: Read this quote from Scott Woods.
“The problem is that white people see racism as conscious hate, when racism is bigger than that. Racism is a complex system of social and political levers and pulleys set up generations ago to continue working on the behalf of whites at other people’s expense, whether whites know/like it or not. Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn’t care if you are a white person who likes black people; it’s still going to find a way to infect how you deal with people who don’t look like you. Yes, racism looks like hate, but hate is just one manifestation. Privilege is another. Access is another. Ignorance is another. Apathy is another. And so on. So while I agree with people who say no one is born racist, it remains a powerful system that we’re immediately born into. It’s like being born into air: you take it in as soon as you breathe. It’s not a cold that you can get over. There is no anti-racist certification class. It’s a set of socioeconomic traps and cultural values that are fired up every time we interact with the world. It is a thing you have to keep scooping out of the boat of your life to keep from drowning in it. I know it’s hard work, but it’s the price you pay for owning everything.”
Reflection Question: Write down three point/facts/perspectives that you can use the next time you hear a racist remark. Commit them to memory, practice saying them with your partner, friend or yourself.
INTENTIONAL ACTION
Action: Pick and complete three intentional actions from this article, 75 thing white people can do for Racial Justice.
Artist Credit: Laolu Senbanjo
Reflection question: Are you pausing to take action? Why?
Lean into the discomfort.
Do the work.
Artwork by Chelsea Hughes
RESOURCE UPDATES:
An excellent scaffolded anti-racist google doc… learn to move from any of the following statements: I don’t see race. We are all love. I feel bad for being white. It’s not my fault I’m white. If we talk about race, it makes it real.
Podcasts with Brene Brown:
here as she discusses Little Fires Everywhere with the author Celeste Ng as well as here with Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon who star in the Hulu adaptation
here as she chats with professor Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and the Director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. Stating that “we talk about racial disparities, policy, and equality, but we really focus on How to Be an Antiracist, which is a groundbreaking approach to understanding uprooting racism and inequality in our society and in ourselves.”
here described as: Austin Channing Brown’s anti-racism work is critical to changing our world, and her ability to talk about what is good and true about love, about our faith, and about loving each other is transformative.
Explore Unconscious Biases using Anti-Racism Daily with Nicole Cardoza