I believe Black Lives Matter.
I believe that #BlackLivesMatter. And I believe that as a white ally I have a responsibility to listen to those who know, take the time to educate myself, and support real change-makers. There are many such people.
One is writer and poet Scott Woods.
As he explains, racism is much bigger than “conscious hate.”
He says, “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.”
Here are some of the many other resources I am turning to in this time:
Articles
- George Floyd Protests: A Timeline
- 75 THINGS that White people Can Do for Racial Justice
- 11 Riots that Changed US History for the Better
- Where do I donate? Why is the protest violent? Should I go protest? And other important questions.
Books
- How to Be An Anti-Racist. (I highly recommend)
- I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (I highly recommend)
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism (I highly recommend)
- A long list of other books (I have not read many of these yet)
Places to Donate
- The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
- Equal Justice Initiative
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- Center for Policing Equity
I believe that #BlacklivesMatter.
