Anti-Racism

Understanding Racism, History & Memoirs
Online Resources

• Strategies to End Structural Racism
  By John a. Powell and Stephen Menendian | March 26, 2021
• Anti-Racism Is Becoming Troublingly Racist
• Sacred Ground Episcopal Church
  is a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith. Small groups are invited to walk through chapters of America’s history of race and racism while weaving in threads of family story, economic class, and political and regional identity.
  The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
  Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is open to all and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people. Participants are invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day – all while grounded in our call to faith, hope, and love.
  https://episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground
• The Union of Black Episcopalians stands in the continuing tradition of more than 200 years of Black leadership in the Episcopal Church. It is a confederation of more than 55 chapters and interest groups throughout the continental United States and the Caribbean. The Union also has members in Canada, Africa and Latin America.
  https://www.ube.org/
• “Who Gets to be Afraid in America? By Ibram X. Kendi in the Atlantic, May 12, 2020. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/05/ahmaud-arbery/611539/
• “1619 Project” in the New York Times https://nyti.ms/37JLWkZ
•  “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” by Peggy McIntosh at TED Talk; Nov 5, 2012. https://youtu.be/e-BY9UEewHw
•  “The urgency of intersectionality” by Kimberlé Crenshaw; October 2016 https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
•  “How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time” by Baratunde Thurston, TED Talk; Jun 26, 2019. https://youtu.be/RZgkjEdMbSw
• “The future of race in America” by Michelle Alexander at TEDxColumbus; Oct 16, 2013,  https://youtu.be/SQ6H-Mz6hgw
  
• Here is a list that is beyond the NYTImes bestseller list. “ The Gazette asked Harvard faculty members to discuss the books they recommend for those who want to learn more about the issues and to expand their understanding of systemic racism, white privilege, and the long legacies of slavery and white supremacy in American history.” https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/06/a-reading-list-on-issues-of-race/

Reflections on Talking to Kids about Racism
By Anice Schervish Chenault
Parents – I talked to my six-year-old last night about what was happening in Louisville and Minneapolis, about systemic racism and police brutality, about Breonna and George… it built upon conversations that we’ve been having for years. Have you talked to your kids? If not, why not? Black parents MUST talk to their kids about this – to save their lives. It’s a privilege that makes it an option for white kids. Please choose that #blacklivesmatter

Here’s a place to start – Something Happened in Our Town focuses on a white family and a black family responding to their kids about a situation of police murder similar to the ones to which we are responding now.  It does a great job starting the conversation about race, then racism, then systemic racism, and ending with what the kids can do in their own sphere to make a change.  https://www.apa.org/pubs/magination/441B228?fbclid=IwAR08dWurL-BylBWwp-L9mBiooCcO_0VrPxQ7wK3H_jO-yO21KXl15I90kkc

• • Here’s an animation https://youtu.be/lcOhOFGcWm8

There is SO MUCH out there if you just start searching… but in an effort to keep this manageable, I’m offering just a few quick resources on starting conversations with your kids about what’s going on.  Remember, this is not a one-and-done conversation… it’s many little conversations, questions that will come from your kids at seemingly random times – they’ve been mulling it over, seeing how new information integrates with all the other messages they have from their friends, school, and media… then, in a safe moment, they will come out with it.  It’s hard when they catch us off guard – asking why white people enslaved black people while you’re trying to put away the groceries… but those are the moments we live for – they’re open, at least for a moment, to the conversation.  Be ready.  And remember, if you don’t do it the way you’d like, you can do it again. 

When’s too soon?  Never.  Kids start to recognize race at 6 months and by 9, racial attitudes tend to stay constant unless the child experiences a life-changing event.  Here are some more resources to get you started.  

Stages in Children’s Development of Racial and Cultural Identity & Attitudes –  http://www.uuamherst.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Racial-identity_stages.pdf
Here’s a great quick series – 

• • • Raising Social Justice Warriors – Pt. 1: White parents, talk to your children about race
      https://medium.com/@realtalkwocandallies/raising-social-justice-warriors-7aa23449d841 
    • White parents, here’s how to start talking to your children about race – Pt. 2: Raising Social Justice Warriors –
      https://medium.com/@realtalkwocandallies/the-new-playbook-for-anti-racism-parenting-3adfc45d56f9 
    • The New Playbook for Anti-Racism Parenting – Pt 3: Raising Social Justice Warriors – https://medium.com/@realtalkwocandallies/the-new-playbook-for-anti-racism-parenting-3adfc45d56f9

Another resource for our particular moment – 

• • • 7 Reminders for White Parents Talking to Their Kids About Police Killing Black People – http://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/7-reminders-for-white-parents-talking-to-their-kids-about-police-killing-black-
    • Raising Race Conscious Children is a fantastic resource… you can access their blog and/or, they have regular web-based trainings that you can engage in as a single person/family or host an online training for a small group.  Here are some FAQ’s on raising race-conscious children to get you started.  But please, explore the whole site.  http://www.raceconscious.org/frequently-asked-questions/ 
    • Here’s How To Raise Race-Conscious Children https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinwinkler/tips-for-talking-to-children-about-race-and-racism?bffbhealth&utm_term=.hiQM2YmWpR#.rq97O0Jdmo
    • A resource on Talking About Race from the Smithsonian/Nat’l African-American Museum of History and Culture that includes a section for Parents – https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race 

Ted Talks

Films

12 years a Slave, Released 2013

Malcolm X, Released 1992

Books Non-Fiction

Theology

The Anti-Racist Starter Pack:
40 TV Series, Documentaries, Movies, TED Talks, and Books to Add to Your List
https://parade.com/1046031/breabaker/anti-racist-tv-movies-documentaries-ted-talks-books/

Local, Black Led-Organizations

• Respond To Racism: A neighborhood effort to interrupt racism in Lake Oswego, OR https://www.respondtoracism.org