The world is on fire. It’s uncomfortable and it’s difficult to watch, but here we are. Our trauma responses are enacted (more on that later), and we want to take action.
We have compiled a generous list of resources, books, podcasts, and actionable ways to help. It’s okay to still feel lost, still feel like we are not doing enough, not achieving the goal, not even able to see the goal-post. That is okay. Sit in that discomfort, but then pick yourself back up, take part in some self-reflection on why this is so uncomfortable for you, and continue taking action.
Action can be taken loudly, and action can also be taken quietly. The results of this work will show, whether hidden, or displayed for the world to see. There is no right or wrong way for self-betterment, self-reflection, repenting, uprooting, changing, and shifting.
Articles to Read
- A bulleted list of 75 things white people can do for racial justice
- Dear White People, this is what we want you to do
- Brene Brown defines privilege
- An article about the racial contract in America
- A first-person narrative about being an immigrant in America
- An article focused on black feminism
- Intersectionality Wars
- Creating change as a white caucus group
- Unpacking white privilege
- A first-person narrative about the black experience in America
- Welcome to the Anti-Racism Movement
- What to do With Police Brutality Videos
- The Death of George Floyd, in context
- Of Course There Are Protests
- George Floyd Could Have Been My Brother
Videos to Watch
- Black feminism and the movement for black lives
- TEDxHow studying privilege systems can strengthen America
- TEDxYour privilege is showing
- TEDxUnderstanding systemic oppression
- TEDxDeconstructing racism through headlines
- TEDxMyths about racism
- TEDxLessons from a recovering racist
- TEDxWhy silence isn’t the answer
- TEDxThe cost of racism
- TEDxThe cure for racism
Books to Read
- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
- White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- Minor Feelings by Cathy Parx Hong
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
- How to be Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X Kendi
- Good Talk by Mira Jacob
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Citizen by Claudia Rankine
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- I Know Why Caged Birds Sing by Maya Angelou
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
- Killing Rage: Ending Racism by Bell Hooks
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
- Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire by Akala
- Witnessing Whiteness by Shelly Tochluk
- I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
- Diversify by June Sarpong
- Don’t Touch My Hair by Emma Tabiri
- Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis
- White Girls by Hilton Als
- Black and British: A Forgotten History by David Olusoga
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Black Boy by Richard Wright
Podcasts to Subscribe to
- About Race
- The Diversity Gap
- 1619
- Keep It
- Desert Island Discs
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Seeing White
Places to Donate
- Black Lives Matter (dedicated to taking action against white supremacy and encouraging others to do the same)
- Unicorn Riot (Media organization dedicated to covering social and environmental issues)
- National Bail Fund Network (comprehensive list of community bail funds)
- Color of Change (the US’ largest online racial justice organization)
- George Floyd Memorial Fund (set up by the family of George Floyd and paired with a petition calling for the arrest of all officers involved)
- Reclaim the Block (campaigns for a safer Minneapolis)
- Campaign Zero (mission to end police violence)
- Black Visions Collective (Minnesota-based organization campaigning long-term change in justice and political systems)
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (NY-based law firm focusing on human and civil rights)
- The Bail Project (funds helping those who have been arrested and cannot afford bail)
- Black Mamas Bail Outs (works to release women and caregivers who have been arrested and cannot afford bail)
- The Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust (works with young people to help them into employment)
- American Civil Liberties Union (works to protect voting rights and civil liberties)
- I Run With Maud (support for Ahmaud’s mother and immediate family)
Petitions to Sign
- Justice for George Floyd
- Justice for Ahmaud Arbery
- Justice for Belly Mujinga
- Justice for Breonna Taylor
Workshops and Classes
Social Media to Follow
- Entry Level Activist
- Gal-dem
- Color of Change
- Ibram X. Kendi
- Rachel Ricketts
- BlackVisions
- We The Urban
- Munroe Bergdorf
- Inquest Org
- Check Your Privilege
- The Conscious Kid
- Indya Moore
- Ijeoma Oluo
Click here for more information on trauma treatment.
