Dear friends and fam, or whoever is reading this blog,
If you're here, you've likely listened to TBOTH Episode 11. Thank goodness for Iszel, Elliott and Felix, because I’m not great at speaking on the fly. I wanted to expand on points I raised, to better articulate them in writing. I've included supporting links (at the very bottom, corresponding to the numbers).
Extracting this from below and putting it at the top because it can’t be said enough: *Almost everything I’ve learned has either been written by, curated or recommended by Black scholars, writers, activists, philosophers, or possibly once or twice, those in the comment sections of said people’s pages or groups.* If you want to know who I learned from, read/scroll to the resources portion of this blog.
I speak about Amber Ruffin’s book, and my surprise at how many racist encounters her sister Lacey Lamar had in her Omaha jobs over the years. It illustrates just how hard it can be for Black people to move up the ladder at companies, and one of many reasons they are consistently underrepresented, especially at the highest executive levels. This is especially true in places like the Midwest, where 79% of Black respondents to a survey say they’ve faced racism at work. To top this off, while 65% of Black professionals think it’s harder for Black employees to move up the ladder, only 16% of white Americans feel this way. Which just goes to show how blind most white Americans are! I know I was until I started really delving into this subject.[1]
When I said white people fell off the ally bandwagon a year after George Floyd, that’s unfortunately supported in the polls. I’m hoping to encourage white people to continue assisting in the movement for justice, even if you’re tired. Imagine being Black and how tiring that must be.[2]
When I said white people need to financially divest more than they are, Felix rightfully asked about poor white Americans. Here’s what I wish I’d said: There is definitely a swath of struggling white people. Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste does an excellent job of examining the hierarchy in our society that keeps people at the bottom IN the bottom. Look no further than statistics that show that the richest 50 people (48 are white, 45 are men, and none are Black) are worth as much as the poorest 165 MILLION Americans.That’s almost HALF the population of America. And the wealth gap has only been increasing, in staggering ways since the Reagan era.This country has a serious problem with wealth distribution. However, it has an even bigger race problem. The average white family has TEN TIMES the wealth of the average Black family. So the majority of white people, if they want to work towards equity, need to divest of some wealth. And if you don’t have wealth, then time. And if you really don’t have wealth and time, then use your voice and your vote!
I mention I grew up with a colorblind mentality and that I know now that’s not ‘on.’ What I was ineloquently trying to express is that a lot of white people have the idea that being colorblind means treating everyone equally. You don’t ‘see’ color, so how could you be racist? But the truth is, when we do this, we are ignoring the challenges that race presents to people designated as Black. Race is a social construct (meaning that genetically, we are all basically the same. Studies show there’s greater genetic differences in between some different regions of Africa than there are between some regions of Africa and Europe). HOWEVER, the construct of race in society has a very real impact in people’s lives. If you’re designated ‘Black’ you have to deal with what that means in the opportunities you will be afforded and how people and society will treat you. So when white people go around being colorblind, it means they are in denial of the caste system that puts Black people at the bottom and privileges their own skin color. They basically are erasing the experience of what it means to be Black. You cannot correct a problem you cannot ‘see.’ If you do not ‘see’ color, you do not see a Black person’s full humanity. What being colorblind often means to white people is that they don’t talk to their kids about race. If we are going to start shifting the culture, white people need to be having conversations with their kids to make them aware of the injustices in this country, and also so their kids don’t perpetuate those injustices unknowingly. Kids can handle it. Black kids can (they have to have those conversations), my white kid could, and yours can too. EmbraceRace facebook page is a great place to look for information on parents looking to have these conversations. [6] [7]
Here’s the article I mention that defines Critical Race Theory. [8]
I speak about how the South created new forms of slavery after slavery was abolished. I briefly mention sharecropping and patrols that became modern day policing. It’s a bit disjointed, so here’s more information:
Here are two links to articles that discuss how sharecropping kept most Black people in economic poverty.[9] [10]
And here’s more about how the South, once denied its labor, created Black codes, laws only applicable to African Americans. Militia groups often rounded up ‘free’ Black people, then imprisoned them for trivial and made up offenses, so that the South could continue to have unpaid labor by creating criminals they could then exploit. One of these ‘crimes’ was ‘vagrancy’ (which meant being unemployed). So basically, you could be made a slave again through the prison system for being unemployed. And the use of free labor through imprisonment continues today.[11] [12]
When I say to have those hard conversations - have them with your white friends and family, definitely, but don't force them on any BIPOC friends or fam. If they are open to it, great, but they may be too tired, too burnt out, too traumatized. That has to be their choice. That's why facebook groups and educator's pages on social media are a good option for learning from Black voices and possibly engaging in those conversations (again if that person is willing.)
I end my bit on the podcast with saying I want to ‘Do Better.’ What I fail so abysmally at conveying is that anti-racism isn’t about making me a better person. The struggle for equality isn’t about white people. It requires white people, since our skinfolk created the problem and we maintain the system, knowingly or not. But the movement is about equality for Black people, making space in our country at all levels, in all ways. When I say ‘Do Better,’ I mean white people need to be more invested (or invested at all!) in change, because our privilege, and the caste system in our country, oppresses Black people and other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). Which means if you aren’t actively working towards equality, and you’re going around thinking you’re not-racist, you are still part of the problem (this was me, for too long). This is the trickiness of white supremacy. The less white people do to change it, the better it functions. If you don’t want to oppress, then you have to actively work towards equity and equality. Simply by existing in white skin, you have privilege.
You may not agree with me right now, but I ask that you do a deeper dive into the history of this country to see how these systems have been set up, and how it’s built into the very foundation of our country, and how that affects society now. As Felix was saying, so often we are taught history as something that’s in the past, unconnected to our present. But history is living; what happened then impacts us now. Understanding our past – our true history – allows us to more effectively work towards solutions for current day problems. So, where to start? Learning more about the problem. And then doing something. Or learning and doing together – even better.
With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of resources that I’ve read, listened to, and watched, as well as groups or people I follow on social media. *Almost everything I’ve learned has either been written by, curated or recommended by Black scholars, writers, activists, philosophers, or possibly once or twice, those in the comment sections of said people’s pages or groups.* I highly recommend you use this blog post as a stepping stone into listening to Black voices. In fact, go off and find them right now and forget all about this blog! But, if you’re feeling too overwhelmed for that, use this as a starter and then GO DO THAT!
Reading is my jam, so this mostly covers books. There are obviously lots of movies out there too, but you’ll have to find another list if you’re interested in that. Please note, this is a very incomplete list of resources out there, and I’m always adding to it. Also – please buy books from Black authors if you can afford them (rather than using the library). And if you’re buying a hard copy, BUY FROM A LOCAL BLACK BOOKSELLER. I buy from Harriet’s Bookshop in Philadelphia, and have them shipped.
https://bookshop.org/shop/harriettsbookshop
RESOURCES:
How to Be an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi
This book is a thoroughly researched powerhouse that helped bring anti-racism into the mainstream. Kendi goes into why it’s so important to be actively fighting racism. It convicted me that I needed to do more than just be ‘not racist’.
So You Want to Talk About Race
Ijeoma Oluo
This is a solid starter in your anti-racist journey. It’s a very personal book. Ijeoma pulls a lot from her experience as a Black child growing up among white people (and with a white mother). She talks about all the things you need to know before, during, and after having those hard conversations.
Me and White Supremacy
by Layla Saad
This is a book with questions and prompts to help you do some inner reflection. You’ll get out as much as you put in, it’s an excellent way to begin your journey into the internal reflection needed to be an anti-racist.
You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey
By Amber Ruffin & Lacey Lamar
This is an easy read or listen, a good primer to get you thinking about racism and the many ways Black people deal with it in daily life, especially in small town white America (like where I grew up)! Amber Ruffin addresses this difficult subject with her typical hilarious and sharp wit (with the occasional insightful interjection from her sister Lacey).
Caste
Isabel Wilkerson
This book pulls no punches about the brutal history of slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, segregation and the associated difficulties since. It’s relentless and meticulous in its examination of America’s power structures and similarity to other caste systems as seen in India and in Nazi Germany. I found it a difficult but illuminating listen.
Between the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
A beautifully written book, a letter from Ta-Nehisi to his son, modelled after James Baldwin’s A Letter To My Nephew. Poetic, thought-provoking and heart breaking, I loved, loved, loved reading this.
CURRENTLY READING
Woman, Race & Class
Angela Y. Davis
Written in the 60s but still relevant today, a well-researched read about the intersection of Race, Class and Gender in America. This is a great book to approach once you have a solid foundation in the subject matter.
Cross of Redemption
James Baldwin
A searing compilation of James Baldwin’s essays and speeches. One of the main voices of the civil rights movement. This man’s speeches are fire. I’m pretty sure anything by Baldwin is great. Another one to add in once you have a foundation, to give a good historical context of where we were in the 60s, and how relevant all of the struggles then still are now.
Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas
PODCAST
Seeing White – Scene on Radio by John Biewan with regular guest Chenjari Kumanyika
I learned an incredible amount on the formation and history of this country and how it relates to what’s happening in America today. I really made lots of connections with this one. I highly, highly recommend. (this is part of the guide series in Be the Bridge)
Recent(ish) Documentaries
13th by Ava DuVernay (on Netflix) – analysis of “the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom” (per Netflix’s website).
This one really helped me understand how f----d our criminal justice system is, by connecting the country’s history to the present.
Black Boys – “illuminates the full humanity of Black boys and men in America.” (per the website). Elliott recommended this one and I’m so glad he did.
I Am Not Your Negro (Netflix) “Based on James Baldwin's unfinished book, this visual essay explores racism through the stories of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.” (per Netflix).
I’m just starting this, and pretty excited about it, because James Baldwin’s is a master of words and evoking powerful emotions. So far, that seems to translate on screen.
Some of my favorite Black authors:
Kareem Rosser
In Crossing The Line, Kareem writes about growing up in West Philadelphia in a place called The Bottom, finding a barn in the middle of the inner city, and becoming the first person to captain an all-Black team that won a National Interscholastic Polo championship. On the surface, you could see this as a rags to riches story, but in reality he writes about his painful journey and where he grew up with such sensitivity, authenticity, compassion and nuance that the reader comes out of the book invested not just in his story, but in all the others who didn’t make it out. He puts a face to the too-often faceless. Plus, he’s local and was on our podcast, so I’ve just gotta recommend. 1000% worth a read or listen (the narrator of the audiobook, Landon Woodson is EXCELLENT).
Octavia Butler (sci-fi/fantasy) –
Her fantasy and sci fi books incorporate issues of race into absorbing and powerful novels, that are at times almost prescient in their ability to predict the foibles of humanity. If you’re a sci fi and fantasy reader and haven’t read any Butler yet, it’s time to rectify that. Start with Kindred and go from there. Do it! Now!
N.K. Jemisin (sci-fi/fantasy) –
I started reading N.K. Jemisin by delving into her spellbinding three successive Hugo award winning Broken Earth series. Jemisin had to endure a campaign of racist, angry, mediocre white men mad that she and other women and BIPOC have begun to come to prominence in literature. Clearly they didn’t actually read her novels, which are as unique as they are fascinating. That, or the men were too blinded by their own whiteness to appreciate her brilliance. In any case, I was all the more determined to support her as a writer, and if you like sci-fi and fantasy, I highly recommend all of her work.
Robert Jones Jr (historical fiction)
The Prophet is the debut novel by Robert Jones Jr, otherwise known as Son of Baldwin on Facebook. This book about two gay slaves in love is devastating, lyrical, and breathtaking. I felt such a combination of agony, fury and hope when reading this. It’s no surprise a lot of critics have been singing its praise and it’s up for awards.
Angie Thomas (fiction) –
I first read The Hate U Give, which is a novel about an unjust cop killing. It really gives the unenlightened white reader something to chew on in terms of painting the humanity into this all too common situation: the uneven balance of power, and the injustice at the heart of our justice system. This was later made into a movie which I still need to watch. Concrete Rose is within the same universe and just as good.
Richard Wright (autobiographical) –
Wright’s Black Boy may be one of the best autobiographies of all time. It’s exquisitely written, and it gave me a much better, more visceral understanding of the Jim Crow era.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (fiction)
Americanah gives the perspective of a Nigerian living in America to attend university. She does an excellent job of using the protaganist’s experiences to give the reader a better understanding of the unique and terrible way in which the USA views race, as the protagonist has to deal with being considered ‘Black’ instead of just a person for the first time.
Tananarive Due (horror) –
Tananarive Due was writing horror centered around Black protagonists long before Jordan Peele finally broke into the mainstream with Get Out. If you’re a fan of horror, I highly recommend any of her books.
Jesmyn Ward (fiction) – I’ve just finished reading Salvage the Bones, and holy heck does Jesmyn’s brilliant words bring you right into the hot, sweaty summer days and vividly painted lives of a struggling family in Mississippi. She takes us through the devastation and horror of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. I read this too fast because I couldn't put it down.
There’s also the better known Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, if you haven’t read something by each of them, do now, please.
BIPOC PEOPLE I FOLLOW on FACEBOOK
Ally Henny (writer and speaker on race, racial healing and racial conciliation)
Dr. Amanda Kemp (Lancaster based teacher on Racial Justice from the Heart – I’ve also taken a few of her classes)
Son of Baldwin (inclusive space that prioritizes the Black, Queer perspective)
Jay Kuo (politics, human rights)
GROUPS on FACEBOOK
Be The Bridge (this is a Christian based group for Racial Unity, but you don’t have to be Christian to participate. Incredible resources, have learned a lot from them).
White People. DOING Something (a group for people who identify as white or have white skin privilege to do work with guidance and coaching from Black people).
A note about the group Lace on Race: I spent 6 months in that space and learned an incredible amount there, but my anti-racism journey has since diverged from there. I haven’t recommended it in my groups list because I do not think Lace would appreciate a recommendation from someone who has left the site. However, one of the things that she and other Black educators have taught me is that white people tend to take credit for the labor and intellect of Black people, so I want to make certain I give credit where credit is due, and much of my initial learning happened there.
BIPOC PEOPLE I FOLLOW on INSTAGRAM
Ijeoma Oluo (ijeomaoluo) – NYT best-selling author, Intersectional anti-racist
Rachel Cargle (Rachel.cargle) – Writer, Philanthropic Innovator, Social Entrepreneur
Rachel Ricketts (iamrachelricketts) – racial justice disruptor, intersectional spiritual activist, collective mirror
Austin Channing Brown – (austinchanning) – writer, speaker, creator
BIPOC PEOPLE I FOLLOW on TWITTER
Michael Harriot (@michaelharriot) – Sr. writer at TheRoot.com, writer on Amber Ruffin Show, author
Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) – NYT columnist, BNC news anchor, lecturer, author
Joy-Ann Reid (@JoyAnnReid) – Host of “AM Joy” on MSNBC
I have a lot of books/documentaries/podcasts on my list of ‘want to’ read/watch/listen. But since I haven’t made it there yet, I won’t put them here. Please feel free to recommend your favorites in the comments. You might be wondering, why are the links below different colors? I have no idea. One of the many mysteries of Blogger. Thanks for reading!
[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/blacks-corporate-america-still-largely-invisible-study-finds-n1098981
[2] https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2021-05-25/a-year-after-george-floyds-killing-white-support-for-black-lives-matter-fades
[3] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/richest-50-165-million-poorest-wealth-gap_n_5f822365c5b62f97bac384cb
[6] https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/color-blindness-is-counterproductive/405037/
[7] https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/06/16/how-fluid-is-racial-identity/race-and-racial-identity-are-social-constructs
[8] https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
1 comment:
My learning journey began back in the 60's when I read Black Like Me. That book was the beginning of an incredible journey. I'm looking forward to digging into your reading list. Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoy your contribution to Iszel and Elliott's podcast. I do believe their story is opening hearts and minds to those that are ready to listen.
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