by Stacey Patton | February 2017
White allies have a long history of centering themselves in Black-led racial justice movements and telling leaders how to protest. In 1964, during Freedom Summer, a number of White participants often showed up to explain to Black organizers and community members what should be done. … That’s what people don’t get about “white fragility” and “white tears.” White people aren’t getting upset because they feel some affinity with whiteness as a racial construct, but because white references family and loving relations. So to call into question white privilege and call for the end of whiteness is to call their existence, their families, their friendships, and their power into question.
TAGS: [Collective Action] [2010’s] [White Fragility/Tears] [White Privilege] [Tips-Dos/Don’ts]
Resource Links Tagged with "2010’s"
Gaslighting: State Mind Control and Abusive Narcissism
by Vanessa Beeley | May 2016
Gaslighting as an abuser’s modus operandi, involves, specifically, the withholding of factual information and its replacement with false or fictional information designed to confuse and disorientate. Gaslighting involves a step by step psychological process to manipulate and destabilize its victim. It is built up over time and consists of repetitive information feeds that enter the victim’s subconscious over a period of time, until it is fully registered on the subconscious “hard disk” and cannot be overridden by the conscious floppy disk. Put more simply, it is brainwashing. “Overall, the main reason for gaslighting is to create a dynamic where the abuser has complete control over their victim so that they are so weak that they are very easy to manipulate.” ~ Alex Myles
TAGS: [Collective Action] [2010’s] [Silencing POC]
#Notracists be like: The Top 10 Phrases Used by People Who Claim They Are Not Racist
by Michael Harriot | October 2017
This is not about racists. This is about not-racists. You’ve seen them before: the special class of white people who say racist shit and do racist things but declare themselves the “least racist person you know.”
TAGS: [2010’s] [Assumptions] [Systemic Racism] [Tips-Dos/Don’ts] [White Privilege] [White Supremacy] [“Reverse Racism”] [Denial]
Anything but Racism
by James Mulholland | April 2019
“Note to my white self…You did it again. You made a racist assumption and then tried to
justify it. You assumed the black man who came to your hotel room was a member of the cleaning crew and not the manager.”
TAGS: [Assumptions] [Implicit Bias] [Individual Change] [Accountability] [Denial] [White Defensiveness] [White Fragility/Tears] [2010’s]
RACIAL EQUITY: How to Value Black Lives
by Enola G. Aird | June 2016
The Black Lives Matter movement has correctly pointed to this dehumanization as the driving force behind the police killings of black people. But it’s crucial to recognize that the dehumanization of black people is rooted in the lies, and that black lives will never truly matter until these lies are extinguished. It’s been 150 years since the end of enslavement, and nearly 50 years since the official end of Jim Crow, but the lies are still warping the world’s perceptions of Black people, and our perceptions of ourselves. These lies are the reasons why, in spite of all the constitutional amendments, legislation, and litigation, the black community in the United States and around the world seems to be standing still — and, in some cases, moving backwards.
TAGS: [White Supremacy] [Black Lives Matter] [Strategies] [2010’s] [History] [Collective Action]
A Herstory of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement
by Alicia Garza | October 2014
Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression. ‘“When we say Black Lives Matter, we are talking about the ways in which Black people are deprived of our basic human rights and dignity.”
TAGS: [History] [Black Lives Matter] [Strategies] [2010’s] [Collective Action] [Accountability]
Should the Church Take Sides or Stay Neutral with the #BlackLivesMatter Movement?
by Drew G.I. Hart | November 2015
When is it the right time to take sides, standing with those that live with the daily threat of violence, suffering, and death? Who decides? In the midst of 400 years of white supremacist terrorism many Christian communities still do not want to take sides.
TAGS: [Faith-Based/Spiritual] [Black Lives Matter] [Strategies] [2010’s] [History] [White Supremacy]
The Role Of Spirit In The #BLACKLIVESMATTER Movement: A Conversation With Activist And Artist Patrisse Cullors
by Hebah H. Farrag | June 2015
While the involvement of church groups and traditional religious leaders in various aspects of Black Lives Matter has been noted by news outlets, there is another spirit that animates the Black Lives Matter movement, one that has received little attention but is essential to a new generation of civil rights activists….Images of a white-clad black woman burning sage across a militarized police line. Altars using sacred images and symbols from multiple faiths placed to hold space for those murdered. Events ending with prayers for the oppressed. Protests called ‘ceremonies’ in front of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s house, with attendees asked to wear all white.”
TAGS: [Faith-Based/Spiritual] [Strategies] [2010’s] [Black Lives Matter] [Collective Action]
Should the U.S. Provide Reparations for Slavery and Jim Crow?
by Carlton Mark Waterhouse | May 2016
The overwhelming majority of academics studying the issue have supported the calls for compensating black Americans for the centuries of chattel slavery and the 100 years of lynching, mob violence and open exclusion from public and private benefits like housing, health care, voting, political office and education that occurred during the Jim Crow era.
TAGS: [2010’s] [History] [Reparations] [Individual Change] [Strategies] [Slavery]
Addressing Racist Rhetoric in the U.S. Elections- Updated
by John Michael | December 2015
“The language of hate is often coded, but was understood by two Boston adults, who beat a homeless Hispanic man. They pointed to Donald Trump as their inspiration. The use of hate speech threatens all people of color. Citizens of this nation need to promote the “Beloved Community,” not walk down a road of racism.”
TAGS: [2010’s] [Faith-Based/Spiritual] [Advocacy] [Strategies] [Collective Action]
On Black Mama’s Bail Out Day, “Goal is to Free Our People from These Cages” Before Mother’s Day
by Democracy Now! | May2017
On Thursday, racial justice groups began bailing women out of jail as part of a nationwide “Black Mama’s Bail Out Day.” The effort, taking place in nearly 20 cities, raises money to free as many black women from jail as possible in time for a Mother’s Day celebration with their families. Organizers for Black Mama’s Bail Out Day are calling for an end to the cash bail system, which keeps hundreds of thousands of people who have not been convicted of any crime imprisoned in jails every day nationwide while they await trial. For more, we speak with Mary Hooks, co-director of Southerners On New Ground, or SONG, an Atlanta-based regional LGBTQ nonprofit and one of the organizers of Black Mama’s Bail Out Day.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [Prison System] [Collective Action]
New Monument To The People Of Malaga Island Offers ‘Healing And Closure’
*Paywall Alert
by Dennis Hoey |July 2017
More than a century ago, the state wiped out the coastal community, institutionalizing its mixed-race population. The monument at Pineland Farms promises we’ll always remember.
TAGS: [History] [Strategies] [2010’s] [Art & Culture] [Collective Action]
The Story on Reparations I’m Not Qualified to Write
by William Spivey | June 2019
The primary argument against Reparations is that individuals today shouldn’t bear the brunt of what happened long ago and that enough time has passed since (choose one); the end of the Civil War, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the end of Jim Crow, the end of school segregation… that equality should have been achieved. The case for Reparations has never been to exact retribution from generic white people for the harm done to slaves in time past. The case is best made against the United States Government, which has been part of every effort to suppress black people since they came to this country until the present day.
TAGS: [Reparations] [Strategies] [2010’s] [Assumptions] [Collective Action] [Silencing POC] [Politics]
Note to My White Self: The reflections of a White Man Confronting His Personal Privilege and Racism – Six Racist Facebook Posts You Should Never Share
by James Mulholland | August 2019
Unfortunately, many white people, who until recently thought they didn’t have a racist bone in their body, aren’t very good at recognizing a racist Facebook post. Torn between what they’ve always assumed and what they are beginning to learn, they are still prone to falling for the arguments of white supremacy. An informative list of “racist Facebook posts you should never share.”
TAGS: [Tips-Dos/Don’ts] [White Supremacy] [Strategies] [2010’s] [Anti-Racism] [Implicit Racism]
Meet the Young Activists of Color Who Are Leading the Charge Against Climate Disaster
by Nylah Burton | October 2019
These US-based activists know firsthand the impact racism, poverty, and colonialism have had on the planet. Not listening to “youth activists of color” we are only viewing it through “white eyes” and “we miss so much.” Vox speaks to a few of these teens to give us “a glimpse into some of the youth of color who are leading the climate movement in their communities – and who are motivated by the fierce need to protect the most vulnerable.”
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [POC Climate Action] [Role Model] [Advocacy] [Accountability] [Silencing POC]
For Lasting Climate Change Solutions, It’s Time to Listen to Young People of Color | Opinion
by Nyiesha Mallet and Asli Mwaafrika | September 2019
With much attention turning this week to the upcoming U.N. Climate Action Summit and Greta Thunberg’s involvement as a youth leader, the time is long overdue to listen to young voices from these disproportionately impacted communities of color. The time has come for us to be recognized as leaders in climate advocacy and solutions.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [POC Climate Action] [Role Model] [Collective Action]
Stop Asking People of Color to Get Arrested to Protest Climate Change
by Tatiana Garavito and Nathan Thanki | September 2019
Stop Asking People of Color to Get Arrested to Protest Climate Change
Extinction Rebellion is overwhelmingly shaped by the concerns, priorities, and ideas of middle-class white people. If it doesn’t tackle white supremacy, it doesn’t serve us.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [POC Climate Action] [Advocacy] [White Supremacy]
An Escape Room Where You Can’t Escape Your Privilege
by Jillian Steinhauer | July 2019
The artist Risa Puno, designer of “The Privilege of Escape,” an art installation and escape room at Onassis USA in Midtown Manhattan where the escape room turns from a high-stakes thriller into a disarming demonstration of Social inequality.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [White Privilege] [Art & Culture]
It’s Time To Call Out ‘Nice Racists’ And Their White Fragility
by Christy DeGallerie | September 2017
When you think of a racist what pops in your mind? White supremacists? The KKK? You usually think of white people down south right? You know, the ones who have confederate flag bumper stickers, and hurl the N-word at Black people who cut them off while driving, or school districts that ban Black hairstyles. These folks are more of the poster children of racism. I’m here to let you in on a little secret: You don’t need to write a resume for the new available seat in the Ku Klux Klan to be a racist. We’ve heard many times before that racism is taught, that it starts at home with our parents and caregivers. This is absolutely true, but racism is also in our school systems, the media, it even comes from the mouths of orange men running for president.
TAGS: [Individual Change] [2010’s] [White Fragility/Tears] [Politics] [Implicit Racism] [White Supremacy] [White Privilege] [White Culture] [Systemic Racism] [Accountability]
Ibram Kendi, One of the Nation’s Leading Scholars of Racism, Says Education and Love Are Not the Answer
by Lonnae O’Neal | September 2017
Professor Ibram Kendi, founder of the new Anti-Racism Center at American University and author of Stamped from the Beginning, The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, talks about the “ideas that grow out of discriminatory policies.” and breaks down the “layers of racist ideas that account for why we think like we do. Just so you know, black people are not inherently better athletes than white people, Kendi says. We only think so because “black people have not only been rendered inferior to white people, they’ve been rendered like animals,” and thus physically superior creatures. It’s an old racist idea that helped justify African-Americans’ suitability for backbreaking labor and medical experiments and the theft of their children.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [Implicit Racism] [Systemic Racism] [White Culture] [Assumptions] [Collective Action] [Tips-Dos/Don’ts]
How the Daughters and Granddaughters of Former Slaves Secured Voting Rights for All
by Martha S. Jones | March 2019
Historian Martha S. Jones takes a look at the question of race versus gender in the quest for universal suffrage. The history of black women and the vote is one about figures who, though subjected to nearly crushing political disabilities, emerged as unparalleled advocates of universal suffrage in its truest sense.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [History] [Politics] [Collective Action]
When White Friends Don’t Believe What Blacks Go through, They’re Not Friends
by Mary C. Curtis | September 2014
*Yet whites are, frequently, disappointingly, incredulous. Very often a “friend’s” reaction that goes something like this: “I don’t think a police officer would stop anyone for no reason at all.” Or: “You must have done something suspicious.” Or my favorite: “If you haven’t done anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about.” I am not some child coming home with some tall tale, and I am certainly not a delusional liar.
TAGS: [Individual Change] [2010’s] [Policing] [Systemic Racism] [White Culture] [Tips-Dos/Don’ts]
What Do 2020 Candidates Mean When They Say ‘Reparations’?
*Paywall Alert
by Conor Friedersdorf | June 2019
Even highly informed commentators lack a shared understanding of what the word means.
But among some influential Democratic constituencies—educated, left-of-center Brooklyn, for example—reparations is understood differently, as illustrated by a roundtable on the subject broadcast last month by a Brooklyn TV station…it clarifies the degree to which Americans discussing the subject can talk past one another or mistake how much disagreement actually exists, fueling everything from mild confusion to needless polarization.
TAGS: [Reparations] [Strategies] [2010’s] [Advocacy] [Politics]
The Sugarcoated Language of White Fragility
by Anna Kegler | Updated December 2017
*The language we use to talk about racism is obviously distorted, a big clue that something is being hidden. It’s pretty easy to pinpoint the source: most White people can’t handle talking about racism. We flail. We don’t understand the subject, we get really uncomfortable, and we either clam up because we don’t want to say the wrong thing, or we bust out the whitesplaining (FYI, this is a best-case scenario. It can be much worse).
TAGS: [Individual Change] [2010’s] [White Culture] [White Privilege] [White Supremacy] [Implicit Bias] [White Fragility/Tears] [“All Lives Matter”]
Surveillance Footage Shows Rhode Island Officers Fabricated Assault That Nearly Ruined Man’s Life
by Ricky Riley | July 2016
A Providence, Rhode Island man was charged with assaulting police officers at a night club last year but surveillance footage released this week shows that officers started the raucous. Tuesday, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office announced that 29-year-old Esmelin Fajardo will be allowed to enter a not guilty plea regarding the charges related to a melee in a club during closing hours.
TAGS: [Racial Terrorism] [2010’s] [Accountability] [Policing] [White Supremacy] [-ing While Black] [White Privilege]
Things I Didn’t Know
by James Mulholland | May 2019
Nine years ago, I began to slowly awaken to my racial prejudices and white privilege. It was a rude awakening. During the past three years, I’ve blogged about that journey from racial ignorance. Recently, someone asked me what have been the biggest surprises along the way. What do I know now that I didn’t know before? What follows is a short list of some of my bigger epiphanies and the posts where I shared these revelations.
- I didn’t know scholars and sociologists believe nearly 100% of enslaved women were sexually assaulted. I didn’t know how much the free access of white men to black bodies was part of white culture. Some sociologists estimate 50% of all children of slaves had a white father. This kind of sexual aggression continued throughout Jim Crow. I didn’t know the conviction of a white man for raping a black woman was extremely rare before 1960. When Rape Was Legal.
- I didn’t know that – in some ways – the years after the end of slavery were worse than during slavery. I didn’t know vagrancy laws allowed white people to “arrest and convict” nearly any black person and enslave them. Thousands of black families were torn apart as fathers were sent off to “serve their time” in factories and on farms. The death rate at these prison camps was as high as 50%, meaning that the penalty for “vagrancy” in the south was often death. Worse Than Slavery.
TAGS: [Slavery] [Racial Terrorism] [White Privilege] [History] [White Blindness] [2010’s]
The Story of Phillis Wheatley
by Elizabeth Warren | December 2019
Born in West Africa, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped by slave traders and brought to New England in 1761. She mastered English, Latin, Greek and English literature at a time when enslaved people could be condemned to death for learning. By imagining she could, she became the first black woman poet to publish a book before the Revolutionary War. Using her example, we too can see a future where collectively our imaginations can be challenged to change the world for the better.
TAGS: [2010’s] [Strategies] [History] [Role Model]
That Time White Slaveowners Got Reparations While Slaves Didn’t Get 40 Acres and a Mule
by William Spivey | December 2019
“It is time for us to simply realize that … when it comes to the economic gap between blacks and whites in America, it does come from a great injustice that has never been dealt with. If you did the math today, it would be trillion of dollars, and I believe that anything less than $100 billion is an insult”. Quote by Marianne Williamson on reparations.
TAGS: [Economics] [Reparations] [2010’s] [History] [Accountability] [Strategies]
Avoiding the Ruts of Injustice Within and Without
by Niyonu | October 2017
A warning that I find myself offering with greater frequency these days is “watch out to avoid the deeply cut grooves.” Rigorous and regular self-examination is required in order to identify those grooves worn ever so deeply, for they’ve become the bane of our wholeness.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [Accountability] [Individual Change]
10 Simple Ways White People Can Step Up to Fight Everyday Racism
by Derrick Clifton | September 2014
Let’s face it: Most white people don’t like being accused of racism or hearing that they have white privilege. “Learning about the history of racial oppression in America is an important step toward understanding why many people of color have a hard time trusting white people.
For many whites, these types of accusations have nasty connotations, hearkening back to slavery, colonialism, rape, genocide, segregation, and disenfranchisement. But although it may be uncomfortable, these connotations can’t be swept under the rug,” it is no surprise that they may prefer not to deal with whites altogether.
TAGS: [Strategies] [2010’s] [Individual Change] [Accountability] [History]