Anti-Racism Reading List - 2/10/20

Powerful articles worth sharing and discussing

Author

Sharon Hurley Hall
October 02, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Hello friends,

Today's reading list is a mixed bag. In fact, as you'll see later, it's not just a reading list. So, let's get straight to it.

Author Barbara Smith proposes a plan to join up some of the current disparate initiatives and to take white supremacy apart from the ground up. I don't know if that's even possible, but there are some good ideas here.

"Currently, initiatives that focus on inequality in specific sectors like education, health care, and criminal justice are not aligned with one another, are seldom brought to scale so that they have maximum impact, and may not operate with the conscious goal of challenging white supremacy. The Hamer-Baker Plan would close these gaps and encourage integrated approaches."

This is another story of how a Black family had to fight for land that was rightfully theirs. And they're not the only ones. It's an example of how systemic discrimination has stopped many Black families from acquiring the wealth or even financial stability that's rightfully theirs.

"Between 1910 and 1997, African Americans lost about 90% of their farmland. This problem is a major contributor to America’s racial wealth gap; the median wealth among black families is about a tenth that of white families."

It's heartbreaking to think that a 12-year-old boy already fears for his life, and the lives of his parents and siblings, but that is where we are. This is a heartfelt response to the murder of George Floyd, and it makes for an emotional read. Some quotes include:

"Can you imagine someone thinking you are a thief just because of the color of your skin? I can…

Can you imagine it being normal to start recording with your cellphone as soon as your mother is pulled over for a traffic stop? I can…

Can you imagine holding on to your three little brothers while thinking that you are all going to be orphans? I can."

Found on Facebook

I have mixed feelings about Facebook (well, maybe not that mixed, lol), but it has allowed me to discover some content worth reading that I haven't seen anywhere else. For example, this post from Mercy Morganfield shows how word associations can reinforce bias. And this post from Smiley Sinclair provides some viewing suggestions if you want to learn more about the Black experience. These aren’t always easy watching, but they’re certainly educational.

Anti-Racism Tools

To wrap things up, I've come across a few tools while I've been browsing. Here are three worth looking at.

  1. Racism Scale - This is a tool to help us identify where we fall in relation to bias. I don't have much to say about it, but perhaps it's something worth sharing with others in your network

  2. Antiracist Style Indicator - where are you when it comes to fighting racism?

  3. Privilege Checklist - check your privilege

Finally, if you're looking for someone with accessible resources on anti-racism, check out Gloria Atanmo. She's got a bunch of Instagram galleries (also available on LinkedIn and Facebook) covering the answers to some questions you may have wanted to ask. I'll share one example below.

Well, that's it for this week. I think you’ll agree that there’s plenty to digest. :)

If you missed previous editions of the reading list, check them out below:

As always, I welcome your comments.

Thanks for reading and supporting.

Until next time,

Sharon Hurley Hall

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