Anti-Racism Reading List January 2024

“we all need as many people as possible attacking the problem (not each other) to continue making headway. There’s more than enough racism out there for everyone to tackle in their own circle of influence.”

“Toni Morrison was a master of context, and it is only in the full context of Morrison’s exceptional speech that we see the power of another statement: “You don’t waste your energy fighting the fever; you must only fight the disease. And the disease is not racism. It is greed and the struggle for power.””

“ After listening to Browne’s talk, I decided to show up as my full vulnerable self.

I was in for a nasty surprise. What I found out, is that being vulnerable is possible when you a white — it's like an addendum to white privilege. When you are Black, it just doesn’t work in your favor..”

“You are so incredibly vulnerable when you deliver your first manuscript, it’s no small feat, so you need to trust who you are working with. Their hands are first to be on what might be your most prized possession. To then receive your most treasured piece of work back, with over a hundred racist micro-aggressions in the comments, is beyond unacceptable. It is deeply harmful, dehumanising and incredibly painful.”

“The supertoken exists because they have already excelled in systems that were meant to crush them. Their presence in a firm or institution does not automatically change the system. In some cases, the supertoken might be the one upholding the system with an “I made it through, why can’t you?” attitude. Only a supertoken who is willing to use their privileges to dismantle the systems of exclusion for others might aid in an organization’s decolonization efforts.”

“What they didn’t understand — or refused to understand — was that it takes more than simply hiring someone to address issues within an organization. It takes a top-down commitment to be part of that change. In my own experience, DEI trainers focus on employees much more than they do the employers. People at the top seem to have little to no incentive to change. It’s easier to believe that the problem lies solely with staff.”

“Experts and advocates for women of color say Black women are often hired or promoted to leadership roles at companies at times of crisis with the expectation being that they will fix the issues. The task, experts say, can be so daunting that it quickly leads to burnout or even failure.”

“By immersing themselves in the affairs of a maritime culture at a key commercial gateway, the people who were eventually designated Waswahili (Swahili people) created a niche for themselves. They were important enough in the trade that newcomers had little choice but to speak Swahili as the language of trade and diplomacy. And the Swahili population became more entrenched as successive generations of second-language speakers of Swahili lost their ancestral languages and became bona fide Swahili.”

“Being able to pinpoint where exactly a person is from, she says, “has implications for their culture, their language, their beliefs, their practices—which contributed to so much of the culture of the Americas and the African diaspora at large.”

“Slavery didn’t die in America after the Civil War; it was reinvented.”

“If you know of any jobs or assignments in global health, health equity, antiracism, racism, communications, or writing, please let me know, I’d be really interested. I’m someone who works hard and who thrives in diverse teams. I’m purpose-driven and determined to make my life matter. If all I can do is change one person’s life for the better, I’m all in.”