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Welcome to the first anti-racism reading list of 2026. This month's articles look at colonialism, inequality, the costs of racism, AI and more. All oppression is linked, so we need to consider a wide range of aspects. Ready to dive in?
1. The Machine That Forgot We Were Human by Terrell Groggins
With AI-powered tools invading every aspect of our lives, online AND offline, it seemed a good idea to share this exploration of some of the issues.
“OpenAI’s content moderation system flags African American Vernacular English as “aggressive” 40% more often than Standard American English saying the same thing. The algorithm learned from decades of HR complaints, news articles, and social media reports that already coded Black speech as threat. Now it automates the bias at scale, confident in its accuracy.”
I felt and feel this deeply, because so many of us are providing freemium education and not earning an income that lets us thrive. Comparisons to those whose starting point is better resourced are invidious:
“the racial reality of this hustler writing model is that in the end it favors white folks. Yeah, I said it. There are virtually no Black women mentioned anywhere near the top earners in any of these people-funded models. Not on Substack or Patreon—remember, Patreon is my OG home outside of my actual blog.”
3. Why it Matters That Your Therapist Looks Like You by Rev. Sheila P. Johnson
As you know, I've personally experienced what happens when people who don't share your identity deny your medical concerns, and I'm far from the only one. The moment described by Rev Johnson below allows us to exhale a little:
“When your therapist looks like you —, or at least has the framework to understand your lived realities, the work changes. Healing feels possible. You don’t waste energy translating or defending your experience. You don’t hold your breath wondering whether your truth will be minimized or doubted. Instead, you can exhale. You can trust that what you carry — the weight of racism, of inequities, of expectations born from culture — is real, and that it will be received with recognition, not dismissal.”
4. Beyond solidarity: five years on, will our sector live its anti-racism values? by Bibusa MusukwaLena Bheeroo
This discussion is long overdue, in my opinion, but needs to move rapidly from talk to action:
“The aid system does not exist outside of history. It is built on the legacies of empire. In the wake of 2020, conversations that had long been pushed to the margins began to move into the centre: calls to decolonise aid, demands for locally led development, and recognition that anti-racism must be more than a statement of solidarity.”
5. Historical images made with AI recycle colonial stereotypes and bias by Olli Hellmann
Yeah, water is wet, but this is still worth paying attention to for the reasons stated here. (P.S. I wanted to be sure to reflect a Māori perspective on this issue, so I found this article which quotes Lynell Tuffery Huria)
“imagery that portrays colonisation as peaceful and consensual can blunt the perceived urgency of Māori claims to political sovereignty and redress through institutions such as the Waitangi Tribunal, as well as calls for cultural revitalisation.”
6. The Real Cost of Racism to the White Working Class by david mcqueen
The second half of this article includes a powerful call to action for all of us. This quote leads into it:
“Racism keeps us all poorer. It keeps wages low, divides unions, weakens democracy, and blinds us to the common enemy, inequality. If we really want to build a fair society, we have to see racism for what it is. A tool. A distraction. A profitable illusion. And the only antidote is solidarity.”
7. I am the first Indigenous journalist to exclusively interview António Guterres. How many others will listen? by Wajã Xipai
As someone who spends most of her time in a region which contributes little to the climate change disaster yet is among the most at risk from it impacts, I appreciate the chance to share this powerful perspective:
“As an Indigenous man, I know very well the pain of the forest, because its body is an extension of ours. When I speak of the body of the forest, it is neither this nor that; it is everything. It is the other humans who live within it: it is a tree, it is the ground, it is the river, and those who live within it.”
8. Digital colonialism: The evolution of US empire by Michael Kwet
Colonialism hasn't gone anywhere, as daily news coverage shows. This article looks at the world's tech infrastructure and how colonialism shows up in this sphere.
“digital colonialism is about entrenching an unequal division of labor, where the dominant powers have used their ownership of digital infrastructure, knowledge, and their control of the means of computation to keep the South in a situation of permanent dependency.”
9. One Year Later by Dr. Tana M. Session
There's a lot to chew on in this powerful article - how Black women have shown up, how we've been treated, and the advantages of opting out of that paradigm, among others:
“Rwanda has taught me that healing can be both collective and personal. I am surrounded each day by a culture that celebrates who I am, not as an exception…but as part of the whole.
Moving to Rwanda was not just a change of scenery. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. No regrets. Just restoration.”
10. Colonial Defensiveness: Exposing the Supremacy-Preserving Reflex Beneath White Fragility by Christian ZacaTecho Ortiz
All I can say here is: "Preach"!
“Colonial defensiveness is the patterned, conditioned reflex through which individuals, especially those racialized as white or socialized within dominant colonial frameworks, mobilize emotional, rhetorical, or behavioral responses to preserve their proximity to power when that power is named, questioned, or disrupted. It is not an accidental emotional reaction but a systemically trained response that functions to protect colonial logic, re-centralize whiteness, and suppress liberatory discourse.”
Of Note - Things Worth Highlighting
Having to defend against racism every single waking moment - Michael Gibson on LinkedIn
Black Women Said We’d Sit ‘No Kings’ Protest Out, But I Couldn’t by Alexanderia Haidara
10 Personal Anti-Racism Intentions for 2026 - my article on American Diversity Report
As always, feel free to share, either by commenting below or replying to the email, what stood out to you from this month's reading list, and what's the next intentionally anti-racist action you'll take as a result.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon
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What did you think of today's article?
Note: poll feedback is private - if you’re happy to share your thoughts in public, then please also leave a comment.
*Note: all articles linked here were free to read when I put together this edition. However, some may be paywalled by the time it is published, because capitalism. There’s not much I can do about that, but I hope the included quotes give you a flavour of the content.
© Sharon Hurley Hall, 2026. All Rights Reserved.
Sharon Hurley Hall is an anti-racism educator, author of I’m Tired of Racism, and founder of the SHHARE anti-racism community and of Sharon’s Anti-Racism Newsletter, which provides tools and lived experiences to fuel systemic change. A seasoned professional writer and journalist, she leverages over 30 years of experience to mentor introverted leaders, and is co-founder and co-host of the Introvert Sisters Podcast. Her recent work focuses on helping Black and Global Majority women achieve high-impact visibility and professional influence without the exhaustion of performing extroversion.