How to Start Conversations About Racism (and Why You Should)

Hello {{ first name | friends}},

One thing anti-racism advocates often wonder when they're starting out is how to get started talking about anti-racism. After all, if you're racialised as white you may not be practiced in this area at first. (Sadly, if you're racialised as Black, or are a person of the Global Majority, you've probably had to have those conversations from a very young age.) A caveat: this is only one possible approach, but it's one that often works, and it's one I personally have used with white friends and acquaintances.

There's often something in the conversation that lets you know the person is open to a discussion. Sometimes they'll ask a question about something they don't quite understand. Or maybe they'll share an experience, opening the door for you to share a different perspective. Whatever the situation, don't browbeat the person you're talking to or make them feel bad about where they are. Instead move to the next step.

Try to find out more about their perspective, such as why they've asked a question or what they already know. Leading with openness, curiosity and willingness to hear them will help the conversation keep going. Again, going in too strong at the start can shut down conversation, especially if they feel attacked. That's exactly what you want to avoid.

Before you get into answering their question or sharing more, let them know where you're coming from. You could share that you're anti-racist, how that came to be and why you feel this way. Keep it short; this is not the time for your whole life story. Just share enough to establish that you have some valuable insight.

Now it's time to share on the issue they were curious about. It's a great moment to debunk some common myths or flawed concepts, whether that's not seeing colour, all lives matter, whether race is real, racism is just name-calling or a thing of the past, or something else. If there's an opportunity to build bridges between where they are and where they'd like to be, then take it - engineering a shift in understanding is ideal.