<<

Anti- Resources: Learning & Doing v3.0 January 2021 Compiled by Fern Blood, J.D., Ed.M. Please send suggestions, corrections or broken link info to [email protected] Bold entries: good places to start  entries: recent additions

Table of Contents

Part 1: Learning

Slavery 2 Historical Events & Figures 2 Commentary on Current Events 5 Reparations 6 Housing 7 Health Care 7 New England Specific 8 Language 9 Materials for Parents & Kids 9 Policing, Criminal In/Justice & Incarceration 11 Jewish Themes and Perspectives 11 List of Books 13 List of Films 14 Some Illuminating Data Points 15 Other Collections of Materials 16

Part 2: Doing

Materials for Teachers and Others 17 Action Steps 17 Organizations to Donate to 20 Bail Assistance 20 Black- and Minority-Owned Businesses & Banks 20 Voting Efforts 21 Legislative Efforts 21

1

Part 1: Learning

Slavery

Middle Passage

The History of the Trade of Enslaved People Across the Atlantic, Thoughtco.com https://docs.google.com/document/d/19kKptyEYcPAWluGOzJlG9LR55YBoDa1Xv60cpiOHlGI/edit?usp=shar ing

Middle Passage, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Slavery & Remembrance, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ISaZmCUjbav0Kihzx6ru1STG3eXfpVNZooQyNBXqkaY/edit?usp=shar ing

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself (an excerpt collected in Autobiography of a People: Three Centuries of African American History Told by Those Who Lived It, Ed. Herb Boyd, Anchor Books, 2000) “Equiano[’s]…vivid remembrance of village life in his native Guinea…gives an excellent idea of the African life so many were forced to leave behind….[T]he story included here tells of the horrors he witnessed aboard the slave ship that carried him from his homeland.” https://docs.google.com/document/d/14uGWiOHxlBVzvhuaouVLLhUZGxQfR2IYeOKKYg3wvLU/edit?usp= sharing

The Atlantic Slave Trade in Two Minutes: 315 years. 20,528 voyages. Millions of lives. By Andrew Kahn and Jamelle Bouie, Slate.com http://www.slate.com/articles/life/the_history_of_american_slavery/2015/06/animated_interactive_of_the_histo ry_of_the_atlantic_slave_trade.html

1619 Project is an … initiative from Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html The first article in the series is by Nikole Hannah-Jones, published 14 August 2019: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/black-history-american-democracy.html

An animated short film by , director of the (www.eji.org ) describing the history of slavery and racial injustice in America: https://youtu.be/r4e_djVSag4

The History of American Slavery, Jamelle Bouie and Rebecca Onion. This podcast explores the history of American slavery and examines how the institution came to shape our country’s politics, economy, and culture. https://slate.com/podcasts/history-of-american-slavery Subscription required.

Historical Events & Figures

Belinda Sutton and Her Petitions, 1782-1793. “Of all the residents on the Royall estate (Medford, Mass.) in the 18th century, free or enslaved, perhaps the best-known today is Belinda Sutton, an African-born woman who was enslaved by the Royalls.” https://royallhouse.org/slavery/belinda-sutton-and-her-petitions/ 2

Excerpt, Belinda, from Unchained Voices, (collected in Autobiography of a People: Three Centuries of African American History Told by Those Who Lived It, Edited by Herb Boyd, Anchor Books, 2000) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xw6bKNZTnLBokfBV5WwkE_Dj3gC3mIwoKwehlL0fN- 0/edit?usp=sharing

Nat Turner (1800-1831) The birthplace of American slavery debated abolishing it after Nat Turner’s bloody revolt, 1 June 2019, Washington Post https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PuuQ- OS879Mo5vaYNnHVA8GdJQlGfZwpJq2isChmuVU/edit?usp=sharing

Amistad: How it Began, National Park Service: In 1839 slave hunters captured large numbers of native Africans who were sent to Havana, Cuba to be sold into slavery. This is the story of what happened next. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UzCUQeUtTmow4Pwruo2p11KUH4Hba_8FMyyymuB4YGw/edit?usp= sharing

John Brown’s Raid at Harper’s Ferry, Va 1859 Five black men raided Harpers Ferry with John Brown. They’ve been forgotten. Every October, on the anniversary of the raid that helped fuel the Civil War, much attention is focused on Brown, not on his African American soldiers. By Eugene L. Meyer, Washington Post, Oct. 13, 2019 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jtJy-dELtc0rtT-mOjsEMavcn9EWW9suv599Fj4_jBo/edit?usp=sharing

The Last Slave Ship Survivor Gave an Interview in the 1930s. It Just Surfaced. 1860 “Zora Neale Hurston's searing book about the final survivor of the transatlantic slave trade, Cudjo Lewis, could not find a publisher for nearly 90 years.” History.com, Original: May 3, 2018, Updated: Mar 23, 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1UEk-fOBBqduTGNGzSLBNlBvi6PrYOOA9RkaeV- UhT4w/edit?usp=sharing

Robert Smalls (1839-1919) From slave to decorated Civil War hero, https://www.nps.gov/people/robert-smalls.htm

Juneteenth 1865 The History and Meaning of Juneteenth, The New York Times, The Daily podcast, 19 June 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/podcasts/the-daily/juneteenth-emancipation-day-black-lives-matter.html

An interview with Dr. Daina Ramey Berry, Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin. 19 June 2020, New York Times The Daily podcast. Dr. Berry’s discussion of the history of Juneteenth is enlightening and heartbreaking especially as she relates personal conversations she has had with her son. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/19/podcasts/the-daily/juneteenth-emancipation-day-black-lives-matter.html

Reconstruction (1865-late 1870’s) The period after the Civil War, 1865 - 1877, was called the Reconstruction period. Abraham Lincoln started planning for the reconstruction of the South during the Civil War as Union soldiers occupied huge areas of the South. In December 1863 he offered his plan for Reconstruction which required that the States new constitutions prohibit slavery. http://www.howard.edu/library/reference/guides/reconstructionera/

Reconstruction with Jamelle Bouie and Rebecca Onion. The era of Reconstruction that followed the Civil War was our best chance to build an American democracy grounded in racial equality. Its failure helps explain why race, “states’ rights,” and the legacy of the Confederacy remain central themes in our politics today. https://slate.com/podcasts/reconstruction Subscription required.

3

Jim Crow Laws (late 1870’s to 1965) The Jim Crow Era began towards the end of Reconstruction and lasted until 1965 with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-jim-crow-45387

Wilmington, NC Massacre & Coup D’etat, 1898 A Black voting rights activist confronts the ghosts of racial terror in North Carolina, By Sydney Trent, 29 October 2020, Washington Post. On Nov. 10, 1898, two days after a contentious election,…armed white supremacists stormed Wilmington, NC. Mobs massacred dozens of African Americans ….After publishing a “White Declaration of Independence,” they took over the county Board of Aldermen — the only coup d’etat in U.S. history. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZcX7HhtqYArmOQXq90cNV5hvpmUKs7FLJOumsoc9vsk/edit?usp=sh aring

The Great Migration (1915-1970) The Great Migration was the mass movement of about five million southern blacks to the north and west between 1915 and 1970. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/great-migration-1915-1960/

Rosewood, 1923, Florida, a massacre carried out in the small, predominantly black town of Rosewood. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/rosewood-massacre-1923/

Scottsboro Boys 1931 In 1931, the Scottsboro Boys were a group of nine black teenagers, ages 13 to 19, accused of rape in Alabama. The blatant injustice during their trial lead to several legal reforms. Emory University’s Associate Professor of African American Studies, Carol Anderson, discusses what happened to these boys both during and after their trial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmsYLmqx3wg

Scottsboro: An American Tragedy, PBS American Experience, aired 2 April 2001 https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/scottsboro/#transcript

Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment 1932 – 1972 https://www.tuskegee.edu/about-us/centers-of-excellence/bioethics-center/about-the-usphs-syphilis-study https://eji.org/news/history-racial-injustice-tuskegee-syphilis-experiment/

Emmett Till (1941-1955) “A 14-year old African-American boy, was murdered in August 1955 in a racist attack that shocked the nation and provided a catalyst for the emerging .” History.com. Story from . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie5Jnt_QWVs

Rosa Parks (1913-2005) Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott, December 1955 https://www.ted.com/talks/david_ikard_the_real_story_of_rosa_parks_and_why_we_need_to_confront_myths_ about_black_history

Martin Luther , Jr. (1929-1968) speech, 28 August 1963, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C., transcript and audio https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm Nobel Peace Prize Biography 1964: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jU6_98uo6b1_ra67xSLhlmix2alW68VQZ3q00U2kjO8/edit?usp=sharing

Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977), biography.com, 2014, 2020. Born into a Mississippi sharecropping family, spent much of her early life in the cotton fields. She became involved with the Student Non- Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1962, through which she led voting drives and relief efforts. In 4

1964, she co-founded and ran for Congress as a member of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jfxyk-YQkUEh1kc5YgX_cXgE- W0Ie6HXnK2R43F5jwA/edit?usp=sharing

Freedom Summer Voter Registration Drive, Mississippi, 1964 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JHK- epCDLA5_tMfAWlp4KQ90F32hY7rQng1D2tz4nA0/edit?usp=sharing

Congressman John Robert Lewis (1940-2020) Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation, letter from , published after his death. New York Times, 30 July 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MrpxBzrP7BIFW3QCKMyK- YcLz8q8Kyig0I1SLrXca04/edit?usp=sharing

Paul Robeson (1898-1976) “[W] are dealing with a great people. Their mere survival testifies to that. One hundred millions sacrificed and wasted in the slave ships, on the cotton plantations, in order that there might be built the basic wealth of this great land. It must have been a tremendously strong people, a people of tremendous stamina, of the finest character, merely to have survived…” “Whites must come forward and put up a struggle, no matter what the repercussions; struggle must be constant in unions, housing organizations and not only where Negroes are involved – whites must take action every day and not wait for Negroes to raise issues in order to come in on the struggle…Peace is crucial in this question. Its maintenance depends on whether or not democracy is extended to the Negro. Support must be twofold. In order to show support politically, there must be an understanding and appreciation of Negro culture. There must be a willingness to learn…” Paul Robeson Speaks

Bryan Stevenson (1959- ), JD, MPP, founder & director Equal Justice Initiative, author, professor NYU “Older people of color in the South would occasionally come up to me after speeches to complain about how antagonized they feel when they hear news commentators talking about how we were dealing with domestic terrorism for the first time in the after the 9/11 attacks. An older African American man once said to me, ‘You make them stop saying that! We grew up with terrorism all the time. The police, the Klan, anybody who was white could terrorize you. We had to worry about bombings and , racial violence of all kinds.’” Bryan Stevenson, , p299, 2014

Commentary on Current Events

When History Replaces Legend: An Exploration of Racism in America with Jeffery Robinson, article, 19 June 2020 https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2020/06/jeffery-robinson

2-Part interview with Black thought leaders on “Where Do We Go From Here.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09ysfL2SlHo part one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jy6LpivqIM part two

Kimberly Jones video: Equality not revenge [kimjoneswrites.com] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aZHrJoT1jE

5

Kimberly Jones video: How Can We Win? Kimberly Jones gives a powerful, eloquent speech as she explains in detail why this is happening (racism across 450 years) and the difference between protesting, rioting and looting in 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llci8MVh8J4

*Clint Smith is a writer, poet, teacher, and Emerson Fellow at New America. https://www.npr.org/2020/08/21/904372336/clint-smith-to-protest-and-to-reckon-with-racism-in-america How to Raise a Black Son in America April 2015: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us70DN2XSfM

*Seeing White, SeenOnRadio.org Events of the past few years have turned a challenging spotlight on White people, and Whiteness, in the United States. Where did the notion of “whiteness” come from? What does it mean? Scene on Radio host and producer John Biewen took a deep dive into these questions, along with leading scholars and regular guest Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika, in this 14-part documentary series, released between February and August 2017. https://www.sceneonradio.org/seeing-white/

Reparations (see also Part 2 Doing, Dyson chapter excerpt)

What is Owed, Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times article, 30 June 2020 https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/24/magazine/reparations-slavery.html,

The Case for Reparations, Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, June 2014 Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of . Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RT2uz3NTcMjI0k- xcf9futf5_GCEoO43_YZObCRHaZQ/edit?usp=sharing

A four-part series on the works of history that informed Ta-Nehisi Coates's above piece, "The Case for Reparations":

1. How Racism Invented Race in America The case for reparations: a narrative bibliography, part 1 of 4, The Atlantic, 23 June 2014 https://docs.google.com/document/d/18tkGG_R8caTz2JJJFqhjZhA0VqIJEnz4XNa2seH7iJw/edit?usp=sharing

2. Slavery Made America The case for reparations: a narrative bibliography, part 2 of 4, The Atlantic, 24 June 2014 https://docs.google.com/document/d/19vb4J1zxOc6ZYpgywJeZcWNNEehD3KVNAo_mgdsK5l0/edit?usp=sh aring

3. Home Is Where the Hatred Is The case for reparations: a narrative bibliography, part 3 of 4, The Atlantic, 26 June 2014 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ib_YyYxmolAIu9zS4O_THmsS5CQLso50XkSkzCAXwB0/edit?usp=sh aring

4. How to Steal Things, Exploit People, and Avoid All Responsibility The case for reparations: a narrative bibliography, part 4 of 4, The Atlantic, 5 October 2014 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n99PB3nGqS1eMXIjGhjE- AJW6NWq8Af8xC3HYpmMwPQ/edit?usp=sharing

6

Why Reparations Now in New Hampshire. 19 June 2020 A conversation on reparations led by James McKim, President Manchester branch of NAACP, and Aron DiBacco of the Granite State Organizing Project. https://www.facebook.com/ConcordNHSURJ/videos/vb.501852530279711/2794732637512195/?type=2&theat er

Making Sense of Reparations, 1 August 2019, PBS Newshour video . The first African slaves arrived in North America 400 years ago this month, landing at Jamestown in what's now Virginia. Economics correspondent Paul Solman examines the question of whether a debt might be owed to generations of slave descendants. https://video.kera.org/video/making-sense-reparations-1564699968/

Calling on white Americans: Reparations for slavery are due. The legacy of slavery is far from resolved. It persists every day and everywhere. Boston Globe opinion, 17 August 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iF_NcZjDKVAizzqJfGHKj0KuxePz9UD8- zeQZP7cmiQ/edit?usp=sharing

Housing

In this examination of U.S. housing policy, Richard Rothstein exposes a century of unconstitutional federal, state, and local laws designed to segregate American cities. Richard Rothstein, YouTube video, 21 May 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pb6y9rNKmo

Segregated by Design examines the forgotten history of how our federal, state and local governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law and policy. This short video examines the practice of ‘redlining’ in America during the middle of the 20th century. Directed by Mark Lopez, narrated by Richard Rothstein, based on is book : A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America https://www.segregatedbydesign.com/?fbclid=IwAR1dEp2pDssDXWzh_Hj6Y_Rng4u8afD4qrTjdMLVmnGiL 2I0RJiL6Ed9a80

A test of white support for Black lives, Noah Y. Kim, Boston Sunday Globe, 23 August 2020 “It's one thing to rally against racism. Will white people finally make it feasible for many more minorities to move into their neighborhoods?” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d7_JIbf6dE06elrAtVJG1PamrAqwxrFmv8hV39QC0Us/edit?usp=sharing

Black Homeowners Face Discrimination in Appraisals, Debra Kamin, New York Times, 25 Aug 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qszE8j33kLGvThI0NeOfDJjnBmGdrGAbL7IgXQtlXgA/edit?usp=sharin g

Health Care

The cure for racial disparities in health care is known. It’s the willingness to fix it that’s lagging. Courtland Milloy, Washington Post, 21 April 2020 https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-cure-for- racial-disparities-in-health-care-is-known-its-the-willingness-to-fix-it-thats-lagging/2020/04/21/1ed28610-83c7- 11ea-878a-86477a724bdb_story.html

Implicit Bias and Racial Disparities in Health Care, Khiara M. Bridges, Human Rights Magazine, American Bar Association, August 2018 https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/publications/human_rights_magazine_home/the-state-of-healthcare- in-the-united-states/racial-disparities-in-health-care/

7

Racism and discrimination in health care: Providers and patients, Monique Tello, MD, MPH, Harvard Health Publishing, 16 January 2017, updated 9 July 2020 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/racism-discrimination- health-care-providers-patients-2017011611015

Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine, Damon Tweedy, M.D. PBS Newshour author interview. [A] graduate of Duke Medical School and Yale Law School, Dr. Tweedy is assistant professor of psychiatry at Duke University Medical Center and staff physician at the Durham VA Medical Center. “In this fascinating, heartbreaking memoir, Tweedy documents his experiences as an African American doctor in a medical system that can be 'just as sick as its patients.'” ―O, The Oprah Magazine https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/student-reporters

New England Specific

Rumble Strip podcast, Erica Heilman, 11 August 2020 “Winnie Wilkinson is originally from Jamaica but spent half her life in New York City before moving up to St. Albans, Vermont, where black people make up 2.52 percent of the population. Winnie has a lot of family members who’ve been harassed by the police, which is what I went to talk with her about. But it’s not what we talked about. Instead, we talked about God and about slavery – two things that have a profound impact on how Winnie thinks about everything else, including police brutality.” https://rumblestripvermont.com/2020/08/winnie/

A Black woman raised in Vermont talks about her experiences with Systematic Racism that is very real in the state and how it affects her everyday life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM9-MAavEz4

Remembering Vermont’s 19th Century Black Communities, Emily Corwin, VPR Brave Little State podcast, 19 Jun 2020 https://www.vpr.org/post/remembering-vermonts-19th-century-black-communities

Markers honor Allen family slaves, Boston Globe, 15 Sept 2020. “Markers have been set up in Burlington, VT in memory of a mother and son who were enslaved by the daughter of Ethan Allen nearly 200 years ago.” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cM37ZgpQoKDU97Sa0YeCJDgiUmVhvmuZGEo_JdJlP3M/edit?usp=sh aring

*Vermont Underground Railroad Project Vermont was very active in the anti-slavery movement before the Civil War. It is known that many slaves escaped through Vermont to Canada. https://vermonthistory.org/underground-railroad/

The Secret History of New England’s Sundown Towns https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vAKU22WTq7rCFWZordgSoXNB3qf00gZhFDicDRmNTRc/edit?usp=s haring

Discovering Black Vermont, book review, Kevin J. Kelly, Seven Days, 19 May 2020 https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/hinesburgs-black-history/Content?oid=2140324

The Story of Lincoln Hill, Elise Guyette, from the series “Black Women in Vermont History,” VPR podcast: https://archive.vpr.org/commentary-series/guyette-the-story-of-lincoln-hill/

The Story of Lucy Prince, Gretchen Gerzina, from the series “Black Women in Vermont History,” VPR podcast: https://archive.vpr.org/commentary-series/gerzina-the-story-of-lucy-prince/

8

Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Family Moved Out of Slavery and into Legend by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina. “… Mr. and Mrs. Prince reveals the true story of a remarkable pre-Civil War African-American family, as well as the challenges that faced African-Americans who lived in the North versus the slaves who lived in the South.”

Growing Up Black in New Hampshire, Jonathan Jackson, July 15, 2020, Boston Globe Magazine https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QwvkxWZt3xPnmiroRJhKBBNLNGW8qZfOSco- EcZHG8I/edit?usp=sharing

Royall House and Slave Quarters: Preserving black history as “an act of liberation.” Nell Porter Brown, Harvard Magazine, September-October 2020: https://harvardmagazine.com/2020/09/h2-royall-house

Language

A reckoning has emerged on American English, rife with words and phrases with racist origins or connotations, Deanna Pan, 6 August 2020, Boston Globe https://docs.google.com/document/d/1es47JKve6TuchdlXY3sbOrExWx6EbtWvMkUWwmq2HlA/edit?usp=sh aring

There is no shortage of words and phrases with racist connotations, Deanna Pan, 6 August 2020, Boston Globe https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ug4aXZubIQ0e2ePRvpGkjf_uJegzognUM5ACMopTHmI/edit?usp=shar ing

Mass. Appeals Court: The phrase ‘grandfather clause,’ racist in origin, will no longer be used, John Ellement, 3 August 2020, Boston Globe https://docs.google.com/document/d/15U8fWrmvp-InH-xzuKRLWJaSjlVd257xp67Fkt-PAlw/edit?usp=sharing

Materials for Parents & Kids

How to Talk to Kids about Race: A Guide “Children start receiving explicit and implicit messages about the meaning of race from birth and begin to show pro-white/anti-Black bias by age three (Baron & Banaji, 2006). To counter anti-Black bias and racism, experts recommend naming and taking action against racism with kids as early and as often as possible. This guide shares some key points and research-based best practices parents and caregivers can use to promote positive racial identity development in children, support conversations about race and racism, and move from conversation to action.” https://www.theconsciouskid.org/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race

The Conscious Kid: Resources “An education, research, and policy organization dedicated to equity and promoting healthy racial identity development in youth, supporting organizations, families, and educators in taking action to disrupt racism in young children. We partner with organizations, children’s museums, schools, and families across the country to promote access to children’s books centering underrepresented and oppressed groups.” https://www.theconsciouskid.org/resources Follow Conscious Kid on Instagram.

The Conscious Kid: Anti-Racist children’s books https://www.theconsciouskid.org/antiracist-childrens-books

The Conscious Kid: Books by Black Authors https://www.theconsciouskid.org/black-authors 9

When creating a list of books for children, it is important to include both anti-racist texts as well as books that simply depict, celebrate, and normalize the representation of children and families of color

Resources for Race, Equity, and Inclusion via We Need Diverse Books

Talking About Race National Museum of African American History & Culture: Talking about race, although hard, is necessary. We are here to provide tools and guidance to empower your journey and inspire conversation.

PJ Library resources Quick Links for Parents: 10 Tips for Teaching And Talking to Kids About Race via Embrace Race and MomsRising An Anti-Racist Reading List via New York Times They're Not Too Young to Talk About Race via The Children's Community School

Social Media Accounts to Follow: Embrace Race has a wealth of resources, including free webinars, to "help parents practice raising and caring all kids, in the context of race." Follow Embrace Race on Facebook

Here Wee Read is run by a diversity and inclusion expert (and mom) Charnaie. The mission is to help fellow parents find diverse books, and educational products to help raise curious kids. Follow Here Wee Read on Instagram

For Children Under 5 Diverse Board Books for Babies and Toddlers Early Childhood Books for Talking About Racial Identity via Social Justice Books Multicultural Board Books for Babies via Pragmatic Mom and Multicultural Children's Book Day Coming Together: A Town Hall on Standing Up to Racism via Sesame Street and CNN

Kids Ages 6 and Up “During this time of crisis and change, many are home with children of all ages. If you are looking for books to read, Anti-Defamation League’s collection address issues of identity, bias and bullying. Our featured books come with discussion guides for teachers and parents.” Curated Book Selections About Race and Racism How to Talk to Kids About Race: Books and Resources That Can Help via Read Brightly Picture Books That Help Children Tackle Race and Racism via What Do We Do All Day

Helping Kids Process Violence, Trauma, and Race in a World of Nonstop News, 2 June 2020 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhjMyOqu2G8 via Be'chol Lashon

How to Talk to Kids About Racism, Racial Violence, and Police Brutality via USA Today The Vermont Department of Libraries has curated a list of books and more for parents and children. https://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/Booklists%20and%20Resources%20Addressing%20Race%20a nd%20Social%20Justice%20-%20Compiled%20by%20Vermont%20Department%20of%20Libraries.pdf

Raising Children to Be Anti-Racist: Advice for White Families, University of Vermont Health Network, 18 June 2020 https://www.uvmhealth.org/Pages/Coronavirus/Staying-Healthy/Raising-Children-Anti-Racist-Advice-White- Families.aspx?utm_source=Marketo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=COVID- 19&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWVdRek1ESTNOamhtTWpSayIsInQiOiJkMUlJMGhaQzg3ekFZc2JxT2tldElFQkxER1 ZjYWs2T2dIV0NBaTBONklmQjBCXC9MZ29oNlNTaTl2R1FnbGtKWEdBd1BqSmQrVWt3aXh2OWtUNF BTcGxQSVdYRWQ3clRcLzc0dGUxVktWTGJIWlh0alZzc3FsblVlOHhLTndKVXZkIn0%3D 10

Policing, Criminal In/Justice & Incarceration

Police Are Using Social Distancing Rules to Harass Black People, 26 June 2020 https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2020/06/discriminatory-social-distancing-enforcement How to Support the Struggle Against Police Brutality, Claire Lampen, 14 June 2020, The Cut, New York Magazine: https://www.thecut.com/article/george-floyd-protests-how-to-help-where-to-donate.html

Jewish Themes and Perspectives

‘Believe Us’: Black Jews respond to the protests, in their own words, a JWeekly (Jewish News of Northern California) article https://www.jweekly.com/2020/06/01/believe-us-black-jews-respond-to-the-george-floyd-protests-in-their-own- words/?fbclid=IwAR0vPkp5nMe5v-e1ic7NRzHo6QDvTXAky_KC-VcxoZi1hF4dJlRdXucymwU

What Not to Say to Jews of Color, YouTube video by Allison Barnes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwgzp2DKics

Rabbi Sandra Lawson on How Not to Treat Jews of Color, Yonat Shirmon, Religion News Service, June 25, 2020. https://globaljews.org/articles/identity/rabbi-sandra-lawson-on-how-not-to-treat-jews-of-color/

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue in NYC. We Are Family: Rethinking Race in the Jewish Community, Yom Kippur 2020. A Rabbi of Color Speaks Personally on Yom Kippur, examining how Jews have evolved to include many people that don't necessarily "look Jewish." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X3-dqQ3gUk&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR14k9mRBYCK8Y7Yq2- 3YoIbQ4YAJ0GJ1n3zIV4xyDJYGGJDa-jkIvsHp_s

*Jews of color on what Martin Luther King Jr. Day means to them in 2019, Josefin Dolsten and Ben Sales, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 17 January 2019 https://www.jta.org/2019/01/17/culture/jews-of-color-on-what- martin-luther-king-jr-day-means-to-them-in-2019

Jews of Color and the Policing of White Space, Rebecca Pierce, Jewishcurrents.org, 29 May 2020 https://jewishcurrents.org/jews-of-color-and-the-policing-of-white-space/

Jewish Word | Jews of Color: The power—and limitations—of a porous term, Sarah Breger, Moment Magazine, 30 September 2020 https://momentmag.com/jewish-word-jews-of-color/

*I helped coin the term ‘Jews of color.’ It’s time for a history lesson. Shahanna McKinney-Baldon, JWeekly.com, 4 June 2020. https://www.jweekly.com/2020/06/04/i-helped-coin-the-term-jews-of-color-its- time-for-a-history-lesson/

Ashkenormativity Is a Threat to All Jewish Communities: Ethiopian Jews like myself have faced racism from within the Jewish community for far too long, Isaac Ofori-Solomon, 17 June 2020, heyalma.com https://www.heyalma.com/ashkenormativity-is-a-threat-to-all-jewish-communities/?fbclid=IwAR0y03Aehygh- qIyXVg3uGFtt9KLj7mbLKE24p1xRVneX31A2AgwpkPh9qA

The Black Jews Are Tired, Chris Harrison, 1 June 2020, reformjudaism.org https://reformjudaism.org/blog/2020/06/01/black-jews-are-tired

Warning My Black Jewish Son About Racism (While Being White), Ken Lane, 1 June 2020, kveller.com https://www.kveller.com/warning-my-black-jewish-son-about-racism-while-being-white/ 11

How to Raise Anti-Racist Jewish Kids, Lior Zaltzman, 10 Jun 2020, kveller.com https://www.kveller.com/how-to-raise-anti-racist-jewish-kids/

Children's Books about the diversity of Jewish experience: “Our list of children's books highlights the diversity of Jewish experience as portrayed in picture books, graphic novels and chapter books.” https://globaljews.org/resources/childrens-books/

Try to See Me, Kenny Kahn, myjewishlearnng.com, 29 May 2020 Even before the pandemic, even before I started wearing a mask in public, some people saw me as just a big, suspicious-looking black guy because of their implicit biases. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/jewish-and/try-to-see-me/

What we in the Black community need from Jews right now, Anthony Johnson, The Forward, 31 May 2020 https://forward.com/opinion/447721/what-we-in-the-black-community-need-from-jews-right-now/

Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters: Lessons for 2020 from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s 1963 address on religion and race, By Micah Streiffer, 27 July 2020, Tablet magazine https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/belief/articles/heschel-on-race-and-religion

We Must Take Responsibility for the Endurance of Racism, Rabbi Sid Schwartz, 14 July 2020, New York Jewish Week. https://jewishweek.timesofisrael.com/we-must-take-responsibility-for-the-endurance-of-racism/

Jewish anti-racist reading list for children of all ages, Lior Zaltzman, 10 June 2020, kveller.com https://www.kveller.com/a-jewish-anti-racist-reading-list-for-children-of-all-ages/

American Jews, Race, Identity, and the Civil Rights Movement, Judith Rosenbaum, Jewish Women's Archive, 2011 https://jwa.org/teach/livingthelegacy/american-jews-race-identity-and-civil-rights-movement

Jews With Must Work to Make Change Liz Spikol, Jewish Exponent, 3 June 2020

The Challenge of the Selma Photograph, Susannah Heschel, PhD, truah.org, 2019 A reflection by Susannah Heschel, on the famous picture of her father, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel marching across the in Selma, AL with Martin Luther King, Jr. https://www.truah.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Challenge-of-Selma-photo.pdf

A shocking number of Jews have become willing collaborators in , S.I. Rosenbaum, 1 March 2019, https://docs.google.com/document/d/11FMWCwlms0r4DGIOpjObEOZstpvzNlmTvFIYhNZ- Tbk/edit?usp=sharing

After George Floyd, Jewish institutions consider their own shortcomings on race, Sara Ivry, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 23 July 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aLa-xHbT4LW3NlNIVszEgWLB2h4- d8ccIcZ4uTUanhI/edit?usp=sharing

The Soul of Judaism: Jews of African Descent in America, Bruce D. Haynes, August 2018 https://nyupress.org/9781479811236/the-soul-of-judaism/

A Juneteenth Seder Haggadah created by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

12

Books Autobiography of a People: three centuries of African American history told by those who lived it, edited by Herb Boyd, Foreword by , , 2000 So You Want to Talk About Race, , 2018 Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Ibram X. Kendi, Bold Type Books, 2016 Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning, Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi, 2020 How to Be an Anti-Racist, Ibram X. Kendi, 2019 Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson, 2015 Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, , 2017. Lyrical, challenging, ultimately uplifting Biased: Uncovering the Hidden Prejudice That Shapes What We See, Think, and Do, by Jennifer L. Eberhardt, PhD., 2019. “An internationally renowned expert on implicit racial bias breaks down the science behind our prejudices and their influence in nearly all areas of society and culture.” Kirkus Reviews. One of the most compelling books I’ve read combining science and personal experience. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates, 2015 The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, Isabel Wilkerson, 2010 Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson, 2020 ’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852 Radical Possibilities: Public Policy, Urban Education, and a New Social Movement, Jean Anyon, 2nd edition, Routledge, 2014 Up From Slavery, Booker T. Washington, 1901 Autobiography Surrender, White People!, D.L. Hughley and Doug Moe, 2020. Short, concise, irreverent, yet pointed plan for racial peace. : My Story, Rosa Parks & Jim Haskins, 1999 *My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, Resmaa Menakem, 2017. Brilliant, insightful, loving, open-hearted look at origins and effects of trauma on individuals and society, and offers practical solutions for healing.. Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections on Race and Medicine, Damon Tweedy, M.D., 2016 , Angie Thomas, 2017. Sixteen-year-old moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. An Imperfect Union: Readings on racial justice and injustices, M.J. Anderson, Boston Sunday Globe, 30 August 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K1HpL_-mAbagseHEimRHVH0mB1tt-cAoO- xpBfyKNP0/edit?usp=sharing

A few books recommended by Michael Eric Dyson in Tears We Cannot Stop, 2017 (Between 2016 and 2018, Dyson was a visiting professor at Middlebury College in Vermont.)

The Fire Next Time, . A powerful evocation of James Baldwin's early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice. Many Thousands Gone, Ira Berlin, incisive history of slavery before cotton became king Closer to Freedom, Stephanie Camp, explores the fate of enslaved women Middle Passage, Charles Johnson’s novel about a newly free slave who hops aboard a slave ship Beloved, Toni Morrison’s epic novel on the aftereffects of enslavement on the minds and souls of black folk A Nation Under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration, Steven Hahn, 2003. The Counterrevolution of Slavery, Manisha Sinha Soul by Soul, Walter Johnson 13

Empire of Cotton, Sven Beckert The Half Has Never Been Told, Edward E. Baptist This Republic of Suffering, Drew Gilpin Faust Battle Cry of Freedom, James McPherson Black Reconstruction in America and The Souls of Black Folk, W.E.B. Dubois Reconstruction Updated Edition: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877, Eric Foner, 2014. Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, Aldon Morris Voices of Freedom, Henry Hampton and Steve Fayer, the book based on Hampton’s monumental TV documentary series Eyes on the Prize Parting the Waters, Pillar of Fire, and At Canaan’s Edge, trilogy on Martin Luther King, Jr. by , Diane McWhorter, riveting account of the civil rights movement’s impact on white families in Birmingham, including her own , , heartbreaking account of four young black men accused of raping a white girl in Florida and their valiant defense from and the Black Freedom Movement, Barbara Ransby, moving portrait of the great organizer and activist This Little Light of Mine, Kay Mills, engrossing study of freedom fighter Fannie Lou Hamer In Struggle, , compelling study of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)

For more suggestions from Professor Dyson, see link to the full chapter in Part 2 Doing section .

Films

Amistad, 1997, Steven Spielberg-directed exploration recounts the trial that followed the 1839 rebellion aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad and captures the complex political maneuverings set in motion by the event. Preview the film at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoWeNWZAU48&has_verified=1

12 Years a Slave, 2013 based on the 1853 memoir by Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, who was abducted by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. Preview the film at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z02Ie8wKKRg

Uncle Tom's Cabin or, Life Among the Lowly, an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S. and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War." This is the 1987 Showtime version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m49xAsTsgzY

13th, documentary, 2016. Combining archival footage with testimony from activists and scholars, director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America. Free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8

Selma, 2 hour historical drama directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Paul Webb, starring David Oyelowo, 2014 (to buy or rent on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abkka8Vf2_M )

King in the Wilderness, documentary about Martin Luther King, Jr., 2018. Free at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eQXD_44Kso

Brother Outsider: The Life of , 2003. First shown on PBS POV. This powerful documentary chronicles the life of openly gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, who is best known for organizing the 14

1963 March on Washington, D.C. On August 8, 2013, President named Bayard Rustin a posthumous recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Available on Kanopy and Vimeo. Trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjxjNYFQeKo

The Hate U Give, 2018 movie. Powerful drama based on best-selling novel, a teenager witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend and must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.

*A Most Beautiful Thing, 2020 documentary about the first US African-American public high school rowing team of young men from the West Side of , many of whom were in rival gangs. Fifty percent of the film's profits will be donated to support inclusion efforts within the sport of rowing as well as trauma research and social justice initiatives with the NAACP. Prime

This Ain’t Normal, documentary. Dramatic exposé spotlights root causes of urban gang crisis and unveils proven program to rescue and rehab endangered teens in Boston. “This Ain’t Normal” can be found on Apple, GooglePlay, and other digital platforms. Article about film Boston Globe 30 Aug 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/190MQ--- 3XHMPZiQ84ju49AnbQw0nx663Ib8GNmSs7Lw/edit?usp=sharing

Hacking Your Mind, multi-part PBS series. Episode 1, Living on Autopilot, explores unconscious bias and policing - researchers studied hours of body camera video to see how officers treat people differently. https://www.pbs.org/show/hacking-your-mind/

Some Illuminating Data Points

 When we are driving… blacks are 20% more likely to be pulled over by police (CNN report on Stanford University study covering data from 2001-2017, published 2019).  When we are buying a house… 41% of blacks own homes (compared to 71% of whites), and blacks who are college graduates have a lower homeownership rate than white high school dropouts (National Association of Realtors, 2020).  When we walk into a store… such as in NYC, where 80 percent of blacks reported experiencing racial stigma and stereotypes when shopping; 59 percent reported being perceived as a shoplifter; and 52 percent reported being perceived as poor (Shopping While Black, 2017 case study of NYC, by Cassi Pittman, an assistant professor of sociology at Case Western Reserve University).

Effect of Black soldiers stationed in England & Wales during WWII European economists found that areas of England and Wales where more Black soldiers were stationed during World War II became more racially progressive. Decades later, these areas have fewer members of, and provide fewer votes for, a far-right party, compared to similar areas that did not host Black troops. The trend is particularly pronounced in predominantly white rural areas. Likewise, people in areas that hosted Black soldiers exhibit more positive feelings towards Black people. (Schindler, D. & Westcott. M, “Shocking Racial Attitudes: Black G.I.’s in Europe,” Review of Economic Studies, forthcoming 2020) https://universonline.nl/2020/07/09/study-long-term-effects-racial-encounters-shows-racism-not-natural-state- humans

15

Other Collections

The Anti-Racist Starter Pack: 40 TV Series, Documentaries, Movies, TED Talks, and Books https://parade.com/1046031/ breabaker/anti-racist-tv-movies-documentaries-ted-talks-books/?fbclid=IwAR3- 33vIrz9R1b5GzuIqTnOQhNWHu2eeoh4-D7CAdbJ5PuTD7Nbdh-7MC2A

158 Resources to Understand Racism in America These articles, videos, podcasts and websites from the Smithsonian chronicle the history of anti-black violence and inequality in the United States, by Meilan Solly 4 June 2020 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/158-resources-understanding-systemic-racism-america- 180975029/

Anti-Racism Resources, State of Vermont Commission on Women. A starting place for those interested in doing anti-racism work. Thanks to the Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence for their contributions. If you have suggestions to add to this list, please let us know. If you are looking for organizations engaged in racial justice work to support or get involved with, please see the Racial Justice Organizations section of this resource guide. https://women.vermont.gov/Anti_Racism

16

Part 2: Doing

Materials for Teachers and Others

Teaching Tolerance, a program of the Southern Poverty Law Center, provides free resources to educators— teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. These resources include classroom lessons, webinars, grants, podcasts, policy guides and much more. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. https://www.splcenter.org/teaching-tolerance

Facing History and Ourselves uses lessons of history to challenge teachers and their students to stand up to bigotry and hate. https://www.facinghistory.org/about-us

Lesson plans for racism, Linda K. Wertheimer, Boston Sunday Globe, 30 August 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1easFOmADVL5ablrucqsDBlkFOWEdWs0ZuX8nOl8h9TM/edit?usp=sh aring

Tips for teaching about racism, Linda K. Wertheimer, Boston Sunday Globe, 30 August 2020 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v4wxcGiPGHsWeA1O9XHnqEeIWALtUNxPH46pb7BWhEQ/edit?usp= sharing

Interrupting Bias: Calling Out vs. Calling In, How to Respond to Racist Comments https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vxUS_agL8viD4RCCtjkYKmk9ySejb3wUsQOtu03RCl0/edit?usp=shari ng

Action Steps

I was innocent and afraid for my life. Then I got a glimpse of what an ally can look like Yavilah McCoy, 3 June 2020, JTA https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iKi7hTSV6shdq2IwKPvaY75A9JR7eqVeDjjPliR8NdQ/edit?usp=sharing

12 Ways You Can Help Eradicate White Supremacy, June 5, 2020 https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2020/06/racial-justice-actions

Here is a short, powerful piece from the heart, about finding the courage to speak up against ignorance and injustice. Clint Smith is a poet and teacher. https://www.ted.com/talks/clint_smith_the_danger_of_silence?utm_source=.com&utm_medium=social& utm_campaign=tedspread

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice: https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white- people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

17

Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America, Michael Eric Dyson, 2017, chapter VI Benediction. A narrative of things to do to begin to make a difference: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lsg24YfRoXaeckbJlALtMTTF7yCmTO_e5tCv8ko- vu4/edit?usp=sharing Here is an excerpt:

18

19

Organizations to Support

14 Places to Donate to Fight Racism and Injustice, Charlotte Hilton, 5 June 2020, MSN.com What to know before you donate and some organizations to support. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/14-places-to-donate-to-fight-racism-and-injustice/ar-BB156vtD

NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund Southern Poverty Law Center ColorofChange.org works to make the government more responsive to racial disparities. ACLU Jews for Racial and Economic Justice Equal Justice Initiative Pro Publica UNCF – formerly United Negro College Fund Poor Peoples Campaign Act Blue (joincampaignzero.org) which works to end police brutality in America through research- proven strategies. National Cares Mentoring Movement (caresmentoring.org) provides social and academic support to help Black youth succeed in college and beyond. Your local Chapter, the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, Black Youth Project 100, The Sentencing Project, Families against Mandatory Minimums, A New Way of Life, and Dream Defenders.

Bail Assistance

Bail funds, legal aid, and other organizations working to help activists seeking justice for George Floyd and other victims of police violence. Rolling Stone, 1 June 2020 https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/george-floyd-protests-bail-funds-police-brutality-black- lives-matter-1008259/

Why are bail funds important? BusinessInsider.com, 3 June 2020 https://www.businessinsider.com/map-bail-funds-donations-how-can-i-help-floyd-protesters-2020-6#why-are- bail-funds-important-2

Black-Owned and Minority-Owned Businesses to Support

Minority-Owned Businesses to Support: https://nymag.com/strategist/article/black-owned-businesses-support- shop.html

Frugal Bookstore, Roxbury, Mass. A community bookstore located in Roxbury with a passion of promoting literacy within our children, teens and adults. https://frugalbookstore.net/

Support Black Owned businesses: https://www.supportblackowned.com/states/vt

19 Black-Owned Banks and How to Support Them, Saphia Lanier, Contributing Writer, 19 August 2020 “Banking Black isn’t a new concept, but it’s gaining momentum…” https://www.thesimpledollar.com/banking/how-to-support-black-owned-financial-institutions-in-2020/

20

Voting Efforts to Support https://indivisiblemrv.org/post-carding/ https://postcardstoswingstates.com/ https://action.momsrising.org/survey/2020_GOTVpostcards_3rd/ https://postcardstovoters.org/ https://mensvariety.com/get-out-vote-2020-democrats/ https://www.vote411.org https://www.vote.org Vote.org is the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan voting registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) technology platform in America. It has registered more than 4.5 million new voters, verified 10.5 million voters’ registration status, and has helped over 39 million website users by providing registration links and deadlines, polling location details, and other essential voting information for each state. (August 2020)

Legislative Efforts to Support

H.R. 40 Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act. “In January of 1989, John Conyers first introduced the bill H.R. 40, Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act. He has re-introduced HR 40 every Congress since 1989, and will continue to do so until it's passed into law.” https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CywDbIO5QI1NvLRmm6PWe3J9LJSlbZoNoju5O- N_x54/edit?usp=sharing

Congressional Black Caucus, https://cbc.house.gov/ In the U.S. House of Representatives, the Congressional Black Caucus introduced several pieces of critical legislation to begin to right … injustices: H.J. Res. 92, that calls for the 13th Amendment to be changed to prohibit any type of slavery; H.R. 40 that establishes a commission to study potential reparations for African Americans; and H.R. 7120, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020 which passed in June. This bill put forth a bold, comprehensive approach to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement, and build trust between law enforcement and our communities.

Cut the Check or Count Me Out: “Good Whites,” Diversity Diversions & A New Look at an Old Idea Delma Jackson III Blog June 1, 2020 : You really want to help? Tell you what… Call your representative and tell them you support H.R. 40. Research the numbers around stolen property (land, intellectual, et.al), and labor since the forced removal of Indigenous people, the institution of slavery, the various medical experiments and resulting treatments for profit. Account for inflation. Study the role of redlining in the creation of white wealth in this country. In other words, add a commitment to securing resources for BIPOC as a priority in your justice work.

Help find and invest in the best BIPOC talent in green agriculture, engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing, education, health care, restorative justice, arts, and sciences. Make the appropriate investment on the appropriate land. Be prepared to physically and politically protect the investment from those who would visit interference, if not violence upon us, and watch us become the envy of the world in just a few generations. I don’t need to sit, stand, pee, eat, drink, or live next to you. I need to be safe. In a capitalist system, safety means capital investment. Meanwhile, you have your own work to continue. Connect with those you’ve refused to. Make the case for reparations on our collective behalf. Organize, write, protest if you like. But firstly, raise the finances to secure and protect us. Commit to THAT and then talk to me about justice.

Delma is a Senior Fellow with Center for Whole Communities CWC. His focus is on facilitating system change on campuses and in institutions through transformative practice and the power of story. http://wholecommunities.org/2020/06/01/cut-the-check-or-count-me-out-good-whites-diversity-diversions-a- new-look-at-an-old-idea/ 21