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Working on Being Anti-Racist: An Ongoing Process
Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatarii / Star Tribune I’ve been reflecting on what Barack Obama said recently: “It’s natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’—whether it’s while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park. This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be ‘normal. If we want our children to grow up in a nation that … Read More
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Must-Read Article: What White People Need to Know
I’ve been a huge fan of Bryan Stevenson ever singe I heard him speak in person. This must-read article does not disappoint: Bryan Stevenson on What Well-Meaning White People Need to Know about Race.
Thank you, Mr. Stevenson, for your wise work and profound work in the world!
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How to Talk to White Boys about Our Racist Country
In the span of one week I’m supposed to figure out how to talk to white boys about two mass shootings? Then a factory immigration raid that left children stranded without their parents?
How do I talk to my white boys about racism in a way that:
- doesn’t make them feel bad about themselves (shame does not lead to good outcomes)
- doesn’t bring undue anxiety into their lives
- helps them understand the unfairness of white privilege and the abhorrence of white supremacy in a way that makes them lifelong advocates against these things?
I barely have time to hold my own life together between a more-than-full-time job and trying to … Read More