When it comes to calling out racism, for many of us, it’s a step out of our comfort zone.
How should we go about it?
If you’ve witnessed injustice:
- Welcome that tense feeling inside of you. Wonder where it’s coming from.
- Have the difficult conversations.
Take the right actions:
- Stand up for others.
- Find an ally in the room.
- Check on the person who was discriminated against.
- Sometimes, just shut up, listen, and believe the story.
Have you thought about these?
- Don’t shush children when they ask about difference.
- Recognize that differences make us great.
- Race conversations involve everyone.
- White people deflect the conversation to stay innocent of bias, but Black people are always treated as guilty first in society.
Insightful 15-minute TED Talks to watch:
TEDxBemidji: facing Racism: What You Can Do to Fight Injustice:
- As white people, we should not be afraid of confronting racism.
- Doing the right thing should not be a choice.
- Silence in times of injustice is still injustice.
- You never really know who else might be an ally until you engage them.
TEDxSeattle: what white people can do to move race conversations forward:
- How to work on your bias and become an ally.
- Stop talking about race in universal ways.
- Race conversations have to embrace the group/collective approach.
- Colorblind thinking comes from a good place, but its counter-productive.
