Book review by Judy Helfand I am writing about the Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks about Race, edited by Jesmyn Ward, because I want folks to read it. But I barely know what to say. When I finished “Message to My Daughters” by Edwidge Danticat, the final essay …
How did you learn that white privilege exists? (Or have you?) How do you convince your friends and family that white privilege exists? In what circumstances do you still resist hearing about racism? What type of statements about racism or whiteness make you defensive? Racial Justice Allies called a community …
The day after the protests against Milo Yiannopolous speaking at U.C. Berkeley, a colleague wrote that the Berkeley “riot” demonstrated the need for non-violence training on college campuses as a way to contain those who believe property destruction is an effective political tactic (in this case, Black Bloc revolutionary anarchists). …
At the January 11 dialog, after a brief history on the invention of whiteness (see below for an outline of points covered) participants divided into small groups to reflect on ways we individually perpetuate whiteness in our personal lives. Each group listed what came up and shared with the whole …
Alexander, M. (2010). The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The New Press. Baptist, E. E. (2014). The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism, Basic Books. Bonilla-Silva, E. (2013). Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality …
Click here for Jonathan Osler’s article and charts “Opportunities for White People in the Fight for Racial Justice: Moving from Actor to Ally to Accomplice.” His article is filled with concrete examples of each type of behavior. from-ally-to-accomplice
by Judy Helfand When a new member of Racial Justice Allies asked why there wasn’t more posting on our blog given all that is going on, I replied that we’d been too busy to write. But the question lingered and I reflected more deeply on what I’ve been doing over …
by Kate Riffle Roper As a white mother of two black children, three white children, who all have a white father, I have something to say. Racism exists. It is real. And it is everywhere, all the time. When I brought my boys home they were the cutest, sweetest babies …
by Judy Helfand Recently various friends have asked me if I’m scared about the upcoming presidential election, which prompted some self-reflection as to why I’m not. There’s nothing surprising to me about the outpouring of hate and racial invective. Trump does not seem like the devil incarnate, simply another manifestation …
Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi founded #BlackLivesMatter in 2012, after George Zimmerman, responsible for the death of Trayvon Martin, was acquitted for his crime. Trayvon Martin was posthumously charged for his own death. These women moved the hashtag from social media into the streets, holding conference calls, connecting …