EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

UNDERSTANDING RACISM IN AMERICA

Books:

  • Stamped From The Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi

  • How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

  • The Prison Industrial Complex by Angela Davis

  • Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation by Lama Rod Owens

  • The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander

  • A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Composite: Letty Avila. Image Source: iStock/Vitalii Abakumov.

Podcasts:

Multi-Media:

PARENT RESOURCES

Books About Social Justice & Diversity:

MultiI-Media About Social Justice & Diversity:

Parenting in Support of Black Lives: How to Build a Just Future for Kids (and How Media Can Help) with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Julie Lythcott-Haims & Allison Briscoe-Smith

Click the image above to purchase Anti-Racist Baby

RESOURCES FOR DISCUSSING & THINKING ABOUT RACE

Two important aspects of being anti-racist and promoting racial justice are 1) confronting your own racial biases and 2) confronting racism in people around you. These are uncomfortable and hard things to do! No one wants to think of themselves or their loved ones as having racist or harmful beliefs. Below are some resources to help you explore your own beliefs and biases, as well as how to have conversations about racism with your children, friends, and family. Since racism is so deeply embedded in our culture and history, it will not end on its own. It is something that we all must actively work to abolish. This is important work that you can play a key role in.

Tips for Having Difficult Conversations

  • Use respectful dialogue.

  • Recognize and affirm people and their experiences. Make sure you understand what the other person is saying before you respond to it.

  • Share how you’re feeling and be respectful of other perspectives. People will not open up to you about their feelings if you are not open with them about yours.

  • Be an active listener and show you’re engaged.

  • Being confrontational likely won’t get you anywhere. "You can’t confront people to say 'you are wrong and the way you think is wrong and anyone who thinks like you is wrong' because people get defensive, and they put up walls of resistance." (Patricia Devine, PhD, psychology professor and director of the Prejudice Lab at University of Wisconsin Madison)

  • Know that most people will not change their minds after one conversation. have an ongoing conversation with the people in your life and with yourself.

Things You Can Say

  • To open a conversation about race, you can check in with someone about current events and listen to their thoughts about what's happening.

  • Consider saying, “I’ve never thought of that before – could you explain why you think that?” rather than “I don’t believe it; that’s never happened to me.”

  • Consider saying, “I feel frustrated (or I feel disrespected) when people say…because…”, rather than, “That pisses me off; that’s such a stupid (or racist) thing to say.”

  • Consider saying, “I want to share with you what my perspective is, how I understand these issues, and how it makes me feel.”

  • Consider saying, "Can you imagine what it feels like to be treated that way?"

Talk & Think about Race

  • This article discusses why you should talk to children directly about race.

  • Consider reading a book or watching a movie to learn together. This gives a central point to tie all discussion to.

  • This article discusses ways to have a conversation with your friends or family.

  • UCSF offers strategies to confronting your own unconscious biases. They note that "unconscious biases are not permanent. In fact, they are malleable and steps can be taken to limit their impact on our thoughts and behaviors." Here are strategies that we can take to address our own bias:

      • Promoting self-awareness: recognizing one’s biases using the Implicit Association Test (or other instruments to assess bias) is the first step.

      • Understanding the nature of bias is also essential. The strategy of categorization that gives rise to unconscious bias is a normal aspect of human cognition. Understanding this important concept can help individuals approach their own biases in a more informed and open way (Burgess, 2007).

      • Opportunities to have discussions, with others (especially those from socially dissimilar groups) can also be helpful. Sharing your biases can help others feel more secure about exploring their own biases. It’s important to have these conversations in a safe space -- individuals must be open to alternative perspectives and viewpoints.

  • This guide from healourcommunities.org explains how to host a more formal discussion on race. It also includes great questions to help you get started about your own relationship with race and identity. It includes important questions such as:

      • How often do you think about your racial or ethnic identity?

      • Have you ever felt “different” in a group setting because of your race/ethnicity? How did this affect you? How often/deeply do you interact with people of a different racial/ethnic identity other than your own? What is the nature of these relationships and interactions?

      • Have you ever witnessed someone being treated unfairly because of their racial or ethnic identity? If so, how did you respond? How did it make you feel?


Disclaimer: Take Action Sonoma County is not a formal organization, company, or agency. We are citizens of Sonoma County with the goal of consolidating information from outside agencies and individuals to help others take action. We aim to offer a well-rounded menu of action items as they are shared with us. Readers are encouraged to research the resources provided here to determine if they correspond with their own viewpoints and action steps. This site may not provide a comprehensive list of events and action items. We aim to update our site every 48 hours; please excuse any delays as this is a goal, not an absolute. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please email us at TASCmatters20@gmail.com