Resources to Engage In Anti-Racism Education

As a human rights educator for a decade, I strive to include resources that are accessible on multiple levels. Working with high school and university students, as well as people of all ages educated outside of these institutions means that it is important to mirror that diversity in content. Education and learning come in multiples forms, and anti-racism work is most valuable when it becomes embedded into the way we live our lives and the media we regularly consume. I get asked regularly about how to begin conversations with friends or family about these issues, so I wanted to put together a quick list of the top 5 of tools that I have found useful to begin/further dialogues about race.

1. One of the very first, and still one of my favorite resources is a ‘Tools for Liberation Packet’ called “Building a Multi-Ethnic, Inclusive & Antiracist Organization“ from Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN) Produced in 2005, it is thorough and goes into great detail on the multiple layers of racism and how they play out institutionally. It also outlines the necessary investment that larger organizations, boards, and CEOs need to make in order to implement and maintain the changes outlined in the packet. One page that personally resonates outlines the the way that women of color are penalized in organizations for working to shift injustice, and ultimately pay for it with our jobs. Crediting Kimberle Crenshaw for her game changing work on intersectionality, this resource furthers the conversation across multiple identities.

2. The article Black Deaf Culture Through The Lens of Black Deaf History” is the most recently updated resource on the list. It includes a brief history of Black Deaf People in the U.S., rising stars, national advocates, as well as Black Deaf people in leadership and entertainment. Importantly, it describes some of the long standing exclusion of Black Deaf folks as they  “were not the focus of national civil rights organizations such as NAACP, SCLC, and the National Urban League. The Black Deaf community had no communication access with these national civil rights organizations and their leaders.” BONUS: Check out the work of De’Lasha Singleton Deaf Black mother and domestic violence advocate.

3. The artwork of Oakland Based Afro-Peruvian Favianna Rodriguez  is both iconic and instructive. With so many incredible illustrations featuring a variety of issues from reproductive health to food deserts, her images are solid starting points for complex conversations and necessary affirmations for those on the front lines.

4. Black Twitter has already been recognized as a tangible hub of credibility with their own wikipedia page and with articles across multiple news sources including the New York Times . ‘Feminista Jones described it in Salon  as “a collective of active, primarily African-American Twitter users who have created a virtual community … [and are] proving adept at bringing about a wide range of sociopolitical changes.” ask she asks whether “Twitter is the underground railroad of activism?” I would also add that Black Tumblr also shares valuable content, less of the quick commentary that comes with Twitter, but both serve a unique purpose.

If you are learning from people online and are able to, consider subscribing to their content or supporting their online genius in other ways (i.e. their Amazon lists). I subscribe to Bad Dominicana on Patreon and my life is all the better for it.

5.  The Movement, an original series from .Mic, is dedicated to proving that the most brilliant solutions to addressing a community’s challenges come from the community itself. It features senior correspondent Darnell Moore.

From the site,

“The new show is dedicated to the individuals who fight to reclaim and recover marginalized communities across America. Rooted in activism, The Movement highlights positive stories in marginalized communities, the stories that aren’t being covered by the media and aren’t being discussed on the campaign trail. In the face of unlikely odds, the work and dedication of these individuals is lifting up young lives, and transforming their communities for the better. This series is about — and for — the invisible heroes making a difference.”

No resource is entirely effective given the complexities of racism. It is important to seek out first person accounts from a variety of different communities across gender, ability, sexuality and location. These are most valuable for people living these experiences to engage with, deconstruct & build community.