Racial Equity Resources

Resources for White Folks to Educate Ourselves about Racism, White Supremacy, and Microaggressions

Here are just a few possible starting places:

Books
Videos & Podcasts
Films
Online Articles and Lists
Organizations
Privilege and Oppression Videos
Racial Privilege Videos
Bullying and Bystander Resources

Important Concepts

Microaggression: a subtle but de-humanizing comment or action directed at a nondominant group that is often unintentional or unconscious. For example, “I don’t see you as black.” or “I thought Asians were good at math.”

Internalized oppression: the accumulated impact of negative messages and discrimination that often reduces the self-esteem and personal power of individuals in an oppressed group. Internalized oppression is often expressed in self-invalidation. It often shows up as negative attitudes toward others of the same group.

Mainstream: the center, in-group or dominant group. The mainstream sets the tone for a group or organization or society, where its own preferences become the norms for the group. More often than not, the mainstream provides most of the leadership for carrying out the mission of the group. The mainstream may or may not be conscious of its role and higher status. Almost all of us are members of some mainstream or other; even a working class, Indigenous, radical lesbian may be able-bodied, for example, and “able-bodied” is a mainstream group. When we talk about the mainstream, we contrast it with the margin. For example, Westerners may unconsciously hold cultural values of individuality and freedom as “normal” and may see other cultures that value group orientation as “too conforming” or “less evolved.”

Margin: the periphery or the out-group. Almost all of us are members of some margin or other; even a white, heterosexual, owning class, Protestant man may be a vegan, or hard of hearing. Marginalization is a systemic process, not something that merely involves individuals. Patterns in conversations about marginalization tend to reinforce the experience of marginalization even while trying to address it.

Rank: Every group assigns rank to people according to how closely they measure up to the group’s values. Members of the NVC network value heart-connection, skill and consciousness, so they give each other rank accordingly. Some kinds of rank that society gives can be earned (for example speaking skills through practice), and some kinds of rank are given because of unearned characteristics (for example, being born into a wealthy country or family).

Power differences: People’s experience of choice and trust in their ability to be heard is lowered the farther they are from the mainstream. What supports learning, healing and growth is different for people in the mainstream and those in the margin. Some cultures value power differences and have deep reverence for elders and people in positions of authority. People tend to accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. In other cultures people strive to equalize the distribution of power and want justification for inequalities of power.

Caste: any social class or system based on such distinctions as heredity, rank, wealth, profession, etc.

Implicit bias: Many of us carry negative unconscious bias independent of our conscious beliefs. The effect of implicit bias can be hurtful even when it is not our conscious intention. For example, many people do not realize that they interrupt women more than men or that trainers prioritize hearing from people from the dominant culture. (Note: Although implicit bias tests do not directly correlate with behaviors, using implicit bias tests allows people to acknowledge and begin to talk about the ways that cultural beliefs/norms/values might be impacting their beliefs about members of other groups, even when they are actively trying not to believe those cultural norms. When people accept that could be the case, it removes some of the shame about looking at the places where we act in explicitly biased ways by reminding us that it’s because we are part of the culture. In this way this can serve to lower defensive energy, since it puts everyone in the room, from all groups, on the same page: we live in a society that impacts us, and we have to consciously work to address that impact.)
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Books

Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence (excellent book for beginners) by Derald Wing Sue
Me and White Supremacy Workbook by Laya F. Saad
The NVCO Access Team’s List of Diversity and Inclusion Concepts, Programs and Resources
The Water Dancer by Terry Gamble
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Ibram Kendi’s Anti-Racist Reading List
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Videos & Podcasts

YouTube: Joy DeGruy
New York Times: 25 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity With Students?
Documentary: The Long Shadow (at a level that could be brought into an elem school)
Scene on Radio – Season 2: Seeing White Podcast
Scene on Radio = episode How Race Was Made – Podcast
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Films

When They See Us (movie on Netflix)
Black Panther
Boyz in the Hood
Hoop Dreams
Raisin in the Sun
Amistad
Crash
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Online Articles and Lists

Anti-Oppression Resources from Conspire for Change
Between the World and Me – Ta Nahesi Coates’ letter to his son – The Atlantic
What I Told My White Friend When He Asked For My Black Opinion On White Privilege – Huffpost
Ibram Kendi’s Anti-Racist Reading List
Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture
Majority Of White Americans Say They Believe Whites Face Discrimination – NPR article
Blacks and whites see racism in the United States very, very differently – CNN article from 2017
Be the Bridge: BTB101 – learning, listening, doing the work
Be the Bridge: Whiteness 101 – pdf
White Ally Toolkit
Welcome to the Anti-Racist Movement – Here’s What You Missed
Antiracist checklist for Whites – pdf
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Organizations

Michael Wares PINWSeattle – The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond is a collective of anti-racist community organizers and educators committed to building an anti-racist movement.
The Coalition for Anti-Racist Whites
White People Challenging Racism – great reading, courses and film list on their website.
Community Change, Inc.
Showing up for Racial Justice
Anti-Defamation League
Teaching Tolerance
Facing History and Ourselves – for teachers and classrooms
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Racial Equity Resources

Resources for White Folks to Educate Ourselves about Racism, White Supremacy, and Microaggressions

Books Videos & Podcasts Films Online Articles and Lists Organizations Privilege and Oppression Videos Racial Privilege Videos Bullying and Bystander Resources