Anti-Racism Reading List - 18/9/20

Powerful articles worth sharing and discussing

Author

Sharon Hurley Hall
September 18, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

Hello friends,

No sooner had I published the last reading list post than I got sucked into a vortex of thought-provoking content, mostly on Medium. By now, you’ll recognize some of the writers I read regularly, but there are a few new ones in there too. Here goes:

Ah yes, that feeling that you’re never quite good enough, and that no matter what you do you will NEVER be good enough. Many women are familiar with this, and women of color even more. Among other things, the corporate environment has a lot to answer for, says this BBC article:

“The lack of role models for marginalised communities has a major impact on making people feel like they do – or don’t – belong in these corporate environments.”

Catherine Pugh, Esq pulls no punches in her anti-racism articles, so get ready for an uncomfortable read. This is the first part of a three-part series, and I can’t wait for the rest. In this article, she highlights the many disparities between the treatment of Black people and white people in America, epitomized in this quote:

“For the police to shoot a White man, they must prove they are entitled to kill him. A Black man is not entitled to survive any encounter unless he can first prove his right to live.”

Marley K. is another of my favorite writers on Medium, and she also tells it like it is. This article highlights instances of both casual racism and systemic issues, and talks about how people who want to be anti-racist can fix some of them. For example:

“Change begins and ends with White people. When White people don’t raise anti-racist, pro-Black and POC children, you allow White Supremacy to indoctrinate them. Silence is consent and the most prevalent microaggression of racists today. More culturally inclusive parenting leads to less racist children.”

Jeanette C. Espinoza is a more recent addition to my usual trawl through Medium (and I’m definitely going to have to go back and check out the first couple of parts of this series. Her article aims to break down the walls so we can all understand each other a little better. Here’s a quote:

“I say this as a reminder and request to show your Black co-workers some basic compassion. You got a little taste of how it feels to confront racism head-on; now try remembering this is a daily situation for Black women.”

Rebecca Stevens-A (another follow recommendation) talks about being Black in the office, and the subtle and not-so-subtle racism Black women and Black people have to endure. Though we like to think attitudes are changing, it is taking a long, long time. Here’s the bottom line:

“The reality is that it takes more than being of a younger generation to not be racist. It takes having black friends, not a token friend, multiple black friends. It takes unlearning unconscious bias, it takes self-education.”

Finally, Ratchet Womanist highlights some of the racist acts that wear us down. This piece really spoke to me:

“Tired that white supermacist legacy of murdering of black and brown people NEVER receives the condemnation it deserves. Tired of “whataboutisms.” Tired of hearing “well if you aren’t doing anything wrong then what’s the problem?””

I look forward to your feedback on these articles.

Thanks for reading and supporting.

Until next time,

Sharon Hurley Hall

I’ll be teaching with the Beyond School in October and November. They’ve got a bootcamp coming up for those who want new approaches to their kids’ education. Check it out (affiliate link).

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