I use these links on a regular basis in workshops that I do and with people who I think need to do some basic reading, to get a basic understanding of power and privilege, the different dimensions of oppression, and an overview of the basics in terminology and language that is inclusive.
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Start with this. A Guide to Racism 101 for Clueless White People written by a slightly less clueless white person. It’s long, and dense and will take time to read and digest. Take the time. Please.
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On privilege and what we can do about it This wonderful list of 7 actions you can take to understand and acknowledge privilege is an incredible resource. Many links will lead you to other places for extra learning!
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Privilege is Driving a Smooth Road and Not even Knowing It This is an archived piece from Alas, A Blog. Excellent 101, with some tangible examples that people can relate to.
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Racism 101 From resist racism (I love that blog!), a list of truths about race and racism.
#1. White privilege exists
#6. Racism is more than individual acts of meanness
#12. Celebrations of “multiculturalism” do not address racism
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The Twelve White Steps by damali ayo. Set up to read like a 12-step program, this pdf file lists 12 ways for white folks to “get” racism.
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We Heard it Before Blog resist racism has this amazing list of dumb-ass things that people say/think. Such things need to be deconstructed, and, well, not said anymore. Ever.
Examples include:
#1. I am not a racist
#2. I have a Black friend
#8. That’s just political correctness
#18. It’s satire/humor, don’t you get the joke?
Read them all, and read the comments where there are suggestions for more to add
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White Liberals Have White Privilege Too! Please note the use of the word liberal is in the USian context. It means those who are further left than the mainstream. This is a great link to ten misunderstandings that white liberals have about race.
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Without Prejudice: Resources for Change This is a great site for resources on anti-racism, anti-homophobia and other issues.
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I Can Fix It 2000 people were asked for 5 things individual people can do to end racism. The result is this pamphlet in a pdf that describes their responses.
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Multiculturalism, Racism and Horny Young Men: Can You Make the Connections? This is an interesting article that I will often use to promote discussion in a large or small group. It’s Canadian, which is nice, and it covers the issue of a young Muslim woman who was removed from her soccer team for wearing the hijab, deemed a “safety risk”. The article covers the notion of Canada’s multiculturalism, racism, and anti-immigrant policies, even as Canada is dependent on immigrants.
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Jay Smooth: How to Tell People They Sound Racist
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A silly bunny video that I made.
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A trio of white guys who get it.
Robert Jensen
Paul Kivel
Tim Wise
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Some 202 links:
Zuky on the politics of “political correctness”
The phrase “politically correct” can be used in two distinct ways: either with its original literal meaning, or with the mocking sarcasm that’s common these days. I’ll get to the former in a moment, but I’ll begin with the latter. As it’s commonly used, “PC” is a deliberately imprecise expression (just try finding or writing a terse, precise definition) because its objective isn’t to communicate a substantive idea, but simply to sneer and snivel about the linguistic and cultural burdens of treating all people with the respect and sensitivity with which they wish to be treated. Thus, the Herculean effort required to call me “Asian American” rather than “chink” is seen as a concession to “the PC police”, an unsettling infringement on the free-wheeling conversation of, I suppose, “non-chinks”. Having to refer to black folks as “African Americans” rather than various historically-prevalent epithets surely strikes some red-blooded blue-balled white-men as a form of cultural oppression. Having to refer to “women” rather than “bitches” lays a violent buzzkill on the bar-room banter of men preoccupied with beating on their chests and off other body parts.
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Racial Microaggression
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For White folks: How to become an ally
First of all, I’d like to begin by saying that there is no twelve-step program for White folks. More’s the pity, really. But there isn’t. This means that a European-American can’t just read a few pointers or one article or one book or even take one workshop or a whole class and have the matter of “race” down pat. It doesn’t work like that. Which is one reason why so many of us wind up with our feet (both of them, shoes and all) half-way down our throats on a regular basis, typically without a clue and without realizing it.
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The White Anti-Racist is an oxymoron by Kil Ja Kim
Given that the US social structure is founded on white supremacy, and that there is a global order in which white supremacy and European domination are at large, I would challenge any white person to figure out what movement or action they can get involved in that will not involve or affect non-white people.
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Updated October 2010
