Anti-Racism Resources and Education that Are Helping Our Family Learn

Art by Oh Happy Dani. Follow her on IG.

Here’s what I know.

At this moment in history, my voice is not one of the important ones.

I am doing much more listening than speaking.

But I have a platform.

And silence or neutrality are not good enough.

“Not racist” isn’t good enough. So we are learning about how to be anti-racist in helpful ways.

I’m not here to show receipts on how my family and I are doing the work to disrupt and dismantle racism, because I know we have so far to go in educating ourselves and being lifetime allies to the black community. But what I’m here to do is to use whatever platform I have to share and amplify the resources that I have found from black leaders, thinkers, and speakers which are helping our family learn.

A Note

If you’re white, don’t be scared. Don’t be scared of doing it wrong. If you do it wrong, course-correct and start again.

Don’t be scared of hearing that black lives matter because you think it means that you matter less. It doesn’t. It means that black lives are are threatened in a way that white people never have been and could never understand.

Don’t be scared to acknowledge that you are privileged. I know you didn’t ask for it, but you got it. And you have a responsibility to use it well.

Resources for Families Who Want to Be anti-Racist and to SUPPORT the Black Community

Below are ways that families can actively learn about and participate in dismantling racism.

Join the NAACP. It takes $30 and a few minutes. You can also join junior members if your children want to take part. Affiliate with your local chapter to learn about local issues and events. Read the newsletters and emails to stay informed.

Join The Conscious Kid on Patreon. Your small monthly donation will get you access to articles on how to address racism with kids. There are also lots of great book recommendations with characters and authors of color.

Rachel Cargle’s 30 Day #DoTheWork Challenge. This amazing 30 day syllabus walks you through work on white privilege, anti-racism, and so much more. Rachel has structured it into daily studies that build on each other as you go. The articles and videos that she shares are hugely important.

Diversify Your Kids’ Book Collection. This list from Embrace Race is a good place to start for inspiration. Here’s another list as well. Henry and Maggie discovered that they particularly love books by Oge Mora + Vashti Harrison, and Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o is a new favorite.

Acknowledge and Unpack Our Privilege. If you are white and haven’t read the Invisible Knapsack article from Peggy McIntosh, take the time to do it. It’s a clear and concise description of white privilege that can help a lot of us understand.

Diversify Your Feeds. Yes, follow more black people on Instagram. But no, don’t just follow because they’re black. Follow the feeds that mean something to you, the feeds to which you will listen and from which you will actively learn.

Get Educated and Prepared to Converse. Having conversations with family or friends about race is only scary if you’re not educated. Here are some great posts on how to have those conversations from @generous, @dwardslife, and @lianateresa.

Talk Openly with Your Kids about Racism and Anti-Racism. Here’s a great place to start, from @theconsciouskid. Also read this by Tabitha St. Bernard-Jacobs for some perspective.

What’s Next?

Next, we don’t stop. Racism doesn’t stop when the social media posts die down, so our efforts toward being an ally don’t stop either. Read this post from @officialmillennialblack. And here are some more tips for moving forward. xoxo