Resource List for Racial Justice // June Newsletter
*This list was compiled in early June 2020. If you have resources you think should be added to this post, leave a comment!
Dear House of Dorough family,
We are glad you are here with us, and we are glad you (ourselves included are feeling activated to find ways we can directly help further the cause of ending racial injustice in this country. Because this audience is largely made up of white women, I feel that it is my duty to be transparent with you all on how I am unlearning. I will make mistakes, but I am accepting that I am inherently racist, and I must be actively ANTI-racist and my hope is to influence you to do the same.
We have created this list of resources only as a starting point. We hope that moving forward, you will seek out and look to Black leaders for your information, and that you will follow their lead in beginning to unlearn white supremacy and work towards Black liberation.
“What is even happening right now?
We know there’s a ton of information right now. If you need clarification, or a timeline of the last week, here are two good places to start:
This gives a full breakdown of what has actually happened in Minnesota, from George Floyd’s death, to the protests, up until 5/29.
The Washington Post is keeping an updated tab on what’s going on nationwide
Are Black neighborhoods overpoliced?
“Imagine, he says, facing relentless harassment by police for small offenses but being ignored when it comes to serious public safety issues. Imagine knowing that law enforcement officials in your neighborhood "think you're all scum," and doggedly pursue you and your friends for things like marijuana possession and loitering, but check out when it comes to holding people accountable for actual violence”
There is a thought that because Black Americans account for higher rates of crime, that means that Black people and neighborhoods perpetuate more crime and are inherently more dangerous than white people and neighborhoods. THIS TIK TOK is maybe one of the most informative things I’ve seen that breaks down where these stats come from.
Many of you are reading this because you’re horrified by what’s going on. Whether you have been doing the work of unlearning racism for a while, or you’re brand new to the concept, you probably have questions. Below, we have compiled a starter list of resources, both educational and actionable. Join us in Ashley’s stories this week where we will continue sharing Black educators, influencers, and brands that we love and are learning from.
Where to start:
In order to effectively start the work of ending systemic racism, it’s important to understand WHAT systemic racism is and how it functions. This is an incredible video that breaks it down very simply.
We recommend beginning with this video by educator Rachel Cargle. Not only does she breakdown things incredibly well and provide actionable steps to begin your work, she also tells us which subjects we should be educating ourselves on if we truly want to help this movement and create change.
You can follow her instagram, where she does much more of her work here.
Here is her website, for even more resources and education.
One other educator (among the countless we will continue sharing in the coming weeks) we have found invaluable is @moemotivate.
Maybe you’re asking what does it even mean to be an ally? Start here.
We also love this resource by @mireillecharper, called 10 Steps To Non-Optical Allyship
Here is an EXTENSIVE but by no means exhaustive list of Anti-racist resources for white people.
Many of the resources and educators listed above are black people doing the work to disseminate this information. Please pay them for their labor. This looks like buying their educational materials, donating money to them directly to compensate them for the labor involved in creating their free resources, and using the resources and information they have created and curated to educate yourself rather than asking them to perform more labor (usually unpaid) by reaching out to them directly.
“What Can I DO?”
Looking for ways to start making change and helping the cause right now? This is a great place to start
Monetary support is one of the most tangible ways you can make direct change for this cause. There are endless funds that will use your money in different ways, so do your own research and find one that you trust and believe in the mission of, but we will give you some places to start.
We love THIS list of funds and organizations to donate to, and it is perhaps the most diverse list we have seen so far.
Here is a list of protest funds for every major city. On this list you will find funds that provide support to protestors on the ground, as well as funds that pay bail and legal fees for protestors who are taken into police custody.
VOTE! Voting is one of the many ways to let your voice be heard and let the people making the policies know what kind of change their constituents want.
June Voting Dates:
June 9th: Georgia, West Virginia
Tuesday June 23rd: Kentucky, New York
You can google “am i registered to vote (STATE)?” to see if you are registered to vote, as well as voting dates, polling places, and sample ballots!
If you live in Georgia, go to https://www.mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do
At ballotready.org you can find every candidate and referendum explained, just type in your zip code to get info on local and national candidates!
“What is all this I hear about defunding the police?”
Something you will see talked about a lot is the need to defund police. And you’re probably alarmed by this notion, thinking “but the police are here to protect us!” or “what would that even look like?”
You might not know that it is historically agreed upon that our modern version of policing in the United States grew directly out of slave patrols that were formed during colonial times. Thus, American policing grew DIRECTLY out of American attempts to control black bodies.
So what do we do? What is an alternative to modern models of policing? HERE is an incredible resource that breaks down how by gradually reallocating funds to community resources, police intervention becomes less necessary.
Still questioning why we even need to decrease police presence in the first place? Here is a FREE EBOOK , titled The End of Policing that is about as thorough an historical and sociological exploration of the issue we could find.
“This book attempts to spark public discussion by revealing the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control. It shows how the expansion of police authority is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice—even public safety. Drawing on groundbreaking research from across the world, and covering virtually every area in the increasingly broad range of police work, Alex Vitale demonstrates how law enforcement has come to exacerbate the very problems it is supposed to solve.”
Please take advantage of this invaluable and FREE resource if you want to learn more about this topic.
Bonus - here is a great infographic about police violence. Give it a look.