S/o - what should caring white people do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contribute $$$ to defense funds for arrested protestors across the US.

The people being arrested are not protesters. They are destroying property. Big, big difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think stand up for injustice. Stand up and stop anyone from speaking ill of someone due to race. At all times. Even mild transgressions. Years ago I said something that now I understand set someone apart due to race, a friend called me out. It opened my eyes. I’m glad he called me out.

I did this once. I stood up to a racist at work who had been berating his black employee for years. Documented everything, put a target on my back and my job on the line. The employee ended up lying to protect the boss because ‘she didn’t want to rock the boat”. I ended up quitting after having destroyed my career there. They later fired the guy but next time I will just keep my mouth shut. Lesson learned.

[Anonymous]

The one thing we can really offer right now is money, specifically bail money. Find your local bail fund organization here:

https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

But also, start volunteering and getting involved with local black organizers. Ask THEM what they need from you. Get on the mailing list of a nearby black lives matters mailing list. They will tell you what they need. Listen to black people leading the efforts here and follow their lead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How about asking the college students who are white and liberal to join the police force. If you are young enough, join your police department. The change has to be from inside.

I think this is a great idea. It’s the reason several of my (white, liberal) friends joined the military.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one thing we can really offer right now is money, specifically bail money. Find your local bail fund organization here:

https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

But also, start volunteering and getting involved with local black organizers. Ask THEM what they need from you. Get on the mailing list of a nearby black lives matters mailing list. They will tell you what they need. Listen to black people leading the efforts here and follow their lead.

Why would you give money to bail out rioters? Serious question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Start reading. Start understanding just what white privilege is, how white supremacy is baked into the cake of America. Listen to black people talk about their experiences without getting defensive. Support black owned businesses and restaurants. Don’t center yourself. I’m tired and listening to the eerie silence (but blessed) in my curfewed neighborhood, so I’ll just say, of all things, Estee Laundry had a great post on this today.

I’m sure our friendly white supremacist posters will helpfully tell me I’m speaking gibberish, and I still consider myself a neophyte about this, but it’s up to us to change things. It’s not up to black people to fix the power structure they didn’t build and still have no comparative power in. If you and I have no influence or power, statistically speaking we still have more than the average black citizen.

Yes, get to work. If you have kids you should really be doing what you can to learn about racism in America--its been part of our country since the beginning and we need to do our part to eradicate it. Here are some books to help: White Fragility by DiAngelo, So

If you have kids make sure you buys books about people of color. If you don't know where to start look up books by Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, Kekla Magoon, Jacqueline Woodson, and Angie Thomas. My kids (and I) have enjoyed their books.
Books that might help you, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi as well as his book Stamped From The Beginning are both excellent (for kids or you try Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi). So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo is incredibly helpful. Michael Eric Dyson's Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America. Dyson wrote the foreward to White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo which is excellent and I think a must read for white people. Another helpful book for white people who are ready to do something constructive is Waking Up White by Debby Irving.

Explore your own implicit or unconscious bias at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html

I would also say seek out Black Media and voices. Twitter makes that easier these days. Support Black institutions like historically black colleges and universities, black businesses, black writers. Those are some things you can do to start. Above all as you do this, be humble, be curious, be willing to challenge yourself and be uncomfortable. That is where real growth happens. Thank you for caring. If you do the work, you will never regret it.

Suppose she has already done this. Suppose she has already read the literature, the studies. Supposed she owns the implicit bias in herself. And now she wants to do something active. Something to make things better. Besides vote, is there nothing she can do besides sit and feel good that she has educated herself?

As Malcolm X said to an earnest white woman in Spike Lee’s film, “Nothing.”

Stop making it all about you, even when you’re “trying to help.” Thinking that it’s your fight or you have anything to contribute is arrogant white privilege in and of it itself. That you cannot see that is ironic and troubling.

Fine. I'll just sit home then.

Donate money. Donate time to organizations that help underserved and hurting communities. Not that hard to figure out. Are you willing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Start reading. Start understanding just what white privilege is, how white supremacy is baked into the cake of America. Listen to black people talk about their experiences without getting defensive. Support black owned businesses and restaurants. Don’t center yourself. I’m tired and listening to the eerie silence (but blessed) in my curfewed neighborhood, so I’ll just say, of all things, Estee Laundry had a great post on this today.

I’m sure our friendly white supremacist posters will helpfully tell me I’m speaking gibberish, and I still consider myself a neophyte about this, but it’s up to us to change things. It’s not up to black people to fix the power structure they didn’t build and still have no comparative power in. If you and I have no influence or power, statistically speaking we still have more than the average black citizen.

Yes, get to work. If you have kids you should really be doing what you can to learn about racism in America--its been part of our country since the beginning and we need to do our part to eradicate it. Here are some books to help: White Fragility by DiAngelo, So

If you have kids make sure you buys books about people of color. If you don't know where to start look up books by Jason Reynolds, Kwame Alexander, Kekla Magoon, Jacqueline Woodson, and Angie Thomas. My kids (and I) have enjoyed their books.
Books that might help you, How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi as well as his book Stamped From The Beginning are both excellent (for kids or you try Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi). So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo is incredibly helpful. Michael Eric Dyson's Tears We Cannot Stop: A Sermon to White America. Dyson wrote the foreward to White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo which is excellent and I think a must read for white people. Another helpful book for white people who are ready to do something constructive is Waking Up White by Debby Irving.

Explore your own implicit or unconscious bias at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/education.html

I would also say seek out Black Media and voices. Twitter makes that easier these days. Support Black institutions like historically black colleges and universities, black businesses, black writers. Those are some things you can do to start. Above all as you do this, be humble, be curious, be willing to challenge yourself and be uncomfortable. That is where real growth happens. Thank you for caring. If you do the work, you will never regret it.

Suppose she has already done this. Suppose she has already read the literature, the studies. Supposed she owns the implicit bias in herself. And now she wants to do something active. Something to make things better. Besides vote, is there nothing she can do besides sit and feel good that she has educated herself?

As Malcolm X said to an earnest white woman in Spike Lee’s film, “Nothing.”

Stop making it all about you, even when you’re “trying to help.” Thinking that it’s your fight or you have anything to contribute is arrogant white privilege in and of it itself. That you cannot see that is ironic and troubling.

Fine. I'll just sit home then.

Donate money. Donate time to organizations that help underserved and hurting communities. Not that hard to figure out. Are you willing?

I used to give to the Southern Poverty law center until they were revealed to be a scan. Would the AME church maybe be a good alternative?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I used to give to the Southern Poverty law center until they were revealed to be a scan. Would the AME church maybe be a good alternative?

DP here. I'm going to leave aside the comment about SPLC and assume you have the best intentions.

I would actually recommend looking into the small non-profits that serve your community. After school programs, computers for low income families, shelters, meals, food banks...these organizations are mostly supported through local donations, and they form the back-bone of the safety net in most parts of the US. One way to identify them (though you will miss smaller organizations that are often the most cash-strapped) is to find out where your city's Community Development Block Grant services funding from HUD is going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The one thing we can really offer right now is money, specifically bail money. Find your local bail fund organization here:

https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

But also, start volunteering and getting involved with local black organizers. Ask THEM what they need from you. Get on the mailing list of a nearby black lives matters mailing list. They will tell you what they need. Listen to black people leading the efforts here and follow their lead.

You are going to bail out white supremacists?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apparently we are all still racist 150 years after slavery, and 60 years after Jim Crow. There probably isn't a good solution. People mostly like to be around folks like themselves, and that's been true for all of human history.

You like to be around folks like yourself, clearly. I grew up in a family that relished meeting and hanging out with people with much different backgrounds than ours - race, ethnicity, nationality. religion, even financial differences, both worse off than we were and wealthier. My parents cultivated that because they were fascinated learning about others and they instilled that in their children. Humanity is so diverse and interesting and it would be sadly boring to be around only others just like ourselves all the time. So sorry you never learned that. What a small world is yours.

[Anonymous]

GOTV!!

Find an organization helping to register and volunteer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about asking the college students who are white and liberal to join the police force. If you are young enough, join your police department. The change has to be from inside.

I think this is a great idea. It’s the reason several of my (white, liberal) friends joined the military.

Getting liberal college students to join the policy is a bad idea. You start with ex military.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I used to give to the Southern Poverty law center until they were revealed to be a scan. Would the AME church maybe be a good alternative?

DP here. I'm going to leave aside the comment about SPLC and assume you have the best intentions.

I would actually recommend looking into the small non-profits that serve your community. After school programs, computers for low income families, shelters, meals, food banks...these organizations are mostly supported through local donations, and they form the back-bone of the safety net in most parts of the US. One way to identify them (though you will miss smaller organizations that are often the most cash-strapped) is to find out where your city's Community Development Block Grant services funding from HUD is going.

okay, well I give lots of money to catholic charities DC. They fund a huge food bank. I guess I wanted something that would specifically address racial inequality, that had been around for a large number of years with a proven track record of effectiveness so I could be sure the money would be used well. I'm not sure a Catholic based group would be the best choice for this. Any ideas of DC charities that might be similar, with a proven track record, that help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Contribute $$$ to defense funds for arrested protestors across the US.

The people being arrested are not protesters. They are destroying property. Big, big difference.

You aren't one of the helpers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The one thing we can really offer right now is money, specifically bail money. Find your local bail fund organization here:

https://www.communityjusticeexchange.org/nbfn-directory

But also, start volunteering and getting involved with local black organizers. Ask THEM what they need from you. Get on the mailing list of a nearby black lives matters mailing list. They will tell you what they need. Listen to black people leading the efforts here and follow their lead.

Why would you give money to bail out rioters? Serious question.

Because they are out there risking their lives to bring change. Riots can pop off at any mass gathering. It is an unfortunate side effect of the protests. You don't get to be the mayor of peaceful protests. This is an emotional issue and people want things to change. Bet Kap and his taking a knee is looking a lot less controversial to you now.