What Can I Do? What Can You Do?

Let's get right to it.

I heard Robin Diangelo, who is an antiracist educator, on the radio yesterday morning, and she was frustrated with the question she hears so often from white people, "What can I do?"

I am quite sure I have asked that question myself. 

Her answer: If you don't know what to do, look it up. Find out. Google it, for heavens sake. 

There are ideas, suggestions, opportunities, answers everywhere. Your faith community. Your neighborhood association. Your elected officials. Non-profits already engaged in working to improve the lives of the poor, black and brown people. 

Here's one list more than one friend emailed me, and I have seen it, also, on Facebook. 

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

One of the items on this list is to read Diangelo's book, White Fragility, Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. Read this book. If you have already read it, read it again.
https://robindiangelo.com

She writes, 
         When white people ask me what to do about racism and 
          white fragility, the first thing I ask is, "What has enabled
          you to be a full, educated, professional adult and not
          know what to do about racism?' It is a sincere question.
          How have we managed not to know, when the information
          is all around us? When people of color have been telling
          us for years?...

          'Take the initiative and find out on your own.' To break
          with the conditioning of whiteness--the conditioning
          that makes us apathetic about racism and prevents us
          from developing the skills we need to interrupt it--white
          people need to find out for themselves what they can do...
          Break with the apathy of whiteness, and demonstrate 
          that you care enough to put in the effort...

          So consider racism a matter of life and death (as it is for
          people of color), and do your homework.  pp. 144-145


We are not helpless. There are things we can do and do now. And we must. 

An Invitation
What are you doing? I would love to know.