 “Unless one lives and loves in the trenches, it is difficult to remember that the war against dehumanization is ceaseless.” -Audre Lorde I am writing right now because it is Friday, and on Fridays I write. I am writing because I am a writer and it is what I do. It is Friday, I am a writer, and so I write. I don’t know how best to broach the subject, so I’ll just broach it: racism in the US is systemic, evil, and real, and white people need to not only do better but to do everything within their power to put an end to this intentional institution that we (white people) benefit from regardless of our positions or beliefs. As a white person my voice is not important right now. My actions are all that matter. It’s too easy as white people to find an excuse or sympathy for racism, or to try to prove that we understand what black people are going through, that we “get” oppression. But there is no excuse and we will never understand. I am queer and have presented as a cis woman most of my life. Even still I will never understand the oppression that BIPOC go through every damn day at the hands of white people. Not all oppression is equal or translates fluidly from one form to another. Instead of blabbering on, here is a list of books, organizations, articles, videos, and other resources to look into for continuing education and awareness of race in the States (some resources posted are intersectional and not exclusive to race studies). This is very clearly a basic list and I’ve only put resources which I have read/watched/listened to with the exception of the links to lists. Please feel free to let me know what I can add to the list. There are so many other good resources. None of us is perfect, nor is it ever possible to be so. Let’s help each other to at least be better. Let’s, at the bare minimum, help reduce the suffering in this world. As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Let’s do better.
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