Last Updated on January 28, 2022 by ThoughtsStained
Welcome to the latest in my Allyship Check-In series! This series is meant to share resources–through articles, blog posts, multimedia, book recommendations, petitions and more–to help each of us live more antiracist lives. The evils of this world–like white supremacy, racism, sexism, hate, bigotry, capitalism, just to name a few–can’t be destroyed without effort. Together, I hope we can take strides to help make the world a better place, for all of us.
Series Background
I started this “series” of blog posts in 2020 to share more resources to help with each of our own anti-racist journeys. I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the fact that many of the resources I’m linking down below come from the hard work of those on the Anti-Racist Daily team (the ARD) , to which I subscribe for daily email updates. Many of the readings, actions and donation links come from what I learn from their articles. As such, I have become a monthly Patreon donor, because you need to pay BIPOC people for the work they do in helping dismantle racism, not just take what you can for free. I hope you consider subscribing and supporting them, too, especially if you are a white reader.
Like I mentioned before, while a lot of these resources are tied and focused to the Black Lives Matter movement, I have started to incorporate other resources about more global events, as well.
Please keep the comments kind and constructive–though, please never hesitate to call me out if I’ve misstepped, if you are comfortable doing that emotional labor you shouldn’t have to do in the first place. I appreciate your assistance in helping me learn and continue to grow into the actual ally I want to be.
Last caveat: I listed a bunch of resources, because I hope you will click on the links and listen to the BIPOC voices who are speaking up, instead of hearing my take. I’m using this as a space to amplify their voices–not add my own commentary to the mix.
Staying Informed
Readings
On top of continuing to read the amazing work from the ARD team, I recently subscribed to two more newsletters: Ijeoma Oluo’s Beyond the Book, which is powerful, poignant and passionate, from every day life to addressing systematic failures to writing advice. I also subscribed The Prism‘s newsletter to get round-ups of their articles posted each week, as I really appreciate the work they are doing.
You’ll find samples from all three places (and more!) within the articles below. I hope you consider subscribing, as well!
Articles and Blog Posts
- Prison Injustice
- Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready by Beth Schwartzapfel and Keri Blakinger for The Marshall Project
- Capitalism
- Capitalism Sucks, But Don’t Be Shamed For Your Hustle by Ijeoma Oluo in her newsletter, Beyond the Book
- Millennials Didn’t Kill the Economy. The Economy Killed Millennials by Derek Thompson for The Atlantic
- What Is Necropolitics? The Political Calculation of Life and Death by Namrata Verghese for Teen Vogue
- White Supremacy
- One year after the insurrection, racial justice advocates warn that white supremacy remains entrenched in the US by Alexandra Martinez for Prism
- COVID-19
- CDC’s decision to slash quarantine time in half concerns already overwhelmed health care professionals by Alexandra Martinez for Prism
- Students Walk Out Over Covid in New York, Michigan, Oakland, Boston by Lexi McMenamin for Teen Vogue
- Education
- Teachers and students fight for remote learning and better safety precautions at school by Alexandra Martinez for Prism
- Women’s Rights
- Lawmakers in both parties to launch new push on Violence Against Women Act by Aris Folley for The Hill
- Fatphobia
- Free Your Mind by Ijeoma Oluo in her newsletter, Beyond the Book
- Politics
- Politics is a huge stressor for some young people. That’s a big problem. by Rebecca Ruiz for Mashable
Videos, Podcasts and Media
Excited to have some more multimedia to share this month than I normally do (since I tend to focus on writing-based media, personally).
Multimedia
- Watch this press conference of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with his discussion on voting rights and the filibuster dangerously poignant to today’s politics
- Learn more about me too’s mission in this quick introduction video.
- Listen to this interview with “organizers Kelly Hayes and Bree Newsome Bass discuss long COVID, voting rights and getting organized” on Truthout.
- Watch Dove’s “As Early as Five” short video to promote the end of race-based hair discrimination
Getting Engaged
Petitions
Not as may petitions this month, but doesn’t lessen the importance of them!
Sign Your Name In Support of:
- Clean water against contamination
- Vaccine access for all
- Appointing a Black woman to the Supreme Court
Take Action
However, plenty of ways to get engaged.
Get Engaged
- Subscribe to Ijeoma Oluo’s newsletter, Behind the Book
- Support the ACLU’s Systemic Equality Plan
- Take the pledge to March On for Voting Rights
- Explore M4BL’s “Visions for Black Lives” Policy Platform and see what you can do to support making this vision a reality
- Students from HBCUs! You can sign up for metoo X HBCU’s “Essentials for Survivor Justice” series for free.
- Learn from and share me too’s Toolkit for Survivors during COVID-19.
- Sign up for the ARD’s 28 Days of Black History series!
- Look up your state and see what you can do to help support the rights of transgender athletes in schools.
- Take action to support the Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021
Donate
As always, I like to highlight different organizations, movements and areas to support financially, if you’re able. I also decided, after getting an unexpected raise at work and redoing my finances, to commit to $20 a month to a different organization, for as long as it’s feasibly possible for me. This month, I donated to Abortion Within Reach, to help support rights to abortion access as it’s currently being attacked from all sides.
Support Financially
- Hawaiʻi Alliance for Progressive Action (HAPA) is “dedicated to fighting for social, economic, and environmental justice in Hawaiʻi”
- Abortion Within Reach, which shares funds to various organizations and efforts to protect the right to access safe abortions
- The ARD: the Anti-Racist Daily newsletter that has taught me so much and I hope you consider supporting their work, too!
- LMJ Scholarship is “is a diversity pipeline program that seeks to nurture the academic and professional careers of outstanding law students”
Further Reading
If you want to go deeper than articles or blog posts, check out the non-fiction below. Then, check out fiction books by BIPOC and queer authors to enjoy (and my goodness, what a line up that is present this month in fiction!).
- The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America by Lani Guinier
- When buying antiracist texts, consider buying from locally owned BIPOC bookshop links, like using this link to help support Brooklyn pop-up bookstore, The Garden
- The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman
- The Kindred by Alechia Dow
- The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan
In Sum
Thank you for reading and engaging with this post! I hope you learned something new, deepened your knowledge about important issues and found different ways to get involved: whether it’s through educating yourself, supporting important work financially or supporting individuals in their efforts by sharing their content.
Let Me Know Your Thoughts!