Engage in the difficult work of confronting societal realities to recover damaged aspects of your humanity, both personally and in your collective family history, leading to a more fully integrated and human existence.
To achieve full humanity, integration, and a healthy psychology, confront and come to terms with the reality of your circumstances, including your socialization as a white person.
Confront the deep unfairnesses within the system and your role in perpetuating them, as this difficult process ultimately releases subconscious pain and frees you to play a constructive role.
Cultivate a vision of collective liberation and a harmonious society that prioritizes care for self, others, and the earth, then connect with like-minded individuals to actively work towards bringing this vision to fruition.
To effectively stop racism, commit to understanding its systemic workings and historical context, rather than just aiming for personal sensitivity.
Work to humanize yourself and others, understand structural issues, and connect with people collectively to address societal problems.
When engaging in anti-racism work, especially in group settings, incorporate mindfulness practices that center curiosity, compassion, and heartfelt experience, rather than solely relying on intellectual or potentially hostile approaches.
Integrate loving-kindness practices and curiosity into all aspects of engagement, especially when dealing with difficult topics like racism, to foster more productive interactions.
Approach social change work, particularly organizing, from a place of love and care for the people you are trying to organize, as hatred is counterproductive.
To achieve societal change, focus on building coalitions and finding common ground with people who hold different views, rather than policing language or insisting on a ‘right way’ of speaking, to enable collective action on shared needs.
White people should actively see whiteness and discuss it with each other, as this is a crucial first step toward creating a more equitable society.
White individuals should engage in discussions about race exclusively with other white people to foster open, honest conversations, as the presence of people of color can lead to self-consciousness, performance, or fear of causing harm, hindering genuine dialogue.
Explore your family history to understand how your ancestors may have been colonized or manipulated, developing a more rooted sense of identity that challenges typical white socialization.
Develop emotional resilience to engage with topics of race without shutting down or becoming defensive.
Create or seek out safe, supported spaces to process and express grief, rage, and anger related to racial injustice, as suppressing these emotions due to fear of manipulation or discomfort is harmful and perpetuates disconnection.
Cultivate a strong political and economic analysis to understand the underlying reasons for social issues and to ensure your actions for change are effective.
Develop a strong personal political analysis and theory of change to stay centered and effective in social change work, even amidst confusion or unforgiving activist spaces.
When encountering upset from others in social change work, avoid taking it personally; instead, be sensitive, understand its source, and respond with listening and validating to de-escalate the situation.
Utilize your sphere of influence—family, neighbors, community members—to discuss racial justice, as you have significant impact within your existing relationships and communities.
Participate in study and support groups focused on understanding the construction of whiteness, its history, and the relationship between race and economic dynamics, especially if you are a white person seeking to process current events, ask questions, and find support for taking action.
Actively engage with individuals from different social categorizations to break down stereotypes and learn about their real experiences, as personal interaction helps dismantle preconceived notions.
Educate yourself on the history of how racial dynamics and stereotypes developed, as this understanding helps to unpack and diminish their influence over your perceptions and actions.
Actively use various media, relationships, and interactions to challenge and change harmful language and stereotypes.
When discussing social issues, meet people where they are by using language that resonates with them to talk about shared experiences and realities.
Practice a contemplative technique: choose a statement, first notice bodily sensations, then repeat the statement and notice arising emotions, then repeat and notice arising thoughts, to gain space and awareness.
Seek opportunities to spend time within spaces predominantly occupied by people of a different racial background, developing relationships and adapting to their norms and experiences, as this is a valuable learning experience.
Read Jacqueline Vadalora’s book “Birth of a White Nation” to understand the global and legal origins of whiteness and its designation.
Research COINTELPRO and the FBI’s actions against social movements from the 50s-70s to understand the destruction that occurred.
Recognize the collective power of labor to effect societal change, and prioritize working together in masses, avoiding internal bickering or violence, to address tangible social projects.
Donate money to a bail fund, such as The Bail Project or the Bail Fund Network, to immediately support protesters who have been arrested.
Connect with local anti-racist or racial justice organizing groups, such as “Showing Up for Racial Justice,” to find ways to get involved in your area.
Join the mailing lists of national organizations like Black Lives Matter or Movement for Black Lives to learn about best practices for protesting and specific local actions.
Review the demands compiled by organizations like Color of Change to understand constructive actions and goals for addressing policing issues.
Watch the interview with Kianga Yamada Taylor on Democracy Now! to understand the connection between neoliberalism, the gutting of the public sector, and the role of police as a last-resort policy strategy in the context of current events.