Two weeks ago, we, Shanterra and Rosalind, met to have a conversation about race, privilege, and what it means to be an ally. This wasn’t an uncommon conversation for us, but it was different because we invited you to be a part of it.
And we are so grateful that you joined us! We received great feedback, critiques, and requests to continue what we started. So, we decided to come together again to answer questions received from you, the participants.
Questions like…
- What does being a successful ally look like if I am in a mostly white community and my friends are majority my demographic in age, race, money etc?
- If someone takes offense at something I say, how do I follow up to make it better?
- If I see someone else say something I think is racist but the person of color it is directed to doesn’t say anything about it, do I bring it up? How?
- It seems like people can’t make one mistake, even if they have good intentions, without other people attacking them and thinking the worst of them. People make mistakes. How do we deal with this?
- How do you teach dignity in a school and work culture?
- How do you keep any semblance of a relationship with an immediate family member when you’ve had the fights and the arguments and have previously said “ok, agree to disagree”. How do you go back and say “no- that’s not enough…”
You don’t have to have attended the first one to watch this one. But if you want to you can watch the first one here!
The video above is a re-record of the original conversation. We did not hit ‘record’ on the live conversation and decided to record another conversation with the same questions.
Resources mentioned
The Bluest Eyes by Toni Morrison
Ta-Nehisi Coates on using the N-word
Dr. Maya Angelou and Dave Chappelle on The N-Word
More about Shanterra McBride and Marvelous University
Tiny Guides on core social and emotional concepts
How to Have Necessary, Hard Conversations Using the Framework of Dignity
Cultures of Dignity and Shanterra McBride are supporting HYPE Freedom School, a wonderful non-profit that serves children and families in Houston. If you would like to join their efforts, you can donate here.
Anti-Racism Resources
What to watch
- When They See Us – Netflix
- 13th – Netflix
- If Beale Street Could Talk – Netflix
- Trevor Noah talks about the complexity of what is happening the US
What to read
Articles
- The 1619 Project – New York Times Magazine
- How to Make this Moment the Turning Point for Real Change – Barack Obama for Medium
- Death of George Floyd In Context – The New Yorker
- You shouldn’t need a Harvard degree to survive birdwatching while black – by 17-year-old Samuel Getachew for Washington Post
Books
- Between the World and Me by Tah-Nehisi Coates
- I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
What to listen to
- 1619 – The New York Times
- Pod Save The People – Crooked Media
- Code Switch – NPR
Other
- Donate to a bail fund
- Check out this comprehensive list compiled by Black activists
- Support black owned businesses in your community
- Make sure your voter registration is updated
- Tiny Guides on Dignity
