50 shitty anti-racism actions you can take today

May 31

This podcast episode is a shitty brainstorm to help demonstrate that there's no right way to fight racism, I used to be afraid of doing this work “wrong,” but learned (thanks to many Black educators and teachers) that doing something is better than doing nothing.

If you want a list of real, practical anti-racist actions you can take, check out the following "Anti-Racist Starter Pack" by Brea Baker: https://parade.com/1046031/breabaker/anti-racist-tv-movies-documentaries-ted-talks-books/?fbclid=IwAR2UoHcNmhGQA9V-59Ng1efHnpzDYUp-uPlwRYns6ArybBZDpW6Lt-nxsVs

In this episode, I offer 50 shitty actions you could take right now to address your own racism and the racism around you. Many of them are silly an impractical, but maybe by being silly and impractical, you'll learn that there are millions of different ways to contribute to solving the problem, and that doing SOMETHING is better than doing nothing. Here's the list if you'd rather read ahead.

Look at a photo of any black man for 5 minutes.
Compile 100 photos of black men and see their uniqueness.
Only attend events where black people are represented.
Consume podcasts with black hosts (here's a list to get you started).
Do a blind contour drawing of George Floyd.
Teach art from a non-white perspective.
Go for a walk in a neighborhood where you're a minority.
Read lyrics of black music.
Eat at black-owned restaurants.
Examine the clothes you wear...do they help or harm?
Read books only written by people who don't look like you.
Go to a speed dating event blindfolded.
Walk down the street with a black friend.
Use your stage time at a story slam, poetry slam or open mic to spread awareness of racism.
By marijuana from black-owned businesses (here's a list).
By beer from black-owned breweries (here's a list).
Sit on your stoop and smoke a blunt...and realize how much privilege you have when nobody says shit.
Get a car wrap of Black Lives Matter messaging.
Learn how to cook soul food. And pay a black person to teach you.
Use your inheritance to invest in black communities.
Look at black art.
Spend a day watching battle rap...and look up every reference you don't understand.
Build a fake jail cell in your house. Sit in it for a while and realize what a waste of time it is for the millions of black men sitting in jail for no good reason.
Look at a skeleton and picture bodies & people with different skin color.
Think of the last really kind thing someone did for you and then pass it on to a black person.
Reach out to your black friends daily and do something kind...they are probably exhausted and could use a break.
Whatever you think you know about black history, look deeper.
Freewrite about British accents compared to whatever you think black people sound like.
Read black poetry.
Look at what the last black man killed by police was doing and then go do that thing and think about your privilege.
Go take a seat on the floor in the beauty aisle.
Invest in black-owned companies (see fact #33 here).
Take a walk by a prison or juvenile detention facility.
Compliment a black person a day...and NOT about their hair.
Create a family tree and examine inherited wealth.
For an entire day, imagine your kids were black.
Call your local police department and ask what their process is for reviewing police brutality.
Next time you're in a Zoom meeting, suggest others also call their local police department.
Put a note on your desk to remind yourself to elevate the voices of the black people you work with.
Offer to let black people vent.
Write anti-racism pep talks on your bathroom mirror.
Wear a piece of jewelry to remind you that racism exists.
Drink your morning coffee out of a coffee mug with an anti-racism reminder (I like this one)
Make a list of your personal heroes? Who's on the list? Who's not?
When making purchases, ask who designed/manufactured/produced the product.
Write out your ideal response to stupid racist bullshit (See the pyramid of white supremacy in a Facebook search).
Look at your past month of content? Are you elevating black voices? I fucked up here. Will be fixing it.
Write a letter to your own ancestors to educate them or call them out.
Support black businesses. Support black businesses. Support black businesses. For a list of black women-owned business, look here.
Whatever your strengths are, use them to take a stand against racism. For the Rachel Rodgers video, click here. If you’re a business owner, I would also highly recommend checking out her Town Hall.