It’s been an exhausting time lately.
Several recent racist acts of violence have converged, and I’m constantly reminded of the need for me to speak up against it. Being silent or being neutral during a time of injustice by default supports the oppressor.
Of course, speaking up and working against racism isn’t only an outward action. It also takes a lot of inner work and putting in the time to unlearn the prejudiced ideas all of us absorb without even realizing it.
If we don’t want to further contribute to this problem we are seeing everywhere, we need to be committed to dismantling racism inside and out. I am so thankful for the plethora of voices that have helped challenge me, encourage me, and inspire me. We all need the challenge alongside the inspiration, myself included. I want to share some of the teachers who I think can help others too. Here’s a short, incomplete, but always-growing list!
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum
Dr. Tatum is a professional psychologist and educator. She’s the president emeritus at Spelman College and Mount Holyoke College. Her most known piece of work is Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria where, like much of her work, she focuses on how social dynamics play out in educational settings. I had the privilege of hearing her as a keynote panelist at ATL Ideas last year, where she used an extremely good analogy to describe antiracist work.
Something important she taught me: Racism is like a moving sidewalk. Unless you actively walk in the opposite direction, you’ll end up caught up in it.
Where to start: I’d recommend her interview at ATL Ideas, as well as her book mentioned earlier.
Deray McKesson
Deray’s role as a storyteller and a voice from the front lines of the Ferguson demonstrations constantly evolve in new directions. I’ve especially benefitted from his insight on the role protests play in shaping society, and his thoughts on how to rethink what we expect out of systems like law enforcement. His integration of hope alongside honesty is legitimately refreshing.
Something important he taught me: Hope is not magic. Hope is work.
Where to start: I love his memoir On The Other Side of Freedom, as well as his co-host role on the podcast Pod Save The People.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay is a gifted director, and I have yet to see something she’s made that isn’t in some way moving and soul stirring. One gift she especially holds is the ability to explain and demonstrate the history of systemic racism in a way that’s accessible and understandable, while simultaneously being deeply moving.
Something important she taught me: There’s a very clear thru line from the dark parts of history we thought were over, to modern day systems of oppression.
“People say all the time, ‘well, I don’t understand how people could have tolerated slavery?’ ‘How could they have made peace with that?’ ‘How could people have gone to a lynching and participated in that?’ ‘That’s so crazy, if I was living at that time I would never have tolerated anything like that.’ And the truth is we are living in this time, and we are tolerating it.” (A quote by Bryan Stevenson showcased in 13th)
Where to start: Definitely 13th, but you also owe it to yourself to give Selma and When They See Us a watch.
Ibram X. Kendi
It’s not enough to “not be racist.” Such a distinction isn’t actually possible. Instead being anti-racist is what matters, and the way that looks is conflated with many other issues, including gender, orientation, and class. Kendi’s book How To Be An Antiracist was a very in depth resource for me to learn how to constantly make an effort to dismantle racism. Defining clearly the terms racist and antiracist might seem extremely basic, but it is, in fact, necessary for getting anything done effectively.
Something important he taught me: Anti-racism is the idea that there is nothing right or wrong with any racial group. Racism is anything that suggests otherwise.
Where to start: His book How To Be An Antiracist.
Bethaney Wilkinson
I discovered Bethaney’s work through my participation in Plywood People’s programs in Atlanta. At the time I last attended an event, she was in the process of launching her podcast The Diversity Gap and that has been a great resource for me to refer people to. She has a very gentle but bold way of approaching challenging subjects, and I think her unique voice serve these necessary conversations very well.
Something important she taught me: We must always ask ourselves and each other whose voice is missing from the discussion.
Where to start: Her podcast, The Diversity Gap.
Nikkolas Smith
Nikkolas Smith is one of my favorite visual artists. He somehow manages to capture a moment in bold brush strokes in a way that’s simply full of heart. Things worth celebrating are fully celebrated in his depictions- like Officer Clemmons’ moment with Fred Rogers, the triumph of Black Panther, or the legacy of Leah Chase. At the same time, his art also gives full service when things need to be mourned or when anger needs to be expressed.
Something important he taught me: The Black experience is a beautiful one, full of intense triumph and tragedy.
Where to start: His Instagram account.
Michelle Alexander
As you start to do anti-racist work, you’ll hear again and again about the role mass incarceration plays in perpetuating inequality in the United States. Sometimes it’s easy to take that awareness for granted without digging much deeper into the mechanics of how that happens. You should still dig deeper. The New Jim Crow and Michelle Alexander’s work is an important and valuable way to do that.
Something important she taught me: The American prison system was largely shaped to fill a vacuum left behind by Jim Crow laws.
Where to start: Her book, The New Jim Crow
Ta Nehisi Coates
Ta Nehisi Coates has been a columnist for the Atlantic and he’s penned many important and provocative essays over the past decade. The thing that really got my attention was his memoir Between The World And Me which was really presented as a discussion with his son. Reading this was a much needed empathy boost towards some of the pain that black parents feel in a world designed against them.
Something important he taught me: You shouldn’t have to constrict yourself in order to make others feel comfortable.
Where to start: Between The World And Me
Andre Henry
Andre Henry is multi-talented- a singer, a writer, a preacher in a lot of ways. Yet so much of his work is focused on doing the hard work of constantly chipping away at racism in society. His Hope and Hard Pills newsletter has helped me get more comfortable with the necessary discomfort one has to experience when doing anti-racist work. He’s one of my favorite Twitter follows.
Something important he taught me: Grief and anger both have their role alongside hope in creating an anti-racist world.
Where to start: The Hope and Hard Pills Newsletter
Bryan Stevenson
It’s hard not to be moved by the work that Stevenson and his organization, the Equal Justice Institute do. By advocating to exonerate prisoners on death row, including many who have been wrongfully convicted, Stevenson demonstrates the relationship between two of his biggest values: justice and mercy. His memoir Just Mercy is one of the most influential books I’ve ever read.
Something important he taught me: By embracing our own brokenness, we can tend to the brokenness of others.
Where to start: Just Mercy
Austin Channing Brown
It’s hard not to be moved by the work that Stevenson and his organization, the Equal Justice Institute do. By advocating to exonerate prisoners on death row, including many who have been wrongfully convicted, Stevenson demonstrates the relationship between two of his biggest values: justice and mercy. His memoir Just Mercy is one of the most influential books I’ve ever read.
Something important she taught me: Even in organizations and institutions that hail the values of diversity and inclusion, the default setting is still one meant for whiteness, which puts an unfair burden on people of color.
Where to start: I’m Still Here
Bernice King
I first heard Bernice King speak at The Justice Conference in 2014 and learning that I’d be hearing from MLK’s daughter was an exciting thing. While she builds on her father’s legacy effectively, she also deserves some of her own recognition. Her insight and ability to speak into current events, often from a faith perspective, are informed by an intimate knowledge of what it takes to create change.
Something important she taught me: We may admire MLK now, but back in the 1960s, he was one of the most hated men in America. Those who are on the side of positive change might not be the most easily received public figures.
Where to start: On Twitter
Jemar Tisby
Jemar is one of my favorite speakers at the crossroads of Christianity and racial justice. So often, I’ve found myself disappointed by the church’s overall non-response to events like the Charleston shooting or the Charlottesville demonstrations. Jemar Tisby is one of the voices who helps restore hope in that arena. He not only expresses the Christian mandate for caring about racial equity and taking action, but he also dives deep into the ways the American church has often been complicit in this injustice.
Something important he taught me: It’s important for churches not to scrub their history of the way they’ve contributed to systemic racism throughout United States history. Only by confronting our past role can we build something better for moving forward.
Where to start: The Color of Compromise
Fannie Lou Hamer
I think it’s not only important to learn from our contemporary voices but ones who have come before. Of course, there’s a lot to choose from, but one that has helped shape a lot of my thinking has been Fannie Lou Hamer. In her short life she advocated for both civil rights and women’s rights and was ahead of her time in tying together these two causes.
Something important she taught me: God is on the side of the oppressed, but that’s no excuse for us to sit on the sidelines. We’re called to participate in pushing for justice.
Where to start: A clip from the 1968 documentary, The Heritage of Slavery, explaining the history of racial terror lynching.
James Baldwin
Another voice from before my era, however, there have been so many times where after recent events that James Baldwin’s words seemed to articulate exactly what I was feeling and point to a clearer way to see things. Baldwin’s voice is both strength and intellect, and I’m thankful much of his writing continues to have an influence on a new generation of activists.
Something important he taught me: You can criticize the systemic injustices of your country exactly because you love your country. If anything, this is the motivation that actually leads to change.
Where to start: The Fire Next Time
Dr. Clint Smith
Clint Smith is a writer, poet, and educator. He’s consistently one of the voices I see heavily engaged in discussions following episodes of public lynchings, national days of remembering, and police brutality. His work is so hopeful, yet simultaneously practical, and I’ve learned so much about how to be an effective ally from his Tweets alone.
Something important he taught me: Silence in times of injustice is actually one of the most harmful things you can do.
Where to start: The Danger of Silence TED Talk
Michelle Higgins, Dr. Christina Edmondson, & Ekemini Uwan
Together, this trio comprise the hosts of the podcast, Truth’s Table. All three hosts have rich backgrounds in theology, activism, and community organizing. Their podcast is relatively new, but already has featured a wealth of important conversations. Some of my favorite topics they’ve covered include multiethnic churches, resistance, and movie discussions on Get Out and I Am Not Your Negro.
Something important they taught me: A stronger faith and a deeper commitment to antiracism go hand in hand. Each helps the other one grow.
Where to start: Truth’s Table Podcast
Eso Tolson
Eso is an artist, who often publishes under the moniker @coolurbanhippie - I’m a fan of his visual work and letter artistry, but I especially love to see it paired with his authentic thoughts, often about being a black creative. One of the most consistent themes I see in his work is the presence and persistence of joy. It’s helped me have a practical example of what it looks like to use joy as a way to resist an unjust world not meant for your joy.
Something important he taught me: Joy can truly be a form of resistance.
Where to start: His Instagram account
Shereen Marisol Meraji, Alicia Montgomery, & Gene Demby
This crew appears on the NPR Code Switch podcast. That podcast makes talking about race and learning about antiracism genuinely fun, and I think that is so incredibly important. The work can get pretty heavy pretty fast! I’m thankful to have some resources that take this tone. They are often kid friendly while maintaining intellectual integrity and diving into topics I would’ve never considered before.
Something important they taught me: If you know how to look for it, you can find the struggles of representation and inclusion all over culture.
Where to start: NPR Code Switch
Latasha Morrison
Much of Latasha’s work takes place within church spaces. I often express disappointment over the fact that churches rarely live up to what I see as their responsibility to heal the broken relationships and systems at the heart of racism. Latasha Morrison and her Be The Bridge movement encourage me as they work to change that.
Something important she taught me: Racial reconciliation is still a worthy goal.
Where to start: Be The Bridge