How to Be Antiracist and Support the Fight for Justice
A number of activists and educators have created resource guides to help us understand the systemic oppression of Black Americans and what it means to be antiracist. I highly recommend giving them a look and sharing the knowledge learned with others. We are not born with hate in our hearts. We learn it. And, it's up to every single one of us to teach better. If there were ever a time to do something, now would be it. 💗
Last Updated: 3.3.23
Antiracist Resources
- Anti-Racism for Adults
- Antiracist Resource Guide: Activist Kesiena Boom has created an excellent resource guide of antiracist tools filled with book, movie and podcast recommendations, organizations to support, as well as steps we can take to dismantle our own privilege so that we can become allies in this fight for justice.
- The Implicit Bias Test: Harvard has created this helpful tool to help us become aware of our own implicit biases.
- Trevor Noah: The Daily Show's Trevor Noah shares his thoughts on the killing of George Floyd, the protests in Minneapolis, the dominos of racial injustice and police brutality, and how the contract between society and black Americans has been broken time and time again. Worth the entire watch. He really gets into it around the 9 minute mark.
- Black History Library: An organized collection of educational materials to learn about Black history.
- Anti-Racism for Kids
- Resources for Kids of All Ages: Excellent guide to discuss racism and prejudice for kids of every age.
- A Teacher's Favorite Children's Books on Racism: 23 recommendations with links.
- Resources to Educate South Asian Communities
- A Guide for South Asians: An informational letter to the South Asian community.
- Hasan Minhaj: A video on why we can't stay silent about George Floyd.
- A Letter to Indians of My Generation: A telling letter to share with South Asian parents.
- Explaining Black Lives Matter in Hindi: Excellent video explaining the Black Lives Matter protests and outrage translated for Hindi speakers.
Support the Fight for Justice
- General Resources
- Take Action Resource Guide: A running list of petitions to sign, government officials to contact, protesting tips, legal aid resources for protestors, and more.
- Text, Email + Call: Numbers, emails and templates of what to say to demand justice for Black lives, as well as petitions to sign and more educational resources.
- Bail Funds + Legal Help: A running list of bail out funds and legal assistance organized by city.
- Holding Your Employer Accountable for Racial Justice: A free template by Rachel Cargle of The Great Unlearn. The template is free, but you can help support her work via this link as well.
- Guide for Advocates: Running list of numbers and emails to contact to demand justice, what to say when making those calls/sending those emails, addresses to send letters to, links to petitions to sign, funds to donate to and educational resources.
- Police Misconduct
- Police Accountability Project: A mass local government reporting campaign to help collect instances of police violence and brutality.
- Mapping Police Violence: Helpful data on understanding how police violence impacts communities and how to address it.
- Police Brutality Videos: A collection of police brutality videos created by lawyer Greg Doucette and mathematician Jason Miller that serves as a counter-narrative to repeated denials of responsibility from the police, and combats media coverage that downplays police violence.
- How to Safely Film Police Misconduct: An excellent guide to help you film safely, ethically, and effectively.
- The Plain View Project: A research project created by Philadelphia lawyers that have identified thousands of concerning Facebook posts and comments by current and former police officers in the hopes that police departments will investigate and address them immediately.
- Police Brutality Center: Resources for individuals and families affected by police brutality, as well as information on racial profiling and updated nationwide statistics.
Organizations to Follow + Support
- National Organizations
- Black Lives Matter: Work to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
- Reclaim the Block: Organizes Minneapolis community and city council members to move money from the police department into other areas of the city’s budget that truly promote community health and safety.
- Unicorn Riot: Independent media dedicated to exposing root causes of dynamic social and environmental issues by amplifying stories and exploring sustainable alternatives in today’s globalized world.
- Black Visions Collective: Committed to dismantling systems of oppression and violence with a long term vision in which ALL Black lives not only matter, but are able to thrive.
- Chicago-Based Organizations
- The Chicago Bond Fund: Pays bond for individuals whose communities cannot afford to pay themselves and who have been impacted by structural violence.
- Assata's Daughters: Women run. Organizes young Black people in Chicago by providing political education, leadership development, mentorship, and revolutionary services.
- Chicago Freedom School: Equip young people and adult allies with the tools to develop actionable strategies for social change through youth programs and trainings.
- SOUL Chicago: Assist low-income people of color in the Chicago Southland to build power, then subsequently leverage that power to fight for their own interest and liberation.
- Chicago Alliance Against Racist + Political Oppression: Seek to free all survivors of police torture and wrongful conviction, and to support their success upon release. Goal: a community-focused, transformative justice system.
- Shriver Center on Poverty Law: Lead the fight for economic and racial justice by litigating and shaping policies in Illinois and training and connecting multi-state networks of public interest attorneys. Goal: to build a future free from racism, poverty, and the interlocking systems designed to keep those inequities alive.
Enlightening Social Media Accounts to Learn From
Chicago Specific Resources
- How to Help Business Hit by Looters + Closures
- My Block Chicago
- Central Camera Company
- Restaurant Relief Fund
- Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce
- Black Owned Chicago:
- A search directory for local black business organized by category.
- Antiracism Training + Education
- How to Help Chicago Families
- Chicago Family Pairing Program:
- Grocery delivery due to store closures
- Love Packages for Black Families
- Delivering mom and baby essentials to families in need. Donations include: diapers, wipes, baby soap and laundry detergents, formula, baby food, feminine products, gently used baby/children's clothes, and first aid items.
- Email info@chicagobirthworks.com for donation instructions. Families in need can fill out the form provided.
- Brown People for Black Power Rapid Response
- Helpline to provide rides, groceries, deliveries for black families in need
- 773.217.8533
- Brownaid4BLM@gmail.com
- Ranjani Tutors: Free online tutoring help 5 hours per week for SAT, GRE, LSAT or homework help K-12 for Black students anywhere in America! Please contact ranjani@mynameisranjani.com to learn more.