July 31 - August 6, 2020

In honor of Juneteenth 2020, I've committed to educating myself on systemic racism, discrimination, and bias. Every day from June 19, 2020 to June 18, 2021, I will read an article or book chapter, listen to a podcast, watch a movie or documentary, view a webinar, or do something substantive to educate myself in these areas. As part of that commitment, I will post to this blog each Friday with a list of what I've done over the past week as well as any pertinent thoughts or reflections.

Today's post covers the week of July 31 - August 6, 2020.

How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them

Verna Myers's 17 minute TED Talk gives three suggestions for overcoming anti-Black male bias regardless of what race you are - 1) Get out of denial; 2) Move toward Black men instead of away from them; 3) When you see/hear something racist, say something, even to those you love.

History of the Black Experience (July 30)

Dr. Leonard Moore discusses some of the major organizations of the Civil Rights Movement, including the NAACP, Congress of Racial Equality, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Key events, leaders and organizers of these groups are highlighted as well. He finishes the 82 minute lecture with an overview of the Nation of Islam and Black Panther Party.

One Korean American's Reckoning

This 26 minute episode of the NPR podcast Code Switch dives into a Korean American's awakening to anti-Black racism. His journey from ignorance to protest to introspection is discussed.

How to be an Antiracist

I've started the book How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi and included a link to his website here. I read two chapters per day over four days this past week and will finish the book next week.

• Chapters 1-2

In Chapter 1 (Definitions), Kendi talks about his parents meeting and their background in Christianity. He also defines several words for the rest of the book, including racism, racist policy, racial discrimination, and racial power. "The defining question is whether the discrimination is creating equity or inequity. If discrimination is creating equity, then it is antiracist." Chapter 2 (Dueling Consciousness) discusses three perspectives on race - segregation, assimilation, and antiracism. "The duel within Black consciousness seems to usually be between antiracist and assimilationist ideas."

• Chapters 3-4

Chapter 3 (Power) covers the power hierarchy of race and the consideration of Whiteness as normal. Chapter 4 (Biology) discusses the human genome and the idea that segregation is biological racism. "When geneticists compare these ethnic populations, they find there is more genetic diversity between populations within Africa than between Africa and the rest of the world."

• Chapters 5-6

Chapter 5 (Ethnicity) begins with a discussion of the origins of ethnic racism in the slave trade and moves toward other ethnic categorizations within races. Kendi talks about the fear of Black bodies in Chapter 6 (Body) and how those stereotypes have been perpetuated by people in all racial groups even when evidence shows them not to be true.

• Chapters 7-8

Chapter 7 (Culture) is a discussion of Ebonics and Black culture and the cultural differences across geography. "To be antiracist is to see all cultures in all their differences as on the same level, as equals." Chapter 8 (Behavior) suggests we need to separate the idea of culture from the idea of behavior. "To be antiracist is to think nothing is behaviorally wrong or right - inferior or superior - with any of the racial groups. Behavior is something humans do, not races do."