We must all take action to fix a broken system. We don’t have the answers, but we’ve put together ideas for our team on how we each can start to make change happen and thought we should share.
Listen
Check-in with your Black friends, ask what they need. Take the time to understand and feel the struggle of being Black in America in 2020.
Check out one or more of the following. Additional suggestions here, here, here and here:
- “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
- “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander
- “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson
- “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo
- “How to be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram Kendi
Add new voices to your social feeds:
- Organizations: @blackvisionscollective, @reclaimtheblock, @mnwfpc, @brooklynbailfund, @mnfreedomfund, @blklivesmatter, @naacp, @colorofchange, @bailproject
- Influencers: @ijeomaoluo, @rachel.cargle, @shaunking, @laylafsaad, @blackandembodied, @osopepatrisse
- Hashtags: #blacklivesmatter, #blm
Watch:
- Black History Movies that Tackle Racism
- Sesame Street/CNN Town Hall on Racism
- 13th (Netflix)
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Hulu)
- When They See Us (Netflix)
- King in the Wilderness (HBO)
Amplify
If you’ve got an audience, use it to amplify the voice of the Black community and those fighting racism.
- Retweet important thoughts from these groups.
- Add a banner to your website, promoting some of the organizations listed below.
- Bring an expert into your company to help further educate your employees. LinkedIn published a great blog post detailing 50+ Ideas for Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace.
- Are you holding an event? Dedicate part of the agenda to a speaker who can represent this community and share their perspective.
- Change your email signature, not just to a message of solidarity, but also to suggest actions.
Vote
Hold the politicians who are not actively addressing this challenge accountable. From the presidency down to your state and local elected officials, we need leaders in government who are going to fight to give all Americans equal opportunity and justice.
Support
Vote with your wallet by supporting Black-owned businesses. Here are lists for Austin and San Francisco.
Donate
There are a lot of great organizations working hard to make a difference. If you have the means, focus your charitable efforts on organizations like these:
Talk
Make this a topic of conversation among your friends and family. Here are some resources that can help with difficult conversations.
Teaching about Race, Racism and Police Violence (tolerance.org)
Talking to Kids About Race (National Geographic)
Books to Teach White Children and Teens How to Undo Racism and White Supremacy
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