Empowering Effective Anti-Racism

Many of us want to help, but we’re not quite sure what we should be doing. Many others are doing things that we think are helpful but are actually ineffectual, which wastes time and resources or is actually harmful. For instance, reading books about racism, having yard signs, and building relationships with BIPOC folks, are all good things; they enrich our lives, and make us better people. However, they do not contribute to the political change necessary to dismanlte systemic racism,  so it’s important we do both.

For white folks, one outcome of systemic racism is the universal inability to see racism accurately. This prevents us from being able to engage effectively with communities we wish to be allies with. Systemic racism is one of the mechanisms white supremacy uses to preserve and propagate itself by making us unreliable in the stories we tell ourselves and those we tell others. This is why it is important for us to devote a large portion of our efforts to supporting the experienced leadership of BIPOC organizations doing racial justice work in our communities—to end the systemic patterns of racism and white supremacy that are rooted in in the social fabric of individual and collective whiteness.

BIPOC leaders and organizers understand the problem, and are already working towards practical solutions by engaging in the most efficient strategies for change. We white folks just need to show up as supporters, fundraise, and bring our communities with us. Check out our DIY  Self-Guided Accountability Plan and Organize an Affinity Group Kit for practical ways to have impact.

This chart was created as a teaching tool. There are different ways to allocate time and resources effectively and with accountability. This chart is one suggested approach of many.