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January 30 - January 30, 2021
Why oh why do people still believe that interracial love (or sex) can end racism when thousands of years of heterosexual love and sex have quite obviously failed to end patriarchy?
But the first requirement of “interracial love” is that all involved must recognize the historical and present-day reality of racial oppression.
The second requirement of interracial love is acknowledging that love has never magically eradicated oppression anywhere at any time in the entire history of humanity.
While each person’s individual path will differ, here are ten suggestions for steps we can all take, right now, to build a less racist—and racially stupid—society.
1. RELINQUISH MAGICAL THINKING.
2. CRITICALLY ASSESS YOUR RACIAL SOCIALIZATION.
3. START OR JOIN AN ANTIRACIST STUDY GROUP AND SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN ABOUT SYSTEMIC RACISM.
4. EMPOWER YOUNG PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND SYSTEMIC RACISM.
5. RECOGNIZE AND REJECT FALSE EQUIVALENCIES.
But nonwhites, at the present time, do not have the economic or political power to exercise or collectively benefit from systemic racism in the United States, and this, after all, is what it means to be racist.
6. DISRUPT RACIST PRACTICES. GET COMFORTABLE CALLING SHIT OUT.
7. GET ORGANIZED! SUPPORT THE WORK OF ANTIRACIST ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATORS, AND ACTIVISTS.
Project NIA (which works to radically reduce the detention and incarceration of young people), Black Lives Matter, the African American Policy Forum, and the Transgender Law Center.
You could send a donation to the Southern Poverty Law Center or UnidosUS
The W. K. Kellogg Foundation maintains a racial equity resource guide and a list of organizations working to bring about antiracist change. Check it out.
8. AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF BLACK WOMEN, INDIGENOUS WOMEN, AND WOMEN OF COLOR.
Read and support the work of a wide variety of racially marginalized women like Shailja Patel, Sara Ahmed, Janet Mock, Audre Lorde, Lorraine Hansberry, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Ijeoma Oluo, Issa Rae, Mona Eltahawy, and Rokhaya Diallo.
9. SHIFT RESOURCES TO MARGINALIZED PEOPLE.
10. CHOOSE AN AREA OF IMPACT THAT LEVERAGES YOUR UNIQUE TALENTS.
