This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work

by Tiffany Jewell

Some may tell you you’re too young to talk about race. People may tell you that you should stop talking about skin color and see everyone as a “global citizen.” You may have been told racism isn’t a problem any more and that calling it out or bringing it up in conversation is wrong. Some people may have given you the impression that you are wrong and stirring up trouble. You are not! Racism is a problem, a very serious problem, and it needs to be talked about because it isn’t going away if we do nothing.

Our social identities are broken down into groups, or categories, that we get lumped into. This is not always our choice. Others may place you in categories even though you may not identify in the same way. This is a way of trying to figure you and others like you out. It is how our communities and countries have been set up for centuries. While the social identity categories can help us to see and understand ourselves and the people around us, they also determine how others will treat us. It is our job to learn and act.

When you just look at a person through a single lens you can only narrowly understand them and their experiences.

Seeing how every country has a different way of classifying people shows us that RACE AND ETHNICITY REALLY ARE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS.

Racism is personal prejudice and bias AND the systemic misuse and abuse of power by institutions.

Less than 20% of teachers in the United States’ public schools are Folx of the Global Majority, while over 50% of their student population are.

Remember: institutions rely on people to maintain or change racism.

Asking me what I am is a common microaggression that folx in the dominant culture ask those in the subordinate culture. Because my race was not clear to some, they felt the need to question me in order to categorize me. They needed to know if I was “one of them” or not. I even had a friend make a game of guessing what my race is. Race isn’t a game though; it’s a part of our lives.

A microaggression is an intentional or unintentional insult, slight, or hostile, negative message to folx who do not fit into the imaginary box of dominant culture.

When you experience microaggressions repeatedly, the effects accumulate and can lead to low self-esteem, depression, poor health, and thinking the stereotypes are true. Believing that you are inferior, acting on the negative messages about folx of the same race as you, and even denying your ethnic and cultural heritage are examples of internalized racism.

Understanding the ways racism lives in each of us allows us to ask questions and examine structures. Whether we hold on to internalized racial oppression (if you are a Person of the Global Majority) or internalized racial superiority (if you are white or a white-passing Person of Color), we need to be aware of the biases we hold and question them.