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“We have not thoroughly assessed the bodies snatched from dirt and sand to be chained in a cell. But it is not your responsibility to transform an entire organization.” Remember: You are a creative being who is capable of making change. You must be strategic about when, how, to whom, and about which situations you decide to call out. Know the difference, and keep records of it all.Ģ. There are some racist things that are just mean, but others are against the law. Demonstrate that there are stakeholders, congregations members, and donors who want to see real change.ģ.
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Who's willing to keep the class funded, the diversity positions going, the social justice center operating? It's important for the organization to know the members of your cohort aren't the only ones who care. Find donors who will contribute to the cause. Fall in love, take your children to the park, don't miss doctors' visits, read for pleasure, dance with abandon, have lots of good sex, be gentle with yourself.Ĥ. Remember that you are a whole person, not a mule to carry the racial sins of the organization. You want someone who can help you navigate the particular politics of your organization.ĥ. It's important to have on or two mentors who can give advice based on their personal knowledge of the organization and its leaders.
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Don't just choose a really good friend or a parent when seeking advice. Build or join an antiracist cohort within the organization.Ħ. If you are going to push back against the system or push leadership forward, it's wise not to do so alone. Be ready to move if the leaders aren't prepared to pursue their own stated vision.ħ. Hold the organization to the highest vision they committed to for as long as you can. Then ask yourself if you can work within the structure.Ĩ. Also ask about who is in charge and who is held accountable for these efforts. Ask for definitions, examples, or success stories to give you a better idea of how the organization understands and embodies these words. You and the organization may have different definitions of words like "justice", "diveristy", or "antiracism". What does the organization hope you will bring to the table? Do those answers align with your reasons for wanting to be at the table?ĩ. Get as much clarity as possible on what the organization has read about you, what they understand about you, what they assume are your gifts and strengths. “How to Survive Racism in an Organization that Claims to be Antiracist:ġ0. Whiteness likes a trickle of Blackness, but only that which can be controlled.” Whiteness wants enough Blackness to affirm the goodness of whiteness, the progressiveness of whiteness, the openheartedness of whiteness. It wants to pat itself on the back for helping poor Black folks through missions or urban projects but has no interest in learning from Black people’s wisdom, talent, and spiritual depth. It wants us to sing the celebratory “We Shall Overcome” during MLK Day but doesn’t want to hear the indicting lyrics of “Strange Fruit.” It wants to see a Black person seated at the table but doesn’t want to hear a dissenting viewpoint. Whiteness constantly polices the expressions of Blackness allowed within its walls, attempting to accrue no more than what’s necessary to affirm itself. How many scholarships are being offered? How many seats are being “saved” for “neighborhood kids”? How many Black bodies must be present for us to have “good” diversity numbers? How many people of color are needed for the website, the commercials, the pamphlets? But numbers are only the beginning. “White institutions are constantly communicating how much Blackness they want. I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness History is collapsing on itself once again.” Because the beating of Black people in the streets is still too familiar. Because the locking up of a disproportionate number of Black bodies is still too familiar. Because the racist rhetoric that Black people are lazier, more criminal, more undeserving than white people is still too familiar. Because the extrajudicial killing of Black people is still too familiar. I hope there is progress I can sincerely applaud on the horizon. As comedian Chris Rock says, I suppose these things were progress for white people, but damn. Many call it progress, but I do not consider it praiseworthy that only within the last generation did America reach the baseline for human decency. I feel no need to pat America on its back for these “achievements.” This is how it always should have been. I am not impressed that slavery was abolished or that Jim Crow ended. “But I am not impressed with America’s progress.