The past few months have been unlike anything many of us have experienced in our lifetimes. As the coronavirus has spread across the world, we’ve watched over 100,000 Americans die, schools close, businesses shut down, and millions lose their jobs.
Yet despite this massive disruption, one thing has remained constant: the impact of race in America.
COVID-19 has laid bare the fundamental racial inequities in our society from access to internet to access to health care to access to jobs with paid sick leave and jobs that allow us to work from home. Black Americans are disproportionately dying from COVID-19 just as they continue to be disproportionately killed by police.
The killing of George Floyd, and those of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor before him, has launched nationwide protests in all 50 states as well as several countries. North Carolina has seen protests in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Asheville, but also in Kinston, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, Greenville, Waxhaw, and others.
Over the past week, I’ve been reflecting on my place in this work, my racial biases, and what I can do to be actively anti-racist. One resource that I’ve found particularly helpful is this document of scaffolded anti-racist resources. The document outlines resources — books, articles, podcasts, and videos — for different stages of anti-racist understanding, from those that think “I don’t see color” to those who are embodying anti-racism in their lives and work.
I hope you take the time to look over those resources and think about where you are in the continuum. I’d love to hear from you. How are you feeling? What are you thinking? What are you committed to doing to make a difference? You can email me at [email protected].
What we're reading
'Without regard for human life’
"It is time to choose to start listening. Choose to listen to understand. The kind of listening that allows us to look through the anguish, right down to the soul."... Read the rest-
The Story Has Gotten Away from Us
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Mayors and governors: This is how you tackle racism
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The 10 Commitments Companies Must Make to Advance Racial Justice
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Community College Systems to Review Police Training
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Policy Solutions for Reversing the Color-blind Public Health Response to COVID-19 in the US
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Protests, donations, lesson plans: How the education world is responding to George Floyd’s killing
