June 9: Anti-Racist Pride History
Recommended resources:
- Read: "The Queer Black History Of Rioting" - Jonathan Borge (Refinery29)
- Watch: "The Stonewall You Know Is a Myth. And That’s O.K." - New York Times
- Listen: "Leveling Difference: The Antiracist Struggle for LGBTQ+ Justice" - Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi
Discussion:
- Watch: "Stonewall Forever - A Documentary about the Past, Present and Future of Pride" (NYC LGBT Community Center)
- Learn: The complicated history of the Pride movement and the struggles of LGBTQ+ people of color
- Share: Why is intersectionality so important in equality-centered social movements?
- Take action: Learn about a leader of color in the LGBTQ+ rights movement, past or present
Follow-up resources:
- "Overlooked - Marsha P. Johnson" - Sewell Chan (New York Times)
- "A Brief History of Stormé DeLarverie, Stonewall’s Suiting Icon" - Rachel Tashjian (GQ)
- "Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002)" - Emma Rothberg (National Women's History Museum)
- "The Daughters of Bilitis" (Library of Congress Research Guides)
May 12: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Recommended resources:
- Read: "How One Woman's Story Led to the Creation of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month" - Kat Moon (TIME)
- Watch: "Are You “AAPI” or “Asian American”? It's Complicated." - A People's History of Asian America (PBS)
- Listen: "Episode 018 (Bonus): How Do We Go Beyond Representation? Feat. Eliza Romero, Marvin Yueh, and Thomas Mangloña II" - Self Evident: Asian America's Stories
Discussion:
- Learn: History of the term “Asian American” and its variations; stories from AANHPI individuals and communities
- "The History of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month" (CBS8 San Diego)
- "Celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month With Us" (Great Big Story)
- What is the importance of heritage months and their names?
- How do these stories complicate your understanding of “Asian” heritage? In our society, who is considered "American"?
- Share: Books and media that have educated us and broken down stereotypes, and opportunities for local learning
- Take action: Explore a new-to-you facet of AANHPI cultures, with specificity and complexity as your goal (+ own-voices resources from KRL)
Follow-up resources:
- Video series: "We Are Not a Stereotype" (Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center)
- On our ability to assess our own understanding of something new: Dunning-Kruger effect
- Books by Mia P. Manansala (adult cozy mysteries), Kelly Yang and Karina Yan Glaser (children's fiction)
- Poets.org Poem-A-Day, featuring AANHPI poets in May
April 14: Anti-Racist Poetry Month
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Poetry is experiencing a new golden age, with young writers of color taking the lead" - Leah Asmelash (CNN), "Meet the student who made powerful poetry from a weak statement on racism" - Diti Kohli (Boston Globe)
- Watch: "Using poetry to uncover the moments that lead to racism" - Claudia Rankine (Poetry Foundation)
- Read and Listen: "'Today, I Am A Witness To Change': A Crowdsourced Poem Against Anti-Asian Hate" (with text) - Rachel Martin and Kwame Alexander (NPR), "Claudia Rankine Reads From Citizen: “You are in the dark, in the car...”" (full text) (Poetry Foundation)
Discussion:
- Learn: How can poetry build energy in social justice movements and support antiracist action?
- Share: Antiracist poems that have inspired and energized us
- Take action: Explore the work of BIPOC poets and share with your networks
- Examples:
- “Amanda Gorman - “The Hill We Climb” & Activism Through Poetry” - The Daily Social Distancing Show (4:58-6:14)
- "Poetry and Racial Justice and Equality" - Major Jackson (Poetry Foundation)
- "How to Explain White Supremacy to a White Supremacist" - Kyle "Guante" Tran Myhre
Follow-up resources:
- Read: works by poets of color
- Joy Harjo, US Poet Laureate, and her signature project "Living Nations, Living Words" (print companion available through KRL)
- "Isabella Ramirez, a finalist for the National Youth Poet Laureate, on her poem 'Mama'" (All Things Considered, NPR)
- Ntozake Shange, Saul Williams, Chrystos, Nayyirah Waheed
- Watch: "Poets Against Racism: In This Together" (Watershed Journal and Poets Against Racism)
- Bonus: "Poetry Moment: Jason Reynolds offers a pep talk for everyone" (Hocopolitso)
March 10: (Intersectional) Women's History Month
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Ain't I a Woman?" - Sojourner Truth (Fordham University Modern History Sourcebook), "9 Women From American History You Should Know, According to Historians" - Olivia B. Waxman (TIME)
- Watch: "Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement" - Seattle Channel
- Listen: "History fails when it ignores the BIPOC women who made it" - Sophia Andrews (Untextbooked)
Discussion:
- Learn: Stories of historymaking women with an intersectional lens
- “Sojourner Truth's original "Ain't I a woman" speech read by ST” (Sojourner Truth Project)
- “Pura Belpré: The First Puerto Rican Librarian at NYPL” (NBC New York)
- Combahee River Collective/“Black Feminist Organizations” (Black History in Two Minutes or So)
- Share: Who writes the histories we learn? Who do we consider “historymakers”? What do we do when marginalized stories aren’t being told?
- Take action: Choose at least one historical woman of color to learn more about
Follow-up resources:
- Kitsap Regional Library “Women’s Voices and Histories” OverDrive list
- Some historymaking women of color:
- Carla Hayden, first woman and African American Librarian of Congress
- Joy Harjo, first Native American US Poet Laureate
- Lillian Walker, Kitsap African American civil rights activist
- Wangari Maathai, Kenyan social and environmental activist
- Claudia Jones, Trinidadian journalist and activist
- Noor Inayat Khan, princess and World War II spy
- Marsha P. Johnson, transgender activist
- Deb Haaland, Native American U.S. Secretary of the Interior
- Revisiting history education: Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen, Minority Korner(podcast), The Past and the Curious (podcast)
- Diverse children’s literature: Brown Bookshelf, CCBC Diversity Resources, We Need Diverse Books, American Indians in Children’s Literature
February 10: Black History and Black Futures
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Black History Month: Teaching the Complete History" - Coshandra Dillard (Learning for Justice), "Ten years of Black Twitter: a merciless watchdog for problematic behavior" - Andrew Wheeler (The Guardian)
- Watch: "Happy Black History AND Black Futures Month!" - Dr. Kira Banks (Raising Equity), "Sci-fi: Why it's Radical for Black People to Imagine the Future" (CBC Arts)
- Listen: "What Does It Mean To Be Black And Alive Right Now? 'Black Futures' Archives The Present" - Tonya Mosley and Samantha Raphaelson (WBUR), "We Tried to Tell Y’all: Black Twitter As A Source" (SXSW Sessions)
Discussion:
- Opening quote on Black History Month (Dante Stewart, @stewartdantec)
- Learn: What do we gain by shifting our view of “history in the past” to “history in the making”?
- Share: Resources to envision equitable, compassionate Black Futures; opportunities to build those futures together
- Take action: Next steps to start building this future together
Follow-up resources:
- “About Black History Month” (Association for the Study of African American Life and History)
- Organizations investing in Black Futures: Black Futures Lab, Black Future Co-op Fund, Black Farmers Collective
- Resource for young readers: The Brown Bookshelf
- On building fellowship with others: "Why I, as a black man, attend KKK rallies" - Daryl Davis (TEDxNaperville)
January 13: Cultural Competence
Recommended resources:
- Read: "What Does it Mean to be Culturally Competent?" - Refugee Assistance Program Workers, "On the Path to Cultural Competence" - Nicole A. Cooke (Publishers Weekly)
- Watch: "Education System v. Cultural Competence" - Gracia Bareti (TEDxDirigo), "Cultural Humility" - Juliana Mosley, Ph.D. (TEDxWestChester)
- Listen: "The Call to Community in a Changed World" - Anand Giridharadas and Whitney Kimball Coe (On Being with Krista Tippett)
Discussion:
- Watch: “Cultural Competence: Segment 1--Introduction to Cultural Competence” – Fairfax County Public Schools (start at 5:25)
- Learn: What is cultural competence? What does it look like in everyday life?
- Share: Experiences that have shaped your cultural competence or demonstrated the need for further learning, and resources for cultural learning and connection
- Take action: Commit to an action to strengthen your cultural competence in the next month
Follow-up resources:
- Exploring your culture using The Cultural Iceberg
- Questions to keep in mind:
- What are my various cultures? How do they impact my identity and lifestyle?
- What cultures do I want to learn about and why?
- How will I begin to learn about these cultures? What’s my entry point?
December 9: Year in Review
Recommended Resources:
- Read: "Analysis: What the Arbery verdict reveals about race and justice in America" - Kenichi Serino and Yasmeen Alamiri (PBS NewsHour)
- Watch: "COVID Stories" (BU Center for Antiracist Research)
- Listen: "Painting By Numbers" - Hansi Lo Wang, Gene Demby, Alyssa Jeong Perry, and Leah Donnella (NPR Code Switch)
Discussion:
- Watch: "Ibram X. Kendi: Highlights from the 2021 MLK Commemorative Address" (University of Rochester)
- Learn: If you’ve attended previous Learning Circles, which topics stuck with you and why? If you haven’t, what topics are you curious about?
- Share: Books, movies, articles, etc. that are moving our media diets in a more inclusive direction
- Take action: Identify discussion goals and topics for 2022
Follow-up Resources:
- What do we want to explore more? What tools are we using to further our learning?
- Podcasts: The Root of Our Youth and NPR Code Switch
- TED Talk: "How Racism Makes Us Sick" - David R. Williams
- eHistory.org: Interactive time-lapse map of Native lands
- NativeLand.ca: Interactive maps showing traditional homelands, languages, and treaties
- Kitsap County Council for Human Rights
- Intercultural Development Inventory for building cultural competence in groups
October 14: Hope and Resilience with Dr. Kimberly Riley, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Building your resilience" (American Psychological Association), "How hope can keep you healthier and happier" - Everett Worthington (The Conversation)
- Watch: "How do we understand our own culture" - Dr. Tom Varghese
- Explore: "Flourishing Measure" (Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University)
Discussion:
- How well do I understand my own culture?
- Have I ever used who I am to remain hopeful and resilient?
- Does understand myself help me understand others better?
Follow-up resources:
- Additional resources on hope and resilience on our One Book, One Community webpage
September 9: Disinformation and Anti-Racism
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Failure to understand Black and Latinx communities will result in a critical misunderstanding of the impact of disinformation" - Daniel Acosta-Ramos and Jacqueline Mason (First Draft)
- Watch: "Minority communities fighting back against disinformation ahead of election" - Fergal Gallagher (ABC News)
- Listen: "Black Lives Matter Fights Disinformation To Keep The Movement Strong" - Cheryl Corley (NPR)
Discussion:
- Learn: Explore some information literacy tools in the context of racism (featuring CRAAP Test and First Draft's 5 Pillars of Visual Verification)
- Share: What are our information-seeking and -sharing practices like? Where do we get our news? What makes a trusted resource?
- Take action: Examine our information seeking practices and broaden our circles to include more diverse voices and topics.
Follow-up resources:
- Information literacy resources: News Literacy Project, Disinfo Defense Toolkit for Organizers and Advocates (Disinfo Defense League), Misinformation Trainings (First Draft)
- Research guide: "Conducting research through an anti-racism lens" (University of Minnesota Libraries)
- Tools to evaluate information: Reverse Google Image Search (Google Search Help), AllSides Media Bias chart
- Panel discussion: "Canaries in the Coal Mine: Racialized Disinformation in the Digital Age" (MediaJustice, start at 16:30)
July 8: Colorism
Recommended resources:
- Read: "The Difference Between Racism and Colorism" - Lori L. Tharps (TIME), "Black Lives Matter Gets Indians Talking About Skin Lightening And Colorism" - Lauren Frayer (NPR)
- Watch: "People of color discuss the impact of 'colorism'" (Good Morning America), "3 Things You Should Know About Global Colorism" (Harvard Kennedy School)
- Listen: "Dark-skinned girls and the struggle to feel beautiful" - Mimi Zekaryas, Leila Abe, and Cienne Bronson (KUOW)
Discussion:
- Watch: "Conversation with Lupita Nyong’o"(Library of Congress)
- Learn: What is colorism and what does it look like in everyday life?
- Share: Have you experienced or noticed colorism in your community? If you’re learning about it for the first time, what questions do you have?
- Take action: Recognize and address instances of colorism using the Do Something “Confront Colorism” Guide
Follow-up resources:
- On "In The Heights": "‘In the Heights’ and Colorism: What Is Lost When Afro-Latinos Are Erased" (NY Times), "Gina Torres, Laz Alonso And Others Speak Out About Afro-Latino Erasure In Hollywood" (TIME)
- Read: Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams
- Read: Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith
June 10: Juneteenth
Recommended resources:
- Read: "The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth" - National Museum of African American History & Culture, "What Is Juneteenth?" - Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (PBS)
- Watch: "What is Juneteenth? Your questions, answered" (PBS NewsHour)
- Listen: "The History and Meaning of Juneteenth" - The Daily podcast (New York Times)
Discussion:
- Explore: "The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth" - Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (Google Arts & Culture)
- Discuss and share: What is Juneteenth? How is it celebrated? How can non-Black people celebrate and support in a genuine way?
- Take action: How is our community celebrating Juneteenth?
Follow-up resources:
- Read: "This Is How We Juneteenth" - Gina Cherelus (NY Times)
- Local events:
- Juneteenth Resource Fair, 6/17, 11am-2pm at 4200 Wheaton Way (Bremerton)
- Juneteenth Monumental March + Freedom Festival, 6/19, 11:45am at Norm Dicks Government Building (Bremerton)
May 13: Art and Anti-Racism
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Art That Confronts and Challenges Racism: Start Here" (NY Times), "Poetry and Racial Justice and Equality" (Poetry Foundation)
- Watch: "Jeremy Okai Davis: Art That Speaks to Racism And Healing" (OPB), "30 Americans: Art Works to Confront Racism" (IN Close)
- Listen: "We Insist: A Century Of Black Music Against State Violence" (NPR Music), "Both Party And Protest, 'Alright' Is The Sound Of Black Life's Duality" - Andrew Limbong (NPR)
Discussion:
- Watch: "Portland Painter Jeremy Okai Davis Celebrates the Pixel" (OPB)
- Share: Works of art that have helped us in our anti-racist learning
- Learn: What is it about these works of art that make them impactful?
- Take action: How do you find and share impactful artwork and diverse artistic voices?
Follow-up resources recommended by the group:
- Visual art: Kehinde Wiley, Native artist Toma Villa, "Mapping George Floyd and Anti-Racist Street Art" (TPT Originals), "Native Portraiture: Power and Perception" (Tacoma Art Museum)
- Books: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, Root Magic by Eden Royce, Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia, She Would be King by Wayetu Moore, This Place: 150 Years Retold
- Resources for diverse reading: perpetualpages, Bowties & Books, Ashley's Bookish Realm, Starlah Reads, Netflix Bookmarks
- Poetry: "When Poets Decide Who Counts" - Code Switch (NPR); Danez Smith, Cortney Lamar Charleston, Quentin Baker, Nina Miriam, Jericho Brown, Tracy K. Smith
- Music: "This Is How I Feel: A Playlist By Young Black Listeners" (NPR Music), "Why Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Win Is History-Making" - Brigit Katz (Smithsonian Mag)
- Songs: "Ju$t" by Run the Jewels, "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan
- Dance: Hiplet Ballerinas
- Local resources: Seattle Ethnic Artist Roster, Artists Up
- Addition to January's discussion on health and race: "Biden-Harris Administration Announces Initial Actions to Address the Black Maternal Health Crisis" (White House)
April 8: Intersectional Feminism
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Intersectional feminism: what it means and why it matters right now" (UN Women), "What's Intersectionality? Let These Scholars Explain the Theory and Its History" - Arica L. Coleman (TIME)
- Watch: "Kimberlé Crenshaw Discusses 'Intersectional Feminism'" (Lafayette College)
- Listen: "Intersectional Feminism: Representation In Saturday's Women's Marches" - Karen Grigsby Bates (NPR)
- In the news: "How Racism and Sexism Intertwine to Torment Asian-American Women" - Shaila Dewan (NY Times article), "What the Atlanta Shootings Reveal About Racism and Misogyny in the U.S." - Politics and More (New Yorker podcast/WNYC)
Discussion:
- Audre Lorde note: “From the Archive: Audre Lorde 1971 Reading Flyer” (Academy of American Poets)
- Angela Davis video (11:30-17:37): “Feminismo y Transformación Social en la Era de Trump” (Universidad de Costa Rica)
- Discuss: What does mainstream feminism look like? What does intersectional feminism look like? What can we do individually to support BIPOC women from a feminist/anti-racist perspective?
Follow-up resources:
- Articles: "How Do Women Feel About Women’s History Month? Conflicted." - Erin Spencer (NY Times), “For trans women of color facing 'epidemic' of violence, each day is a fight for survival: 'I'm an endangered species… but I cannot stop living'” (ABC News)
- Books (available through KRL): Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote by Veronica Chambers, Sisters in Hate: American Women on the Front Lines of White Nationalism by Seyward Darby
- Intersectional perspectives: Sonia Renee Taylor, Roxane Gay, Chrystos, Rachel Cargle, Unlocking Us by Brené Brown, Feminist Freedom Warriors digital video archive
- AAPI resources: AAPI Racial Justice Resources (Seattle Rep), "From Exotic to Invisible: Asian American Womens' Experiences of Discrimination" (APA), “Atlanta shooting and the legacy of misogyny and racism against Asian women” (ABC News)
March 11: Activism for All Ages
Recommended Resources:
- Read: "Racial Literacy: Key Terms" (The Conscious Kid), "10 Ways Youth Can Engage in Activism" (Anti-Defamation League)
- Watch: "Want to be a youth activist? Here are some tips" (CBC Kids), "Discrimination Explained for Kids" (Pop'n'Olly)
- Listen: "How to Start the Conversation about Racism" (The Imagine Neighborhood), "Racial Justice with Nupol Kiazolu" (Activist, You!)
Discussion:
- Breakout Room 1: Microaggressions from peers/people in power
- Breakout Room 2: Fairness and Justice; Protests: What’s that all about?
Follow-up resources:
- Read: “Calling In: A Quick Guide on When and How” – Sian Ferguson
- Read: “Your Kids Are Not Too Young” – Shawna Gamache
- Read: “How to Talk to Your Child About Microaggressions” (Crumpled Heart Activity) – Misasha Suzuki Graham
- Watch: PBS KIDS Talk About Race & Racism
- Activism 101 (Simmons University LibGuide)
February 11: Hidden Black History
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Do We Ask Too Much of Black Heroes?" - Imani Perry (NY Times), Lillian Walker (1913-2012) - Kate Kershner (HistoryLink)
- Watch: Black History in Two Minutes (watch any videos) - Henry Louis Gates and Robert F. Smith
- Listen: Historically Black (listen to any podcast) - (Washington Post and APM Reports)
Discussion:
- When we think of the phrase “Black history,” what words come to mind?
- From the group: struggle, Civil War, unsung, learning, rediscovery, pioneers and visionaries, artists and creators, inclusion, feminism and the fight for the right to vote, today in history (31st anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison in South Africa)
- Explore the stories of Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History”; Lillian Walker, Bremerton civil rights activist; and John Henry “Dick” Turpin, US Naval hero
Follow-up resources recommended by participants:
- The Great Migration
- Black women in Kitsap:
- Lillian Walker (1913-2012) and Marie Greer (1913-2008)
- Linda Joyce, former executive director of the Kitsap YWCA (daily “Black Herstory Month” Facebook posts in February)
- Diane Robinson, former Bremerton City Councilwoman and founder of the Kitsap Black Historical Society
- Karen Vargas, racial justice advocate and activist
- Activists, inventors, historians:
- John Lewis (1940-2020), civil rights leader and politician
- Arturo Schomburg (1874-1938), Afro-Puerto Rican historian, writer, and activist (namesake for the NYPL’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture)
- Alfred L. Cralle (1866-1920), Victorian scientist and inventor of the ice cream scoop (thanks to artist Tony Hicks for the introduction)
- Roosevelt Smith’s Black History Month columns (Kitsap Sun) and collection of Black Americana, “The State of the Union in Black and White” (Kitsap Historical Society and Museum)
- Artists:
- Augusta Asberry (1931-2007), Bremerton local artist (profile in Kitsap Sun)
- Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), painter portraying African American life
- Kehinde Wiley (1977-), painter known for his presidential portrait of Barack Obama
- Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988), graffiti and abstract artist
- Authors:
- Christopher Paul Curtis (1953-), author of children’s and middle grade books
- Jason Reynolds (1983-), author and National Ambassador for Young People's Literature (GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story monthly newsletter)
January 14 - Health and Race
Recommended resources:
- Read: “How False Beliefs in Physical Racial Difference Still Live in Medicine Today” - Linda Villarosa (New York Times “1619 Project”)
- Watch: “How Racism Makes Us Sick” - David R. Williams (TED)
- Listen: "Episode 4: Race & Public Health: Tuskegee to COVID-19" (transcript) - Health in Matters podcast (University of Minnesota)
Discussion:
- Watch: "How COVID-19 is highlighting racial disparities in Americans' health" (PBS NewsHour)
- Explore: “The COVID Racial Data Tracker” (The COVID Tracking Project)
- What are some of the contributing factors in these racial disparities?
- How can we start to remedy these inequities through our own actions?
Follow-up resources:
- Association of American Medical Colleges’ Racism and Health: A Reading List
- Read: “Is bias keeping female, minority patients from getting proper care for their pain?” (Washington Post)
- Read: “Data linking race and health predicts new COVID-19 hotspots” (The Conversation)
- Maternal mortality: 2020 March of Dimes Report Card, “How Racism May Cause Black Mothers To Suffer The Death Of Their Infants” (NPR), “Nothing Protects Black Women From Dying in Pregnancy and Childbirth” (ProPublica and NPR)
- Commuting: “Commuting Patterns During COVID-19 Endure; Minorities Less Likely to Work from Home” (Dallas Fed), “Public Transit Use Is Associated With Higher Coronavirus Death Rates, Researchers Find” (Wall Street Journal), “The Unequal Commute” (Urban Institute)
- Funds to support overall health and wellbeing for BIPOC: Kitsap Racial Equity & Empowerment Fund, King County Equity Now
December 10: Practical Allyship
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Be a Better Ally" - Tsedale M. Melaku, Angie Beeman, David G. Smith and W. Brad Johnson (Harvard Business Review)
- Watch: "A guide to allyship: How to become an ally" (9News)
- Listen: "Be a Better White Ally" (first segment, from 4:20-41:50) - Up To Date (KCYR 89.3)
- For youth and families: "Kids Explain Allyship" (Soyheat)
Discussion:
- Examples of practical allyship: What does it look like in our lives? Who can we look up to?
- Performative allyship: What is it? How can we avoid it?
- Community allies: Who’s doing the work already and how can we support it?
Follow-up resources:
- Definition of “Ally” – Kayla Reed
- Article: “White Antiracists Have Ancestors: How Their Stories Can Help Strengthen White Antiracist Organizing Today” – Lynn Burnett
- Website: Guide to Allyship – Amélie Lamont
- Kitsap community groups for allies supporting racial justice: see list below (November 12)
- Kitsap race equity task forces: Bainbridge Island and Bremerton
November 12: Anti-Racism Post-Election
Recommended resources:
Read: "Will The Biden-Harris Administration Rescind Trump’s Diversity Training Restrictions?" - Dana Brownlee (Forbes)
Discussion:
- What anti-racist ideas and actions have we focused on so far?
- What anti-racist actions do we want to see happen in the next four years?
- How can we use this energy as momentum moving forward? Where do we start?
Follow-up actions:
- Read: "Don’t Cancel Federal Diversity Training, Fix It" - Susan S. Harmeling and Charles M. Henderson (Government Executive)
- Watch: "Don't ask where I'm from, ask where I'm a local" - Taiye Selasi (TED)
- Support for diversity initiatives: Virtual White Men's Caucus (White Men as Full Diversity Partners)
- Resource for educators: Teaching Tolerance (a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center)
- List of Kitsap groups/organizations working toward racial justice: Kitsap ERACE Coalition(Equity, Race And Community Engagement), Kitsap Advocating for Immigrant Rights and Equality (KAIRE), West Sound for Social Justice, Kitsap SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), Kitsap Professional Leaders of Color (PLOC), Kitsap Youth Activism Team, Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center (KIAC)
October 22: Racial Injustice in the News
Recommended resources:
- Read: "The Dangerous Racialization of Crime in U.S. News Media" - Elizabeth Sun (Center for American Progress)
- Watch: "Unconscious Bias: Do Newsrooms Struggle To Report On Race Issues?" (Thomson Reuters Foundation), "How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time" - Baratunde Thurston (TED)
- Listen: "Racial Bias in Crime Reporting" - On the Media (WNYC)
Discussion:
- View: “Unconscious Bias: Do Newsrooms Struggle To Report On Race Issues?” (Thomson Reuters Foundation)
- As you interact with news about racial injustice, have you noticed differences in how certain stories are reported?
- What are some ways that Black, Indigenous, and people of color are treated differently in news coverage?
- Should a person's merit/accomplishments be considered when reporting on a crime they committed?
Follow-up actions:
- Read: Race Forward's 2015 Race Reporting Guide: "Seven Harmful Racial Discourse Practices to Avoid" (pp.19-24)
- Support more diverse newsrooms and newspapers that are representative of different communities
- Seek out additional news coverage if you find yourself getting comfortable with one news source
- Ask yourself: which details of this news story are missing? Which details are being unfairly scrutinized?
October 8: Policing
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Kitsap law enforcement is committed to building trust" - Kitsap County law enforcement leadership (Kitsap Sun Opinion), "Race, Policing, and the Universal Yearning for Safety" - Ezra Klein & Phillip Atiba Goff (Vox)
- Watch: "Once-Violent Camden, New Jersey, Now Seen As Model For Community Policing" (TODAY)
- Listen: “Re-imagining Public Safety” (with King County Council Member Girmay Zahilay) (Pitchfork Economics Podcast)
Discussion with guests from Bremerton Police Department: Laurel MacIntyre-Howard (behavioral health navigator), Sergeant Tim Garrity, and Lieutenant Aaron Elton
- Improving outreach to community groups and strengthening existing connections; identifying job boards to invite people of color to consider careers in law enforcement
- Identifying grant writing resources to assist with hiring more behavioral health navigators
- Improving police accountability measures and changing the culture of policing from within
Follow-up resources:
- Learn about Laurel’s work as a behavioral health navigator: “Behavioral health navigators step in where police step out” (Kitsap Sun)
- Open letter from Kitsap ERACE Coalition: “Kitsap Protests: What Do They Mean and How Do We Go Forward?”
September 24: The Wealth Gap
Recommended resources:
- Read: "How America's Vast Racial Wealth Gap Grew: By Plunder" - Trymaine Lee (The 1619 Project, New York Times), "Examining the Black-White Wealth Gap" (Brookings Institution)
- Watch: "Struggle for Black and Latino Mortgage Applicants Suggests Modern-Day Redlining" (PBS NewsHour)
- Listen: "1619: The Racist Roots of the U.S. Wealth Gap" (The Takeaway podcast, WYNC)
Discussion:
- For BIPOC participants: have you experienced financial barriers?
- Why are proposed solutions (like "baby bonds", reparations, or increased taxes on the wealthy) so difficult to discuss with each other?
- As individuals, what are some short-term and long-term actions we can take/support to begin to close the wealth gap?
Follow-up actions:
- Website that tracks COVID-19 mortality age by race: “The Color of Coronavirus: COVID-19 Deaths by Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.”(APM Research Lab)
- Read about the Fair Housing Act (US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development)
- Small steps to take: educate yourselves and the public about the wealth gap, be intentional about where you spend your money, support programs and policies that invest in youth and help BIPOC communities build wealth
September 10: White Culture
Recommended resources:
- Read: “Why Talk About Whiteness?” - Emily Chiariello (Teaching Tolerance), Whiteness - National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Watch: "Talking Mindfully About Whiteness" - Neenah Estrella-Luna (TEDxSalemStateUniversity)
- Listen: "My White Friends" (S2 E12) - Scene on Radio
- For parents & families: Not My Idea - A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higginbotham - John Jimerson
Discussion:
- View The Whiteness Project
- If you identify as white: What is your experience of white culture? How do you describe your culture?
- If you don't identify as white: How would you describe white culture? What are some similarities and differences between your culture and white culture?
- For everyone: How have aspects of white culture led to the casual and overt racism we see in America?
Follow-up actions: check out these resources recommended by the group
- Interactive map showing Native treaty, language, and historical territory data:Native-land.ca
- Article on racial disparities in wealth: “Examining the Black-white wealth gap” (Brookings Institution)
- Census data on local demographics: Kitsap County Quick Facts
August 27: Talking to Family & Friends
Recommended resources:
- Read/Listen: "Claudia Rankine: How Can I Say This So We Can Stay in This Car Together?" - On Being with Krista Tippett podcast (scroll down page for full text transcript)
- Watch: "A Conversation With White People On Race" - Op-Docs (The New York Times)
- Listen: "Want To Have Better Conversations About Racism With Your Parents? Here's How" - Life Kit podcast (NPR)
- For Parents: "How to Talk to Kids About Race" - Home School (The Atlantic)
Discussion:
- View "How to talk about race with racist white parents and family" (WA Post)
- Have you tried to have conversations on race with your family/friends? How did it go?
- What were you feeling at the time? E.g. nervous, angry, scared
- What worked? What would you do differently next time?
- What tools/skills do you feel would better equip you for these conversations?
Strategies/Tips from Dispute Resolution Center trainer Sophie Morse:
- Listening to Understand & Curiosity
- Ask open-ended Questions … and question the answers!
- Develop agreements – how are the two of us going to have these conversations so neither of us walks away feeling scarred (uncomfortable is ok, and expected).
- Preparation; Do research. I don’t like being caught off guard by [racist] talking points. I want to have my facts handy. If they have different facts, one approach is to keep with either I statements or “We” statements: “We don’t seem to have the same information on this topic” and see where that goes.
- Find common ground and build from there. Always connect first.
- Avoid jargon. Just not helpful.
- Set boundaries. Your house, your Facebook page, your rules!!
- Assume best intentions, and point out that intent =/= impact!
- Part of white supremacy culture is about not revealing emotions, and having to do or say things “just right.” Both of which serve to keep us from having conversations that deeply matter, because those conversations will be messy.
August 13: Intersectionality
Recommended resources:
- Read: "Social Identities And Systems Of Oppression" - Talking About Race (NMAAHC)
- Watch: "The urgency of intersectionality" - Kimberlé Crenshaw (TED)
- Listen: "Kimberlé Crenshaw on Racism, Intersectionality, and the Death of George Floyd in the Times of Covid-19" (KFPA) (interview begins around 24:00)
- For parents: "Intersectionality 101" (Teaching Tolerance)
Discussion:
- View the Social Identity Wheel.
- In your own life, do you think about some identities more than others? Which ones, and why?
- Which identities are important to you that others don’t always acknowledge?
- By prioritizing certain identities over others in our society, how do we perpetuate systems of oppression?
Follow-up actions:
- Explore media from different identities, cultures, and perspectives: books, movies, TV, music, art
- Ask yourself: whose perspectives are you prioritizing? Whose perspectives are you ignoring? Why?
- Article: “Go Ahead, Speak for Yourself” - Kwame Anthony Appiah
July 23: Exploring (Micro)aggressions
Recommended resources:
- Catch up on the news: “Seattle man's '1,000 Cuts' campaign tackles racism and microaggressions” (KING5)
- Read: “Did you really just say that?” - Rebecca Clay (APA Monitor on Psychology)
- Watch: “Why Microaggressions Aren’t So Micro” - Whitney Grinnage-Cassidy (TEDxYouth @UrsulineAcademy)
- Listen: “Microaggressions Are A Big Deal: How To Talk Them Out And When To Walk Away” - Life Kit (NPR)
- For parents: A Kid’s Book About Racism - Jelani Memory
Discussion:
- Poem: “From Citizen, I” - Claudia Rankine
- View 1000 Cuts campaign
- Share types of microaggressions: microassaults, microinsults, microinvalidations
- Share some strategies for responding to microaggressions
Follow-up actions: check out these resources recommended by the group
- Book: Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o (available at KRL)
- Poem: “Within Two Weeks the African American Poet Ross Gay is Mistaken for Both the African American Poet Terrance Hayes and the African American Poet Kyle Dargan, Not One of Whom Looks Anything Like the Others” - Ross Gay
- Interactive game: Killing Me Softly
July 9: Acknowledging Our Biases
Recommended resources:
- Read: “Bias” (National Museum of African American History and Culture) and “Don’t Talk about Implicit Bias Without Talking about Structural Racism” (National Equity Project)
- Watch: “How to Overcome our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them” - Verna Myers (TED)
- Listen: “Speaking of Psychology: Understanding your racial biases” – Speaking of Psychology (American Psychological Association)
Discussion:
- “Our Kind of People” by Bayeté Ross Smith
Follow-up actions:
- Read about some implicit bias interventions (on page #8) from the King County Office of Equity and Social Justice
- Take the Project Implicit test for yourself (with a friend/family member, if possible) and discuss the results
- Explore some of Bayeté Ross Smith’s other works (National Geographic Storytellers Summit 2020)
June 25: What is anti-racism?
Recommended resources:
- Catch up on the news: “Why The Killing of George Floyd Sparked an American Uprising” - Alex Altman (TIME)
- Read: “The American Nightmare” - Ibram X. Kendi (The Atlantic), “What it Means to be Anti-Racist” - Anna North (Vox)
- Watch: “Let's get to the root of racial injustice” - Megan Ming Francis (TEDxRainier)
- Listen: “A Decade Of Watching Black People Die” - Code Switch podcast (NPR)
Discussion:
- What have you found challenging about anti-racist work?
Follow-up actions: check out these resources recommended by the group
- Teaching Tolerance “Speak Up” pocket card
- Unlocking Us with Brené Brown (podcast): Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist
- CNN/Sesame Street racism town hall
- #KidLit4BlackLives virtual rally on YouTube
- Hollaback! Resources for Harassment on the Street, Online, and in the Workplace
- Uncomfortable Conversations With A Black Man
- Bremerton City Council upcoming meetings
- This Book is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on how to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do the Work by Tiffany Jewell (available at KRL)