(Most of the rest of this website offers more of a "timeless" perspective on racism in this country. But because I had so many new visitors here after George Floyd's murder and the resultant protests, I added this section to distill down the key points from that time.)

June 2, 2020: There's a lot to take in and process right now.  Reading this website won't be quick, but I urge you to take the time to dig deeper here to better understand all the complexity behind the protests and the public outcry after George Floyd's death. 

Here's what I'll briefly say about the protests themselves and the country's response to them:

• It's hard to condone looting, burning police cars, and damaging property. Here's an excellent video by rapper Killer Mike about this. (He talks about the concept of systemic racism; if you don't fully understand what that means, I explain it on this website.)
• Please recognize that the vast majority of protesters are non-violent. The looters don't represent everyone, and many of them are likely just people taking advantage of the situation rather than genuine protesters who believe in the anti-racism cause (in fact, I was at a protest last night, and I saw a group of actual activists stop a man who was trying to cut down a flag on public property).
• So yes, it's hard to condone violent protests, especially during a pandemic where social distancing is important. And. This isn't a response to one man's death. It's a response to a whole string of recent events as well as centuries of oppression. Martin Luther King Jr. said that a riot is the language of the unheard. Activists have tried kneeling, they've tried speaking up peacefully, but black people are still being disproportionately killed (they're three times more likely to be killed by police than white people are).
  • I appreciate this perspective from JoAnne Kao: "Words matter. You keep saying 'It’s horrible that an innocent black man was killed, but destroying property has to stop.' Try saying “It’s horrible that property is being destroyed, but killing innocent black men has to stop.'" I know that's simplified, but try sitting with it. This is a complex situation, and it's possible to have multiple feelings at the same time that might even feel in conflict.
• Here's an excellent video by Trevor Noah that summarizes this whole situation. I highly recommend you watch it. But first, in case you're not aware, here are the key events he mentions:
  • Christian Cooper, a black man, was bird-watching in a park on Monday when he asked a white woman, Amy Cooper (no relation to the man), to leash her dog as per the rules of the park. She instead called the police in a frantic voice, lying that he was threatening her life. The whole thing was filmed. (If that doesn't seem like a big deal to you, please know that there's a long history in this country of white women holding the power to destroy a black man's life. For example, Emmett Till was a 14-year-old black child who was brutally murdered in 1955 after a white woman said he offended her. Decades later, that woman admitted that she'd fabricated key details of her claims against him.)
  • Ahmaud Arbery was a black man who was out jogging in February in a predominantly white neighborhood (less than two miles away from his home) when he was hunted down and killed by two white men with rifles in a truck (they claimed they thought he was a man who had trespassed on a neighbor's property, even though security camera footage shows that many people had passed through there). Very little action was taken by police until the video went viral.
  • Sandra Bland was a black woman who was arrested for a routine traffic stop (failing to signal a turn) that escalated when the white police officer dragged her out of her car after she declined to put out her cigarette. He refused to tell her why she was being arrested, and she was found dead in her jail cell three days later. This happened back in 2015, but new footage was released last year that cast a new light on the case.
• Most importantly, please don't let the media change the focus here. They're in the business of boosting their ratings, so they focus on the sensational stories instead of the underlying causes. When you talk with friends and family about what's happening right now, don't talk about whether the protests are justified or how bad it is that people are looting. Talk about racism. Talk about how bad it is that black people are being murdered. Don't just shake your head that the world is falling apart. Ask yourself why so many people are so angry.
• This website contains a lot of information, and I know that we're all dealing with different life circumstances right now (the pandemic, childcare, sick family members, etc.). So, if you feel overwhelmed and only have a little bandwidth right now, please just watch this excellent 4-minute video (by Alex Cequea of act.tv) that explains systemic, structural racism. Then, when you feel ready, I hope you'll come back here for more. If you keep reading beyond this first page, I'll walk you through the topic of race and racism in America step by step from the very beginning

What can you do to help right now?

• As a white person, please don't ask a person of color to explain this stuff to you. This is likely an incredibly challenging time for them and that request will probably drain them even more.
  • There's a nuance here. Part of racial justice work is about ensuring that people of color have equal opportunity and that their voices are heard (because white voices have dominated decision-making for so long in this country). So, one goal here is for white people to listen more and to hand over the microphone to people of color if they want it.
  • But, that's not the same as asking them to explain things to us. Please instead rely on other white people to learn things like the history of racism in America, what terms like "implicit bias" mean, or what phrases are racially charged. Please do listen to the perspectives of people of color if they offer them; but, asking them to teach you can take a lot of emotional labor when they've probably already had to explain those things many times before.
  • And, if you're looking to hire someone to educate and improve your business or organization, that can be a great opportunity to pay a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) group led by people of color to support you. The nuance here is paying people of color who have chosen to offer that service rather than just expecting any POC to educate you for free.
• As a white person, please don't tell people of color that you understand what they're going through. Instead, tell them that you care about them and that you're here for them if they need anything. Also, recognize that they might be very angry right now, so please don't take it personally if they don't meet your offer with gentle thankfulness. Don't make this about you, and don't make them feel like they need to apologize to you or show up in a different way. Meet them where they are, and give them space if they ask for it.
• Please also don't try to prove to them that you're a "good white person" because you donated to Black Lives Matter, etc. Racism is a sensitive and nuanced subject, so please be careful about sharing your opinion on what should be done here until you've educated yourself about the context behind what's happening. This website is a good place to start.
• Please don't shame people. If you see someone say or do something you perceive as racist, it will be a lot more helpful if you point it out to them privately (and ideally start by giving them the benefit of the doubt, e.g., "What did you mean by that?" or "I'm curious what your intention was in saying that"). Publicly insulting them or calling them a bad person is not likely to get them to change their ways. If that doesn't make sense to you, I encourage you to read the Preface to this website. (And, it's also fair to say that different rules apply when it comes to pointing out racism in leaders and politicians.)
• Be real that all this is happening and that it's a big deal. Be sensitive in your communications with people (it might feel tone deaf to end an email with "have a great day!"). At work, recognize that people's minds might be elsewhere (I've been opening all my meetings by naming that and admitting that I myself am feeling worn out).
• Please be aware that saying "all lives matter" is offensive. My short explanation is this:
  • Our society is organized such that it's already clear in many ways that white lives matter. In contrast, black people have been oppressed for hundreds of years in a wide variety of ways. Specifically, they're killed three times more often by police.
  • So, "black lives matter" is a way of shining a light on that reality and saying that black people matter too—as full humans who deserve respect, dignity, safety, and fair treatment. Saying "all lives matter" is a way of (often unintentionally) moving the focus away from the struggles of black people and instead suggesting that all races face similar challenges.
  • If this makes more sense to you now, please help explain it to other people too—because people of color (and white activists) are tired of hearing that phrase, and explaining why again and again can be exhausting.
• If you're new to anti-racism work, I understand that those bullets above might seem harsh or challenging to fully understand. This is a tough time, and this is a lot of information. I added this section to offer some quick suggestions related to what's happening right now specifically, but please rest assured that the rest of this website will walk you through all of this more slowly so that it hopefully makes sense to you.
• Vote, and at the local level too. I'm not being political here—I'm advocating for all Americans to vote for officials who will properly represent their values.
• Donate:
  • Campaign Zero has laid out 10 policy solutions for reducing police violence. If you're wondering whether the protesters have any specific demands, that's a great place to start.
  • Reclaim the Block advocates for housing, violence reduction, and moving money allocated to the police department into other avenues promoting health and safety.
  • The Know Your Rights Legal Defense Fund is providing legal resources to protesters.
  • There are many more. I know it's easy to get overwhelmed here. So, if you can afford it, please just pick one and give what you can. Any donation is better than being caught in indecision and doing nothing.
• Here are some supportive resources you can share with black friends and family right now:
  • Mental health resources and virtual community spaces
  • The Loveland Foundation, which serves black women and girls in particular
  • List of healers and therapists willing to donate time and energy to protesters and black people
• Educate yourself (scroll down to the rest of this page). In my opinion, this is the most important step. Especially if you identify as progressive, it can be easy to think that you know everything you need to know to be a good ally. Until only a few years ago, I thought the same way. Then, as my eyes were opened, I realized how uninformed I'd been.
• Take care of yourself, and don't do this work alone. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't burn yourself out by using up all your energy now. Racism isn't going to be entirely solved anytime soon (even though we're making great progress); so, please prepare yourself to keep engaging. Two of the things I've found most helpful with that are:
  • Find your community of people. Surround yourself by others doing this work too. Make sure you have support and people to talk with who understand.
  • Find your why. Tie this cause to your larger mission in life. What impact do you want to be having on the world? Figure out how to make this work personal—it's not just about liberating people of color, but about liberating yourself too. That might not make sense to you right now as a white person, but in Part 5 I'll explain how race and racism has greatly affected us white people as well.

Thank you for coming here. I can empathize if you still find it hard to understand why all this is happening. That's why I made this website. There's a lot to learn, and I want to support you by walking you through it step by step.

This country is in a tough spot right now and it needs you. What can you do to support anti-racism in the longer-term? I list a variety of ways in sections 4 and 4.2 of this website (and, there's a lot more information on police violence in section 3.2, including an explanation of the calls to defund the police). But you need the context first.

Scroll down to begin.