A Regularly Updated Resource Guide for Allies
Hello all,
I have seen so many great resources online on how to support the Black Lives Matter movement and those actively fighting against systemic racism and oppressive regimes on the front lines.
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, like one person doesn’t matter, but that mentality will never get us out of this mess.
Below, you’ll find links to articles, books, and organizations the support in the fight against racism. It’s not perfect yet and I’m still adding links, but I wanted to get it up and running in case you find it useful.
This resource guide also features some thoughts and analysis on intersectionality and white privilege. As a privileged white woman, myself, I am forever grateful to the amazing college educators that I had who opened my eyes to these important topics, and helped me to see the world with a more compassionate and understanding eye. As anxious as I am about saying the wrong thing, I hope that these thoughts might help open other people’s minds, and they certainly won’t do any good just swirling around my own head at 3 AM.
I will also be adding information about Black-owned businesses to support, inspired by a couple of great Instagram posts I’ve seen (the Insta posts themselves are currently linked below).
The world is a depressing place, but education is a inspiring. Embrace its warmth and share it with others.
Goals for this Resource Guide for Allies
I intend this page to be a resource guide for allies supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and protests currently taking place throughout the country. It is my plan to update it as I come across new information, so please check back for more information in the coming days.
Register to Vote
First and foremost, register to vote and sign up to receive your ballot by mail, if at all possible. With all the COVID-19 uncertainties, now is not the time to assume you’ll have a chance to go to your polling place on Election Day. Voting by mail is easy and secure. Sign up now and you won’t have to worry about it when November comes.
Educational Resources to Promote Awareness and Understanding of the Black Lives Matter Movement
News, Articles, and Videos Relating to Black Lives Matter and Systemic Racism
- 100 Ways White People Can Make Life Less Frustrating For People of Color – Kesiena Boom, Vice
- Anti-Racism Work for well-meaning Liberals, with Nova Reid – Hashtag Authentic Podcast
- Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Disadvantage: The Three Generation Approach – Tina L. Cheng, Sara B. Johnson, and Elizabeth Goodman, Pediatrics (June 2016)
- Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity – National Academies Press (2017)
- COVID-19 in Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups – CDC
- Examples of Racial Microagressions
- Faces of poverty: What racial, social groups are more likely to experience it? – Michael B./ Sauter, USA Today
- George Floyd, Minneapolis Protests, Ahmaud Arbery & Amy Cooper | The Daily Social Distancing Show (this is a MUST WATCH)
- Guidelines for Being Strong White Allies (Adapted from Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Social Justice) – Paul Kivel
- How the rich reacted to the bubonic plague has eerie similarities to today’s pandemic – Kathryn McKinley, The Conversation
- Implicit Bias and Racial Disparities in Health Care – Khlara M. Bridges, American Bar Association
- What does intersectional feminism actually mean? – International Women’s Development Agency
- What is White Privilege, Really? Recognizing white privilege begins with truly understanding the term itself – Cory Collins, Teaching Tolerance
- What’s Intersectionality? Let These Scholars Explain the Theory and Its History – Arica L. Coleman, Time
- Systemic Racism Explained – Act.TV
- Why Color-Blindness is Counterproductive – Aida Harvey Wingfield, The Atlantic
- White Anti-Racism: Living the Legacy – Teaching Tolerance
Infographics/Instagram Posts About the Black Lives Matter Movement and Ways to Support BIPOC
- 5 Black Women Changing the Investment Landscape, @createcultivate
- 6 Black Feminist You Should Know, @youarewhatafeministlookslike
- 10 Steps to Non-Optical Allyship, @mireillecharper
- 40 Ways You Can Help Right Now, @diplo
- 45 Black Creators you should follow now, @jenniferlake
- 50 Black Voices in the Green Space, @theecohub
- Black Women in Sustainability, @mate_the_label
- “Hey White Folks! The Terms Black and African-American are not Interchangeable…”, @celisiastanton
- How to influence the publishing world with your dollars, @nycbookgirl
- The Harlem Renaissance, @strandbookstore
- How to refocus the conversation on what’s important, @liana.teresa
- Intersectional Environmentalist Pledge, @greengirlleah
- Racial Gaslighting 101, @wetheurban
- Refuting the “I Don’t See Color, We’re All One Race” Mentality, @wastefreemarie
Books Relating to Black Lives Matter and Systemic Racism
I am linking most of these via Amazon or a publisher’s page, but encourage you to buy from small, independent bookstores — preferably Black-owned book stores — if possible. I’ve added a list of shops you might consider further down on the page, with links.
These are books I’ve either read, am currently reading, or have been recommended.
The Amazon links are affiliate links, and I plan to donate any money I earn from these links to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
- Caught: The Prison State and the Lockdown of American Politics, Marie Gottschalk
- The Color of Law: a Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, Richard Rothstein
- Counting Descent, Clint Smith
- The Fire Next Time, James Baldwin
- Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement, Angela V. Davis
- From #Blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
- Futures of Black Radicalism, Gaye Theresa Johnson and Alex Lubin
- Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot, Mikki Kendall
- How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, Kiese Laymon
- I Am Not Your Baby Mother: What it’s like to be a black British mother, Candice Brathwaite
- Letters to the Future: Black Women/Radical Writing, Erica Hunt, Dawn Lundy Martin (editors)
- Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, Layla F. Saad and Robin DiAngelo
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander
- One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, Carol Anderson
- Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, Mai’a Williams (editors)
- Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, Ibram X. Kendi
- Queenie, Candice Carly Williams
- We’re On: A June Jordan Reader, Christoph Keller, Jan Heller Levi, Rachel Eliza Griffith (editors)
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Race, Robin Diangelo
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race, Beverly Daniel Tatum
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, Reni Eddo-Lodge
Organizations to Support and Donate To
- The Bail Project
- Black-Led LGBTQ Organizations (opens an Instagram post with a variety of organizations)
- Black Visions Collective
- Campaign Zero
- COVID Bail Out NYC
- Fair Fight Action
- George Floyd Memorial Fund
- Minnesota Freedom Fund
- Reclaim the Block (NOTE: for monetary donations, this group asks you give to other groups also in need, and they’ve maintained a list here)
- Unicorn Riot
Easy Ways to Reach Out to Government Representatives to Demand Justice
Black-Owned Businesses You Can Support From Anywhere in the World
- 5 Black Feminists You Should Know, @youarewhatafeministlookslike
- 5 Eco-Friendly Black-Owned Businesses to Support, @teensteachactivism
- 10 Black-Owned Canadian Sustainable Businesses to Support, The Eco Hub
- 50 POC-Owned Etsy Shops (opens an Instagram post with a variety of shops listed — I was going to list the links directly but think that might be a little overwhelming. The post does a great job breaking the shops down into different product categories.)
- Black Non-Diet Wellness Accounts to Follow, @dietitiandeanna
- Black-Owned Cruelty-Free Beauty Brands, @ethicalelephant
- Black-Owned LGBTQ+ Small Businesses to Support, @smallbusinessbiginfluence
- Black-Owned Small Businesses You Can Support From Anywhere: skincare, cosmetics, food, fashion, jewelry, kids, art, lifestyles, bookstores (opens an Instagram post with a variety of shops listed)
- Self-Funded Black-Owned Businesses, @blkandgrn
Black-Owned Clothing and Jewelry Stores and Boutiques
- Ava and Isa Timeless Linen & Cotton Children’s Wear (the shop is taking a break to catch up on orders, so I recommend checking them out on Instagram for updates!)
- Batik Boutik Clothing
- Bôhten Eyeglasses
- Cushnie
- Fyre Vintage
- Kaela Kay
- Linga Nigra Handcrafted Organic Natural Jewelry
- The Lotus Bloom Co.
- Love & Nudes SkinTone Lingerie
- Omni Woods
- Sami Miro Vintage
- Selfish Swimwear
- Third Crown Jewelry
- The Vintage Royalty
Home Goods, Art, and Decor Stores Owned by BIPOC
- Archer Home Designs
- Artificer
- Bespoke Binny
- The Heart Department Co.
- Pepper Palm Botanicals
- Potter by Osa
Black-Owned Independent Bookstores
I’ve seen a handful of informational Instagram posts about independent Black-owned bookstores to support, including this post. I’ve gathered the direct website links for the listed shops below.
- Afriware Books
- Ashay By the Bay (Children’s bookstore)
- Cafe con Libros – Feminist Bookstore and Coffee Shop
- Hakim’s Bookstore
- Harriett’s Bookshop
- The Key Bookstore
- The Lit. Bar: Bookstore & Chill Bookshop
- Loyalty Bookstore
- Mahogany Books
- Semicolon Bookstore & Gallery
- Sistah Scifi
- Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee & Books
Skincare & Beauty Companies Run by BIPOC
Links compiled below are from this post by @idewcare. @esteelanundry has a huge list here and are regularly posting updates.
- Base Beauty
- Black Girl Sunscreen
- Briogeo Hair
- Created by Carter
- Dehiya Beauty
- Dimension Nails (vegan)
- Hanhana Beauty
- Hyper Skin
- Iyoba (skincare and home products)
- KNC Beauty
- Nola Skinsentials (vegan)
- Nyakio Beauty
- Oui the People
- UnSun Cosmetics
Historical and Academic FAQ
I don’t want to add to the noise, but I wanted to share some perspectives on intersectionality and white privilege. My eyes were opened by some amazing liberal arts teachers in college, and I hope I can share that insight with others.
Intersectionality
Intersectionality is an important theory and lens with which to view politics. By viewing events and actions with an intersectional lens, we may break through discomfort and recognize the different facets of the human experience that affect us all.
Intersectionality is often referenced in regards to intersectional feminism, which traditionally focused on the interaction of race and gender. Intersectional feminism calls on us to listen to different experiences and kinds of feminism, as opposed to simply those experiences we have felt ourselves.
Aspects of our identities that may impact one another in such a manner include, but are not limited to: gender, race, age, class, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, gender or sexual identity, religion, or ethnicity.
Life is complicated and our identities intermingle, which can and often results in an interplay of various types of discrimination. The ways we are raised makes a big difference in how we see and interact with the world. Intersectionality allows us to view the compounding forms of discrimination an individual or group of people experience.
Viewing current events through an intersectional lens basically boils down to recognizing that someone’s experience is an amalgamation of different identities.
For example, white women and Black women both experience sexism, but the sexism experienced by Black women differs in the sense that it is also racially motivated. White women maintain some social capital based on the color of their skin, then, even if they are nonetheless subjected to sexism. Throw in socioeconomic status, for a further complication, and picture how society treats a wealthy white woman, versus a poor white woman, versus a wealthy Black woman, versus a poor Black woman.
White Privilege
In my mind, thanks to some amazing liberal arts teachers I had during college and law school, intersectionality and privilege are almost bookends within which we may engage in social analysis. Relatedly, it appears to me as if these theories — especially the concept of white privilege — are major factors for the “all lives matter” backlash response we’ve been seeing so much of lately.
Privilege — white privilege in particular — is an uncomfortable topic. Everyone faces difficulties in life, and no one likes feeling like those difficulties are being sidelined. However, that is not what is truly happening when discussing privilege.
Having white privilege and recognizing it is not racist. But white privilege exists because of historic, enduring racism and biases. Therefore, defining white privilege also requires finding working definitions of racism and bias.
What is White Privilege, Really? Recognizing white privilege begins with truly understanding the term itself – Cory Collins, Teaching Tolerance
White privilege can be seen in all aspects of society, from the seemingly-innocuous (IE: hair care for white people being held in the “hair care” aisle while products Black people need are separated in a smaller section labeled “ethnic hair products”) to the overtly racist (IE: Amy Cooper).
Through white privilege, inequalities compound, not unlike how discrimination compounds through the lens of intersectionality. Many of the benefits conferred through white privilege — such as society viewing white as “normal,” society giving white people the “benefit of the doubt,” and society conferring historically accumulated power and wealth on white people — are hardly new. Instead, they are the results of centuries of racial injustice, which can be traced back to the first white European invaders and settlers on the continent.
Health Disparities Case Study: How Intersectionality and White Privilege Interact to Cause Greater Inequity
As I touch on in my statement below, many of the disparities in daily life — notably, at the moment, in access to health care and police protection — are fueled by intersectional experiences of discrimination and a history of white privilege.
It is well documented that racial and ethnic minorities face challenges in accessing medical care in the U.S. It is easy to have a knee-jerk reaction and say something like “but doctors are not being racist and, therefore, that this cannot be true.” However, to do so disregards the complex layers of discrimination that cause such inequity.
For racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, health disparities take on many forms, including higher rates of chronic disease and premature death compared to the rates among whites. It is important to note that this pattern is not universal.
Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity – National Academies Press (2017)
When one considers the term “disparities,” it is often used to refer to differences between racial groups or ethnic groups. However, it can also be used across other socioeconomic dimensions, as well, including gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, etc. (not unlike the categories listed above under intersectionality). What’s worse, the ramifications of these disparities often pass from generation to generation, making the results cyclical and even harder to break.
Look, for example, at the interaction of poverty and health care. As I touched on in my thoughts below, there is a historical pattern of the best health care or the privilege of being able to avoid illness being reserved for the wealthy. During the plagues in Europe during the Middle Ages, the poor suffered disproportionate levels of illness to the richer social elite. Why is that? At the risk of being overly brief, the wealthy were able to pay more for doctors, afford better resources, and leave cramped cities for spacious country estates where the threat of contamination was automatically going to be lower.
All this is to say that, without even considering how race plays a part in it, individuals in the United States with a lower socioeconomic status have persistently been unable to access the health care they need.
Now, ask yourself this: who is more likely to be poor in the U.S.? Based on 2018 U.S. Census data, the highest poverty rates were found among Native Americans and Blacks (25.4% and 20.8% respectively). (Click here for more statistics and sources.) Without getting into why this is the case — beyond, to say, intergenerational and inherited wealth most often associated with white families — layer the discriminatory response one faces as a poor person, regardless of race, with the racially discriminatory response Black people face.
This is, obviously, a topical analysis, as there are many factors that could be discussed further to explain the health care disparity in the country. Government policy on health insurance plays a major role; the prohibitive expense that private insurance can cost, along with the fact that insurance is often tied to one’s career, also interact with this to make an even greater mess of it all.
So, look at the outrage people felt when individuals wanted to open up the economy in order to get their hair done. If you don’t look beyond the surface, and if you forget for a moment the fact that COVID-19 is an incredibly contagious disease, then one may almost see why this can seem an innocuous sentence. (Ok, I’m tired from those mental gymnastics)
However, to do so disregards some important and uncomfortable truths. One should consider the essential workers already risking their health to keep necessary resources available. Medical professionals and support staff aside, many of the essential workers during the course of this pandemic have been minorities, particularly in the service industry. The CDC states that the “risk of infection may be greater for workers in essential industries who continue to work outside the one despite outbreaks in their communities, including some people who may need to continue working in these jobs because of their economic circumstances.” The CDC goes on to note that “nearly a quarter of employed Hispanic and Black or African American workers are employed in service industry jobs [which required them to continue going to work during the pandemic] compared to 16% of non-Hispanic whites.”
So, demanding the economy reopen so you can get your hair done disregards many of the risks that essential workers, who are disproportionately Black Americans, are already taking. It also disregards the extra risks that they would have to take in order for the reopening to occur.
What I Commit to Doing to Support Black Lives Matter and Racial Equality
I hope this page has been helpful and useful to you, but I also want to comment on what I commit to doing as an ally in support of Black Lives Matter and racial equality. Part of the discomfort many white people have been feeling is in recognizing our own failings.
I commit to expanding my understanding of intersectionality, and intersectional feminism. As someone who is passionate about women’s rights, I recognize that what I thought had been intersectional feminism in my life was not sufficient. I will be better, more cognizant of this in my daily life and in my content.
The first thing I have done is expand who I see on social media. Like many of us, I fell into the trap of following only people who looked like me. This affects our worldview, and it has certainly affected mine. In the past few days, I have followed a number of new accounts from BIPOC creators. I will continue to be mindful of this going forward.
In a similar vein, I commit to buying from more small, Black-owned businesses. I have been trying to buy from small businesses, and to use my consumerism as a small vote for the world I’d rather live in. But, related to the lack of diversity in who I was following on Instagram, I realize now I was largely looking at white-owned small businesses. I have already found so many amazing shops that I can’t wait to buy from, thanks to many of the posts on Instagram I linked above. It is my hope that you enjoy them, too.
Some Personal Thoughts on the Matter
I’m afraid I don’t have the right words, but what are the right words, really? I have felt increasingly powerless, watching as people I know – some that I love – share science-defying articles, become outspoken racism apologists, & support the US’ intersectional classist divide. I am heartsick, frustrated to feel like I’m grieving the loss of a pre-COVID “normalcy” that shouldn’t have been normal.
The CDC found that COVID-19 has been disproportionately affecting racial & ethnic minority groups. This is hardly surprising if you consider history’s pandemics. In the medieval plagues (which infected & killed indiscriminately like COVID-19) poor populations, crowded into small homes, tended to suffer disproportionate levels of illness. Society’s wealthier elite secluded themselves in large homes or countryside estates, where the risks of disease were lower.
Today, by demanding things like haircuts as a primary reason for reopening the economy, people ignore the reality of what that means. They do so at the peril of essential workers, those less fortunate than themselves, and those often of a different skin color than themselves.
For some, it is likely easy to look at this public health crisis, the maliciousness of Amy Cooper, & the outrage at the brutal murder of George Floyd as unrelated. But these things don’t occur in a vacuum. There are intersections everywhere, including between racial/social inequality & access to public resources (health or police).
I’m not here to say I know everything (I certainly don’t) or that I’ve been a perfect ally (I certainly haven’t). But I am here to say that I am tired, disheartened, & worn down by the seemingly insurmountable nature of it all.
These things are not caused by COVID; instead, this public health crisis has merely highlighted tensions & struggles that have been boiling for centuries. Our lack of leadership – the lack of humanity in their choices – highlights the limited role scientific knowledge plays in public policy, how little certain lives mean compared to others.