"Being an activist is not a special calling or a solitary, courageous occupation. We all have the potential to be activists if we show up, pay attention, and listen to each other." - Aria Chiodo
Author Photo Credit: Medium.com | Excerpted from Words of Change: Anti-Racism by permission of Sasquatch Books. Copyright 2020 By Kenyra Rankin. All rights reserved.
Learn
Though some would believe otherwise, interpersonal racism is very real. We are seeing more visible evidence of this in the time of COVID19, including escalating attacks on Asian and Asian-American communities. Everyone, and especially White people, have a role in calling out racism and bigotry, and this can be a hard thing for some people to do. Even if it is not difficult to do, it can be difficult to do in a way that is ultimately productive, inviting someone who has said or done something that perpetuates racism to change or to consider changing.
We invite you to look over this checklist of racist behaviors and interventions (starts on page 6) as well as the 21 images of frequently heard micro-aggressions in this article. Consider how you see your own role and responsibility around addressing interpersonal racism.
Reflect
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What acts and expressions of interpersonal racism do you see around you? Are you comfortable with intervening around racist behavior? If so, is it with some people as opposed to others?
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What have you found to be effective? What has not worked? Reflect on your intent when you intervene – what do you hope will happen through your intervention? If you have not been able or chosen not to intervene, why is this the case? What would support you?
- Be aware of how you talk to customers. Do you address white people versus BIPOC people differently? If so, how? Resolve to do better.
Act
- Listen and observe more closely for subtle and not-so-subtle racist aggressions around you today and this week, including in the media.
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Consider ways to intervene or to support others in doing so. If this is not comfortable, find an opportunity to share the checklist above and invite people to consider their behaviors and ways of checking themselves and others.
- Practice role playing scenarios with your colleagues and employees. Try acting out how you would respond to racist behaviour and assumptions from your customers, and how you would respond when your customers accuse you of racist behavior. By practicing how to navigate and manage uncomfortable situations, you will give yourself and your staff the tools and confidence to do the same with your customers. A good resource is Did That Just Happen? By Stephanie Pindar-Amaker and Lauren Wadsworth
Dig Deeper
Explore other links on the Challenge Resource Page. See how other Challenge participants are doing, and let them know how you are doing on the Challenge Bulletin Board
SIBA thanks its generous sponsors, who have made the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge possible:
Many of the quotes used in the Challenge are excerpted from Words of Change: Anti-Racism by permission of Sasquatch Books. Copyright 2020 By Kenyra Rankin. All rights reserved.
Although SIBA has modified when appropriate for a bookseller audience, the majority of prompts and resources come directly from the 21-Day Racial Equity Habit Building Challenge created by Food Solutions New England (FSNE), a regional collaborative network organized to support the emergence and continued viability of a New England food system that is a resilient driver of healthy food for all, racial equity, sustainable farming and fishing, and thriving communities. We are so grateful for their extraordinary work creating this program and making it available to other organizations.
Feedback? We welcome your thoughts.
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