We learned about diversity from both a personal and work perspective, and gave you some assignments in regards to your daily habits.

If you took the assessment and were placed in this phase, move down to the bold font about inclusion!

Let's go back and revisit what you did.

• Were you able to achieve your goals?

  • If yes, ask yourself what you will do this week to continue on your journey.

  • If not, ask yourself why you were not able to achieve your goals.

    • Take a moment and identify WHY you were not.

    • Did you have a particularly busy week at work?

    • Or were you not feeling well?

    • Or...Was it a lack of commitment? More likely than not, it's this choice.

This should be a moment for you to reflect. Ask yourself, why am I here? Am I committed to this journey of allyship, or is this just performative? Becoming anti-racist requires consistent action on your part. Allyship fatigue is real, but when you're in that place, remember that we are fighting for the rights of the Black community, and we don't even know the half of it.

let's dive into inclusion. What is inclusive allyship?

part of your allyship journey is also to acknowledge what inclusion does NOT look like.

The Institute for Community Inclusion has identified that inclusion is NOT:

• clustering people with disabilities into one home, classroom, workplace, or social center

• giving "special privileges" to people with disabilities

• feeling sorry for people with disabilities

Action Items:

• Assess and journal about how included you feel within different groups of people in your life, such as work, friends, etc. Identify what exactly makes you feel included or not.

• Identify and journal about 3 ways you are not practicing inclusive allyship, and 3 actions you will take to change that behavior.

• Read this article about inclusion in the workplace.

If you’re joining us in this zone, welcome!

This week, we are going to work to bring everything that we covered in the last 2 phases together (take a quick peek at the last two weeks to see what we covered) and expand on some of the ideas. We've talked about the evolution of and systemic issues with racism, and now we will shift towards the need for behavioral change and accountability. In order to eliminate unconscious biases, we need to practically identify them and give them a name, and in the article written about Roberts and Rizzo's work, they effectively accomplish that goal.

Pause.

Let's acknowledge a prime example that is on our minds daily:

Does this sound familiar at all?:

• Do you remember how we noted last week (check it out if you’re new!) that Chicago is still effectively segregated, with Black and other POC communities (categories, as Roberts & Rizzo say) being pushed to the outskirts of the city, taking away their access to things like public transportation or grocery stores? Well, on top of that, there is a significant amount of gun violence going on between gangs (factions, as Roberts & Rizzo would say) in these neighborhoods, being very protective over their territory and resources.

• And when POC from these communities try to go into white neighborhoods, they often find themselves being targeted by police and experiencing other forms of harassment. All of these cyclical experiences are what keeps these communities separated from white communities and other resources.

Pause again.

So when Black people and other POC try to get themselves out of their segregated communities, they find themselves being blamed for crimes they did not commit. "Roberts and Rizzo note that in cases where felony convictions were overturned because of DNA evidence, a significant number of the original convictions were due to incorrect eyewitness identifications."

Pause one more time.

Let's go back to the Chicago example above, and apply the same logic to these factors. Roberts & Rizzo identify the remaining 4 factors for racism in America as:

• Since Black people have been marginalized and segregated, they lack power and representation in the hierarchy.

• The media doesn't help the situation, positioning Black people as "thugs' and criminals, a stark contrast to their reporting on white involved incidents.

• And to put a pin in it, the system is passive and remains at status quo, continuing the segregation and lack of power.

Action Items:

• Take the "What is Your American Dream Score?" assessment to learn about your privileges

• Check out this resource from the American Psychological Association:

  • Identify ways that these 7 factors are benefitting you as a white person, and construct a plan with at least 3 specific actions that you can take. For example, Verywell suggests:

    • Focus on seeing people as individuals. Rather than focusing on stereotypes to define people, spend time considering them on a more personal, individual level.

    • Work on consciously changing your stereotypes. If you do recognize that your response to a person might be rooted in biases or stereotypes, make an effort to consciously adjust your response.

    • Adjust your perspective. Try seeing things from another person's point of view. How would you respond if you were in the same position? What factors might contribute to how a person acts in a particular setting or situation?

Last week was a heavy one, we know. We uncovered and identified ways you have benefitted from your race, and we know that can be a hard pill to swallow, but it's worth noting that you've made it this far in your allyship journey!

Ibram X. Kendi (who we mention a LOT in this site – he's a leader in racism research and activism, and has recently founded the think tank Boston University Center for Antiracist Research – you should familiarize yourself with his books for both adults and children), penned an article for The Atlantic where he aptly lays out how the American public looks at the Black race.

So this brings us to this week's lesson:

Becoming anti-racist.

You've worked your way up to the point where you can probably consider yourself not racist, but as Ibram X. Kendi said, there are only two choices you have here: racist and anti-racist.

Action Items:

• Read this article outlining 75 things white people can do to be more anti-racist, and pick out 3 things you can commit to doing.

• Check out Rachel Rickett's list of anti-racist resources and pick one of the drop downs to dive into.

• Read this article by Ijeoma Oluo and toughen up your skin a bit.

Last week we talked a lot about ourselves. We came up with some strategies to ensure we are being empathetic to others while keeping ourselves accountable. We heard from other white people about how they have lived for so long in a bubble, and then journaled 3 things we wanted to do to immediately become more empathetic.

Revisit that list:

• How consistent have you been?

• If it fell off of your radar for some reason, now is the time to ask yourself – how serious am I about my allyship journey? Am I taking this seriously, or has it been mainly performative? Accountability is a key piece of your success.

We don't know about you, but we had a LOT of feelings. We felt everything from ashamed to overwhelmed, skeptical to embarrassed. And why is that?

Is it because being the target of racism is something we have a hard time thinking of?

Growing up white, most of us were taught that the police were on our side, so seeing first hand a father crying because of how scared he is for his son's life, it's hard to understand.

• Could you imagine your parents telling you exactly what to say, how to sit, where to put your hands, and how to deal with a simple traffic stop?

• Could you imagine getting pulled over on the highway, fearing you may not walk away from it?

Again, as white people, the answer is a resounding NO.

Let's continue with the concept of the differences of dealing with police.

Now, take 12 minutes to watch this video about a Black scholar's teenage experience in Chicago.

This video bluntly identifies the hardships the Black people face for their whole lives, the terror they endure, and the racism that follows them wherever they go, even by those who are sworn to protect them.

Let's focus on your empathetic responses now.

• Can you better understand why police brutality hits hard with Black people, even though we can't personally draw on experiences?

• Can you better understand why TV shows like Cops or LivePD that constantly glorify people running for a broken headlight, out of pure fear for their lives, is a natural response for some?

Action Items:

• Read this article by April Hathcock to learn about oppressive empathy, and how you can make sure you’re not contributing to the problem.

  • What can you take away about your participation in Black trauma?

  • If you have a job, consider times you have lacked empathy in the past. What would you do differently?

• Read this article about how white men can’t effectively design products for Black and people of color.

  • Learn more about how companies design products, and learn about the first step in the process (hint: it’s empathy)

Your allyship journey will continue well beyond this 4 week program, so now would be a good time to do the following:

• Establish boundaries for yourself during this time of learning.

• Allow yourself to feel the following:

  • Tired, Sad, Discouraged, Overwhelmed.

  • Once you have experienced the emotions, decide what actions you will take. How will you reframe these feelings in your mind to inspire you to take action?

• Figure out a “safe” word.

  • What will signal to you that it's time to leave a conversation?

  • You will learn during this journey that a lot of people you talk to will not be in the same place as you, and they may be arguing for the wrong reasons.

It's going to be up to you to decide when you will walk away from these kinds of situations, and how you will communicate your emotions.

Action items:

• Have 3 conversations with white people about race, and 2 with Black people (that have communicated that they are open and willing. Remember, it's not their job to educate you!)

• Follow 10 Black influencers on your social media platform of choice.

• Identify one way to show your support of the Black community.

  • Some ideas include:

    • Buying from Black-owned businesses

    • Participate in a protest

    • Act as an ally in a public space.

• Read the following articles/videos:

  • Setting boundaries as a white ally: Why its important, why its challenging and how to do it ethically

  • Watch this TED talk about white people fighting for justice