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LAS in LA
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I would love to hear positive, practical suggestions for non-POC who would like to move from just feeling bad about racism to doing something for a better society for POC.  Let's leave out marches/protests and social media posting.  What can we do?

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I haven't read through this whole list, but there are lots of good ideas here:

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

Also wanted to draw attention to the link from #54 on the list above, on supporting black women candidates, grassroots organizing in the south, and voting rights across the country.

https://www.thecut.com/2017/12/black-women-turnout-roy-moore-doug-jones.html

https://fairfight.com

 

Edited by Acadie
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Just came across this Google doc of scaffolded anti-racism resources, with everything from an immediate action list to articles, podcasts, novels, and activities that could be used with high school students. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PrAq4iBNb4nVIcTsLcNlW8zjaQXBLkWayL8EaPlh0bc/preview?fbclid=IwAR2P6Vtrud4IDdXjmdTyfueksXtAMVNQ_nBqZCPaHkTy7gl8bdeM7tpFeCU&pru=AAABcp_aajo*2-WZMvlCYUTL4eSqoADMUA

Such abundant resources can quickly become overwhelming. I think I'll pick two or three things at a time, that seem like doable next steps.

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3 hours ago, Acadie said:

I haven't read through this whole list, but there are lots of good ideas here:

https://medium.com/equality-includes-you/what-white-people-can-do-for-racial-justice-f2d18b0e0234

Also wanted to draw attention to the link from #54 on the list above, on supporting black women candidates, grassroots organizing in the south, and voting rights across the country.

https://www.thecut.com/2017/12/black-women-turnout-roy-moore-doug-jones.html

https://fairfight.com

 

are you suggesting we should support a political candidate specifically because they're black?   

 

 

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15 minutes ago, StellaM said:

Supporting a diverse candidacy is a bit different to voting for particular candidates. Surely diversity of choice of candidate is a good thing for voters? 

I'm in an area where we have a lot of racial and ethnic diversity in the political world.   I'm not looking at their pictures in the voters guide while I'm reading what they wrote about their lives and why they think they'll be the best candidate.   I consider it irrelevant.   I vote for someone based on their positions and who I think will be the best person for the job. (on the ballot.  sometimes the pickings are very slim.)

 I'd like to see more variety in ideas. 

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I read that "suggestions" article (at medium) myself earlier. The first listed suggestions were to get myself informed about my own police department.

So I did that, and found that they had an independent "use of force review" 2 years back, with some suggestions that made the news -- but there is no news on any follow-through. So, when my police department posted on Facebook about acknowledging injustice and learning more and doing better this morning, I was ready with a reply asking about the specific report (with a link) and whether it had been implemented. This afternoon, the police department posted again (twice in one day!) with some very clear and specific data.

I was surprised things were so responsive. One woman. One Facebook commnent. 5 minutes of my time, and *poof* more answers. That felt good, even though a lot of the answers were about their good intentions and their optional training, with plenty of spin -- so they aren't actually doing everything they should -- but the transparency is a good thing, at least.

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2 hours ago, StellaM said:

I think possibly there is more diversity in ideas when there is diversity of candidature?

But hey, I am with you on ideas...and the slim pickings sometimes!

we have a lot of racial and ethnic diversity of candidates.  It's VERY rare to have an office with at least three candidates for a given position and all are white. (I can remember some recently where there were six candidates). we have had offices for which all candidates are PoC from various parts of the world as well as the US.  (India, Japan, South American, Eastern Europe, Africa - as in - from Africa.)

in the districts that are included in the voter's guide I receive (more than just mine) - because of who chooses to run - the ideas rarely much different between candidates.  (same song, different tune.).  unless you get the outlier who is a complete and total nutcase.  yeah . . we had one a few years ago. (scary crazy.)  don't underestimate the effect of who can afford to give money to support candidates and the behind the scenes games.  

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7 hours ago, ScoutTN said:

I just try to make sure my circle of aquaintances includes a variety of people and to treat everyone as I would like to be treated.  And to teach my children to do the same.

It isn't exactly the same, and I won't claim it is, but treating ALL people kindly and politely is a good first step.

I live in a very white community.  We do have a few minorities but not a lot.  We do though have some big divisions between the haves and the have nots....and sadly there are some of the haves that do NOT want lower income or disabled people in their community.

In my community, I can also speak up for the poor and disabled.

Again, it is not the same, but it is something I can do locally.

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4 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

I'm in an area where we have a lot of racial and ethnic diversity in the political world.   I'm not looking at their pictures in the voters guide while I'm reading what they wrote about their lives and why they think they'll be the best candidate.   I consider it irrelevant.   I vote for someone based on their positions and who I think will be the best person for the job. (on the ballot.  sometimes the pickings are very slim.)

 

You're lucky to live in an area with diverse political representation--it's not like that everywhere. Last I checked, my state legislature was 75% men. There was a bill introduced in the legislature about a year ago that mentioned a procedure for ectopic pregnancy, "to reimplant the fertilized ovum into the pregnant woman's uterus." I choked on my coffee when I heard that on the radio, because there's no such medical procedure, and anyone with a modicum of medical or personal knowledge of women's health would probably know that. It's terrifying to me that the people sponsoring bills and voting on women's health in my state know so little about women and healthcare in general, and this is replicated in other states and on the national level. 

In terms of race and politics, the 2016 governor's race in Georgia was a real education to me. I just could not believe that Brian Kemp, as Secretary of State, could engage in such blatant, strategic, textbook suppression of the black vote and get away with it. And my surprise and disbelief at seeing it all unfold, I realize, are reflections of my white privilege. I thought our elections should be fair, and if they weren't, that there would be legal recourse, that Kemp and his staff and campaign would be held to account, that Abrams would have a fair chance.

She didn't. That race was stacked against her in dozens of ways, illegally, by the Secretary of State whose job it was to supervise--not steal--elections in the state.  

What came as a bitter surprise to me was entirely unsurprising to many people of color, because Kemp didn't invent his tactics. He drew on the well-worn playbook of black voter suppression that has its roots in the 3/5 compromise and poll taxes and Jim Crow, and that's still in use across the country today. When I attend a town hall with my Congressional representative, I sit next to people who live over an hour away from me. Our bizarrely-shaped district follows no natural or communal boundaries. It was gerrymandered to confine the urban voters, working class voters, and voters of color in two distant cities into one district, which helps explain why our state legislature lacks political and gender diversity. 

So yes, I absolutely consider race and gender, among other factors, when deciding which candidates to support and vote for, and I do believe that addressing systemic racism requires addressing our country's history and present reality of politically disenfranchising women and people of color.  

 

Edited by Acadie
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4 hours ago, bolt. said:

I read that "suggestions" article (at medium) myself earlier. The first listed suggestions were to get myself informed about my own police department.

So I did that, and found that they had an independent "use of force review" 2 years back, with some suggestions that made the news -- but there is no news on any follow-through. So, when my police department posted on Facebook about acknowledging injustice and learning more and doing better this morning, I was ready with a reply asking about the specific report (with a link) and whether it had been implemented. This afternoon, the police department posted again (twice in one day!) with some very clear and specific data.

I was surprised things were so responsive. One woman. One Facebook commnent. 5 minutes of my time, and *poof* more answers. That felt good, even though a lot of the answers were about their good intentions and their optional training, with plenty of spin -- so they aren't actually doing everything they should -- but the transparency is a good thing, at least.

 

Thanks for posting--I haven't implemented this one yet but you've inspired me to do so.

And I have hope that if many of us take action in very doable ways, like this, that this could become a moment of cultural shift.

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