It Is Not Black People's Job To Educate Us: Lasting Anti-Racism Actions And How To Educate Ourselves To Become An Anti-Racist

Although the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Aubery have echoed through the mouths of those who either are part of Black communities or those who have expressed their support and empathy to the Black Lives Matter cause, there is no other time than now to take action. Since Angela Davis recited "In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist.", her inspiring and provoking quote fueled our hearts with empowerment and a sense of justice that feels more urgent than ever. While we protest on the streets "Saying their names." and don't give up on the injustice and prejudice Black people have been experiencing for so long in History, it is time to also consider using the tools we have at our disposal to enhance awareness about their struggles with white supremacy and structural racism in the US and all around the world. We listed below daily practices on how to become an anti-racist in our society. We understand though that this is the beginning of a learning process and we are not perfect allies but we can learn how to become one. Gentle reminder: it is not Black people's job to educate us, all tips below must be addressed with Black people's consent.

Educating ourselves. 

If you are feeling extremely overwhelmed with everything that is going on right now, try to imagine how it has been for Black people to experience throughout the past centuries hate, racism, violence, dismissiveness, injustice, fear, frustration, hopelessness to name a few. It is hard, right? I will dare to say it is impossible. That being said, it must be extremely overwhelming, hurtful and exhausting for Black people to invest the energy to teach us about their history. Therefore, we must do the work and teach ourselves how to strike a conversation about racism with them. Social media channels offer endless reliable sources of how to do it. 

Letting go of the fear of making mistakes while taking actions to support the Black community. 

It is a common concern of non-black people to speak up for people of color. Either because we are afraid of insulting Black people, or because we think we are not entitled to speak on their behalf. Both can be true; however, the latest events are a wake-up call that we must not ignore. Society hasn't prepared us to support Black people, therefore we have a lot of work to do. This is an urgent matter that we might learn how to properly address white supremacy issues against Black people, and we will learn as we go.

Talking to your Black friends about racism. 

It is a delicate topic and nobody wants to cross a line while acknowledging everything that is happening right now, but it is important to reach out at your Black friends and, mostly importantly, ask them if and how they want to talk about it. It is okay to ask questions if you don't know the answers. Communicate with them that you want to actively help and see if they'd like to brainstorm about it with you.

Asking Black people what matters for them right now. 

Assumptions are a rough land to be. Talk to your Black friends about how and what you can do to help instead of assuming what is best for them, and move forward from there. We might not know what it is to be a Black person in the world, but a Black person does and they are more likely to give instructions on how to start.

Using the internet tools we have at your disposal.

It doesn't matter if we are not famous or influencers. If you have only one other friend on your social media channel, you are good to go. Follow, learn, and share the knowledge you will gain with others. 

Be actively anti-racist.

Every action we take counts and, as individuals living in a racist society, we are part of the problem. It is an interesting exercise to rethink choices we make in our professional and social lives. For instance, hiring Black people for diversified positions in the workplace when it is our call to do so; speaking up when we witness racism; offering support and opportunity to our Black friends as we can are a few measures to assure we are actively cooperating to change Black people's reality.    

Share Black people's stories. 

Another element to this equation is how society has psychologically traumatized Black people for many generations by making them feel unworthy and unimportant. In order to change that, we must open space for Black people's stories to be told. As humans, we thrive through example. We don't become what we don't see. Representation is key to end racism.

Finally, we must take care of ourselves. It has been quite overwhelming on the internet with the news all over the place. It is important to curate the channels and sources we absorb information from, so we don't collapse mentally. The more equipped we are to help and support the Black community in this crucial moment in History, the more positively impactful our actions will be.