United Way of Lewis County is committed to serving our community members of all demographics. As part of this important work, our Board has initiated an equity and inclusion focus group to study and apply the principals of equity.
Following are a series of resources that we have studied, discussed and found beneficial.
If you have any questions, comments, or would like to discuss our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the community, please email Annie.Oien@lewiscountyuw.com
ABOUT THIS GUIDE
This guide attempts to provide a starting point from which to learn about inclusion, privilege, and supporting equality. It is our hope that through the study of these resources, our community will become more welcoming and that individuals will feel more comfortable acting as anti-racism advocates.
UNITED WAY OF LEWIS COUNTY ANTI-RACISM STATEMENT
2020 was a year of change, reflection, and inner contemplation. We as Americans came face to face with intolerance, exclusivity, and systemic racism. As such, many felt “a call to action” was necessary. United Way of Lewis County stands with those who have faced racism, intolerance, and discrimination in all of its forms. We take very seriously our own, joint and personal calls to action.
At the United Way of Lewis County, we are committed to combating systemic racism evident in our communities by advancing necessary equity. We plan to implement a more comprehensive and equitable approach by investing in needed resources-education, childcare, behavioral health and other socially supportive programs. To achieve these goals, we at the United Way of Lewis County:
- Will promote a safe space for complex, and sometimes difficult conversations about diversity and inclusion.
- Will purposefully discuss and deepen our understanding of race and racism.
- Are committed to educating the board, staff and community about unconscious and unintentional bias while prioritizing equity in our decision-making process.
- Will strive to engage community members, especially those whose voices have traditionally been marginalized.
- Will create and share strategic inclusion and diversity plans with our staff and board of directors.
United Way of Lewis County stands United Against Racism and United For Equity and believes that every person is entitled to a guarantee of fundamental human rights, freedoms, and dignity.
WHAT IS ANTI-RACISM?
"Anti-racism is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies and practices, and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and shared equitably."
Originally created by SurgeryRedesign.com. This version was adapted by socialwork.career.
BACKGROUND
Racism is prejudice plus power; anyone of any race can have/exhibit racial prejudice, but in North America, white people have the institutional power. Therefore, racism is a systematized discrimination or antagonism directed against people of color based on the belief that whiteness is superior. It is insidious, systemic, devastating, and integral to understanding both the history of the United States and the everyday experiences of those of us living in this country.
Note: A common, incorrect definition of racism is the colloquial definition: "racism is prejudice against someone based on their skin color or ethnicity and can be committed by anyone." This is NOT an accurate definition nor the one used in most anti-racist circles. It highlights individuals' thinking and actions but ignores embedded institutional and cultural systems.
Non-white folks can be agents of racism as well (particularly when acting as representatives of white-dominated systems) by perpetuating the notion of white superiority and using it to discriminate against other people of color. For example, a black manager at a company may insist that a black employee's natural hair color looks "unprofessional," or an Asian professor may knock points off the presentation grade of a Latinx student who speaks with an accent.
Adapted from Simmons Anti-Racism LibGuide.
COVERT & OVERT WHITE SUPREMECY
Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (2005) and adapted by Ellen Tuzzolo (2016)
GETTING STARTED
'Strange fruit': How Black artists defied U.S. racism, got it right and paid the price - As protests force a reckoning on policing, MSNBC’s Ari Melber reports on how Black activists and artists have confronted government racism, both in their work and their own lives.
13th - Director Ava DuVernay's examination of the U.S. prison system looks at how the country's history of racial inequality drives the high rate of incarceration in America.
- #BlackLivesMatter Resources compiled by Tia C. Madkins
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Resources for Accountability and Action for Black Lives (updated daily)
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Beyond the Hashtag: How to Take Anti-Racist Action in Your Life
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Reading Anti-Racist Nonfiction Is a Start. But Don’t Underestimate the Power of Black Fiction
PODCASTS
All My Relations | Hosts Matika Wilbur (Tulalip and Swinomish) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) delve into different topics facing Native peoples today.
Code Switch | Hosted by journalists of color, this NPR podcast tackles the subject of race head-on.
Pod Save the People | Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics with analysis from Sam Sinyangwe, Kaya Henderson, and De’Ara Balenger
Teaching While White | Co-created by Jenna Chandler-Ward and Elizabeth Denevi, and joined by contributors seeks to move the conversation forward on how to be consciously, intentionally, anti-racist in the classroom.
BOOKS
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Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? The classic, bestselling book on the psychology of racism-now fully revised and updated. Walk into any racially mixed high school and you will see Black, White, and Latino youth clustered in their own groups. Is this self-segregation a problem to address or a coping strategy? |
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A Black Women's History of the United States "A compact, exceptionally diverse introduction to the history of Black women in America, rooted in “everyday heroism." -Kirkus |
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How To Be An Antiracist #1 New York Times Bestseller, from the National Book Award-Winning Author of Stamped from the Beginning comes a "groundbreaking" (Time) approach to understanding and uprooting racism and inequality in our society-and in ourselves. |
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Stamped From The Beginning The National Book Award winning history of how racist ideas were created, spread, and deeply rooted in American society. |
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The Half Has Never Been Told A groundbreaking history demonstrating that America's economic supremacy was built on the backs of slaves. |
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An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples. |
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An African American and Latinx History of the United States Spanning more than two hundred years, An African American and Latinx History of the United States is a revolutionary, politically charged narrative history, arguing that the “Global South” was crucial to the development of America as we know it. |
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Me and White Supremacy The New York Times and USA Today bestseller! This eye-opening book challenges you to do the essential work of unpacking your biases, and helps white people take action and dismantle the privilege within themselves so that you can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of color, and in turn, help other white people do better, too. |
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White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism The New York Times best-selling book exploring the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. |
WASHINGTON STATE HISTORICAL RESOURCES
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George and Mary Jane Washington found the town of Centerville (now Centralia) on January 8, 1875
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Mossback’s Northwest: The Black pioneer who launched the Puget Sound settlement
In 1907, more than two-hundred South Asian workers in Bellingham, WA were attacked by a mob of white workers. The white rioters broke into the South Asians' houses and workplaces, stole and destroyed their valuables, and threatened and beat the South Asians until they were forcibly expelled from the city.
PACIFIC NW & UNITED STATES
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A Hidden History - A Conversation Project program reveals the stories and struggles of Oregon's African American communities.
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Why Aren't There More Black People in Oregon? A Hidden History (video) - A Conversation with Walidah Imarisha. Have you ever wondered why the Black population in Oregon is so small? Oregon has a history not only of Black exclusion and discrimination, but also of a vibrant Black culture that helped sustain many communities throughout the state—a history that is not taught in schools.
SUPPORT IN LEWIS COUNTY & THE PACIFIC NW
WEB RESOURCES
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The Loveland Foundation | The Loveland Foundation was established in 2018 by Rachel Cargle in response to her widely successful birthday wish fundraiser, Therapy for Black Women and Girls. Her enthusiastic social media community raised over $250,000, which made it possible for Black women and girls nationally to receive therapy support. Black women and girls deserve access to healing, and that healing will impact generations.
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The Nap Ministry | The Nap Ministry was founded in 2016 by Tricia Hersey and is an organization that examines the liberating power of naps. We engage with the power of performance art, site-specific installations, and community organizing to install sacred and safe spaces for the community to rest together.
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Rest for Resistance | Rest for Resistance is a web zine and support group that centers mental health, healing, and self-care for marginalized people, and especially queer and trans people of color. Led by a collective of trans people of color, the zine also provides paid opportunities for marginalized people to express themselves in writing and art.
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12 Black Mental-Health and Wellness Resources to Follow on Instagram
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UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center- free guided meditations in English & in Spanish
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White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
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Liabilities Of White Privilege: How White Privilege Hurts White People
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How To Explain White Privilege Exists: 7 Common Arguments, Debunked
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What I Said When My White Friend Asked for My Black Opinion on White Privilege
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Resources Organized by Stages of White Racial Identity Development
HOW TO BE AN ALLY
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The Guide to Allyship | An open source starter guide to help you become a more thoughtful and effective ally.
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What is Performative Allyship? | "Being an ally means being able to engage, being able to act, and being able to listen." This is why it is so important to be more than a *performative* ally.
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A word for white people, in two parts by Adrienne Maree Brown
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There Is No Such Thing as a ‘White Ally’ by Catherine Pugh. Chapter 1 of the “There Is No Such Thing as a ‘White Ally’” series.
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Get involved – SURJ (Showing up for Racial Justice) | SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals working to undermine white supremacy and to work for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We would like to thank Caitlan Maxwell, Emily Spracklin, and Abby Koehler of Western Washington University for allowing use and adaptation of their guide Anti-Racism Resources.