Pursuing racial justice beyond book lists

Over the past two weeks, thousands across the U.S. and the world marched in the streets to protest the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbury, and countless other Black Americans at the hands of police. As a community seeking justice, Streetside Conversations is committed to uplifting and actively participating in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. We know that many in our community are taking part in the struggle against racism in the United States and around the world — and a long march towards racial justice remains ahead.

We believe that listening, paired with empathetic, honest, and productive dialogue, is critical for helping us to build a more just world. BIPOC communities must not be made to shoulder this work alone — white allies must fully commit to dismantle toxic white supremacy.

Right now anti-racism books are skyrocketing in popularity — every book on the top 10 New York Times combined e-book and print nonfiction bestseller list this week is about anti-racism. Reading can’t replace the active work of breaking down racist systems, but when we look at social movements in history, political book sales have sometimes signified an important cultural shift. Now it’s up to us to make it stick.

When it comes to systemic change, where do we start? There are many spaces — from the workplace, to schools, to government institutions, to neighborhoods, to dinner tables. Sometimes systemic change begins in spaces of internal reflection or with processing racial trauma before accelerating into action.

This week we’re sharing resources to help all of us consider where and how we can actively create change and have constructive conversations about racism and racial justice. If you have resources of your own to suggest, add them in the comments below. Let’s do this work as a community.