Black Lives Matter speakers told whites to educate themselves. Here’s how to do it
In speeches at marches and rallies for Black Lives Matter over the past several weeks, Black activists and other people of color have urged white Americans to educate themselves about the pervasiveness of racism and bigotry in society.
Megan Scott of Bellingham told The Bellingham Herald that Black Americans can’t keep explaining systemic injustices — from overt discrimination to microaggressions — to their white friends and colleagues.
“I understand that it comes from a place of genuineness,” Scott said in an interview. “But it does put a lot of pressure on people of color to hold their hand.”
Scott was one of several speakers at the June 6 rally at Maritime Heritage Park, which drew 5,000 or more people.
She encouraged everyone to learn about inherent biases and the harm that they can do — to have empathy and understanding.
“In my speech, I urged people not to get distracted. The answer to that is education,” Scott said.
Libraries take the lead
Local libraries took the lead in early June, using their websites and social media to suggest books that address racism and stories that feature characters who are Black, Native American, Hispanic and other people of color.
Libraries were closed because of the new coronavirus pandemic, but more e-book audiobook titles were made available, including “How To Be An Anti-Racist,” “White Fragility,” “Dear Martin,” and “Black Enough.”
“Since June 1, the library has seen 3,000 checkouts of titles from this list,” Bellingham Public Library Director Rebecca Judd told The Herald in an email.
Now, library patrons can reserve books and other materials online or by phone and arrange for curbside pickup.
And for the first week of June, the Bellingham Public Library became a temporary memorial — with flowers, posters and candles from Whatcom County residents who were saddened and angered by the death of George Floyd in police custody.
“I’m really grateful that our library system connects our community to ideas and information,” said Christine Perkins, director of the Whatcom County Library System.
“I can start to educate myself, and I can do that by reading. I can take some time to learn what it’s like to be a person of color in America,” Perkins told The Herald in an interview.
Electronic services
Both the Bellingham and Whatcom County library websites list suggestions for books, movies and other resources for learning aimed at all ages.
Several titles are always available online for download, and digital copies of movies are available through the library’s Kanopy service.
“We believe the library is the heart of our community, providing physical and emotional space for conversation, growth, and intercultural understanding,” the Whatcom County Library’s website says. “We are working to become better stewards of this community space and to serve every resident of Whatcom County with care and respect. We believe we are stronger together.”
Reading lists
Scott suggested four books that address current issues of racism in society:
▪ “Women, Race and Class,” by activist and former college professor Angela Davis, which examines how people of color were left behind in the women’s suffrage and reproductive rights movements.
▪ “Are Prisons Obsolete?” also by Davis. Here, she argues for reforms that include “decarceration” and rehabilitation.
▪ “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness,” by Michelle Alexander, which paints the prison system as a modern “racial caste” system.
▪ “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism,” by Robin Diangelo, which addresses the issues that make white people uncomfortable and defensive when they are forced to discuss systemic racism.
Judd offered a selection of books for adults, teens and children, and the library has a section for recent African-American fiction.
“The Bellingham Public Library is committed to providing materials, to read and listen to, that explore structural racism in our community and nation,” Judd said.
▪ Adults: “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” by Robin Diangelo; “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates; “How to Be an Antiracist” by Ibram X. Kendi; “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown.
▪ Teens: “New Kid” by Jerry Craft; “Monster” by Walter Dean Myers; “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone.
▪ Tweens (upper elementary/early middle school): “What Lane?” by Torrey Maldonado; “One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garcia; “Brown Girl Dreaming” and “Harbor Me” by Jacqueline Woodson.
▪ Younger children: “The Day You Begin” by Jacqueline Woodson; “Separate is Never Equal” by Duncan Tonatiuh; “All Are Welcome” by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman; “We’re Different, We’re the Same” by Bobbi Kat and Joe Mathieu.
Other resources
▪ Bellingham-area writer Clyde Ford spoke to the Bellingham City Club on the topic “Let’s Talk About Race.”
▪ Acclaimed writer Kwame Alexander discusses “How to Raise and Teach Anti-Racist Kids” in an online town hall.
▪ Streaming service Netflix offers a Black Lives Matter section with films such as “13th” and “LA 92,” along with a section for LGBTQ dramas.
▪ A June article in Smithsonian magazine offers dozens of suggestions for understanding racism.
▪ On Facebook, the Brown Bookshelf offers books and other media for teaching tolerance.
▪ Find acclaimed books with an LGBTQ theme at Lambda Literary.
▪ The American Indian Library Association Awards website features books that represent Native American and other indigenous people.
▪ Pura Belpré Awards honor the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library.
▪ Coretta Scott King Awards were established in 1970 to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
