Join the Anti-Racism Book Club

All over social media, black people and white (passing) allies have urged everyone to educate themselves on racism in this country and how to be anti-racist. Lists of must-read books, links to articles and tv show recommendations have flooded every social media channel. With this incredible wealth of information, it can be difficult and overwhelming to know where to start. And then when you do finally choose that book or this op-ed, you may not know someone you feel comfortable digesting it with. That’s where the Anti-Racism Book Club comes in. Each month, we’ll read one book together. Join the FB group so that you can share your thoughts either as you go along or at the end and see other people’s threads and comment on them. And together we will learn and grow as allies in order to tear down and dismantle systemic racism and white supremacy.

Guidelines for discussion

• Be brave – Don’t let the fear of getting it wrong keep you silent. Silence is violence. Be brave enough to get it wrong and brave enough to accept constructive criticism.
• Be compassionate – Kindness and understanding are vital to a productive discussion. If you correct someone or criticize, it must come from a place of compassion. Always ask yourself why you’re about to correct or criticize. Is it with the intention of helping them grow or to tear them down in order to make yourself feel better?
• Listen – Know when it is time to speak up and when to let others take the lead. Your voice is not the only nor the most important one.
• Read, Listen, Watch – Aside from reading the assigned book, challenge yourself to read articles, listen to podcasts and watch tv shows on the subject.
• Be comfortable with discomfort – Challenging preconceived notions, and the status quo will be uncomfortable. Don’t let that scare you. Lean into it. True growth comes when you’re uncomfortable.
  

June Book – White Rage: An Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

If you want to support a black owned bookstore, I found one that still had the book in stock: Key Bookstore. If ordering from elsewhere is more convenient for you, that’s fine too! Because I have a kindle, I ordered the ebook from Amazon.