10 Racial Justice Actions You Can Take This Week
Read below the image to find more information about each action and a button to download the graphic.
1. Talk to your children about race. If you’ve never done that before, that is privilege. We need to raise children who understand race and are comfortable talking about it. Here are just a few resources to help parents start the conversation:
Antiracist Resources and Reads: Lists for All Ages - Evanston Public Library (epl.org).
Book: Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey
The NPR podcast: Talking Race With Young Children
These resources compiled by the Children’s Community School in Philadelphia.
2. Use your racial privilege to dismantle the system that gives you that privilege.
Advocate for more resources for public education, especially for schools serving children of color and the poor.
Vote for church leaders and local politicians who speak and act for racial equity.
3. Donate to an organization working for racial justice and equity. You could donate to local bail funds, causes on GoFundMe, NAACP, or other organizations. Even GCORR! Donate money directly to agencies or causes that support racial justice.
4. Find out who were the original inhabitants of the land you occupy and adopt a Land Acknowledgment practice in organizations you are a part of. Visit native-land.ca to start your research. Though awareness-building and land acknowledgment practices are only a first step toward equity, they are important. This week, explore whose land your home and church occupy. Recognize those people during your welcome at Sunday Worship.
5. Protect the right to vote for all people, especially People of Color, who are often the targets of voter suppression. Contact your representative to express support for voting rights protections: https://www.umcjustice.org/what-you-can-do/advocacy/take-action/voting-rights
6. Support a local business owned by People of Color. Visit this site from the US Chamber of Commerce to find one.
7. Broaden your influences in written, video, and social media. Follow BIPOC people on social media. Read books by authors who are BIPOC. Watch movies and TV directed by BIPOC people, especially documentaries on racism.
Book: “How to Be an Anti-Racist” by Ibram X. Kendi
Documentary: 13th by Ava DuVernay
Book & TV: Pachinko
Documentary: “Jim Crow of the North”
Book: “Beautiful Country: A memoir of an undocumented childhood” by Qian Julie Wang
Book: “Nice Racism” by Robin DiAngelo
GCORR Podcast
Book: “Jim Crow of the North”
8. Connect with the immigrant community by finding out what immigrant led organizations are doing and support their work. In order to understand how to be an effective ally in the struggle for immigrant justice, it is important to connect with immigrant communities and find out how you can best support their existing efforts. Also consider checking out these books:
Immigration and the Bible by Joan M. Maruskin
A History of Latinos in America: Harvest of Empire by Juan Gonzalez
9. Participate in a racial justice event. For example: the Poor People’s Campaign.
10. Examine your implicit biases. Begin by taking GCORR’s implicit bias course. Educate yourself on the history of race and racism. Alternatively, you can take the implicit association test from Harvard to learn more about your implicit biases.
Bonus Actions:
11.Refresh your antiracism IQ with this resource: https://www.r2hub.org/library/overt-and-covert-racism
12. Advocate for immigration and asylum, especially for vulnerable people. This Take Action for Asylum Social Media Toolkit has practical tips to help you start.
13.Be prepared to interrupt racial jokes. Watch this video for tips on how to do that.
This resource is an important part of our Racial Justice Prayer & Action Challenge.
