Anti-Racism Resources & Actions {Bay Area & Yoga}

LISTEN. Fill your social feeds with black voices. Some folx you can follow are listed in this doc. Direct white friends to these people. No white saviorism. Be silent, listen. Google and seek out our own answers before we ask a black or POC for their energy. There’s tons of resources out there - the onus is on us to do the work to find it
Do ACTIVE anti-racist self-education and self-investigation. “To be antiracist is to admit when we’re being racist:” Professor Ibram X. Kendi. Read, listen, reflect. Educate ourselves (and pay black folx for the content they’ve created for us to do this). And when we make mistakes (which we will), admit it and commit to do better. Lots of resources below. Sometimes so many options can be overwhelming, so feel free to join (and suggest next steps in comments) the curriculum we are following right now or check out Tasha K’s suggested reading list.

Reveal:

Take the Implicit Bias Tests (take the one on “Race” to start) by Harvard University
Expressive Writing Prompts for Uncovering Unconscious Bias by Leesa Renee Hall
Use this worksheet to understand your race privilege. 10 mins (From Nicole Cardoza’s Anti-Racism Daily email)

Listen:

Listen to “Seeing Whiteness” season on Scene on Radio (14 episodes)
Revolution playlist

Read:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad

Process:

Journal. Write down what you are learning, uncovering, thinking about. What questions you have. Your action items.
Have real conversation (on phone or Zoom or IRL… get off social) with non-black friends and family. Ask them to do the work too. Share resources, have dialogue.

#nomorewhitesilence “It is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist.” — Angela Davis. We need to step up and use the safety of our white bodies to say no more and to dismantle white supremacy.

Sign the petitions, make the calls, send the emails. These matter. This site has a super easy way to find all the action info. There are also specific actions for recently murdered black lives outlined in this doc.
Protest if you are able to {Be smart about protesting}. Or support protestors if we cannot - 26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets - if you have the means, donate to support protests and protestors: links here and here and here.
Donate to black-led orgs supporting long-term solutions (e.g. campaign zero, local police defunding orgs, NAACP etc.) - see section below for ideas (try and do research - are these funds black owned and black led? Empower.)
Reach out to local government, your employer, etc. - what are they doing to bring anti-racist training and policy into your communities?
Call people in (vs. calling out). Share (black) resources, have dialogue. Don’t participate in cancel culture.

Support black owned businesses. Our money is political.
Make sure we are registered to vote and encourage others to do so. Local politics are so important (as covid response is showing), so vote (and know who and what we’re voting for) in all the elections, not just the big ones
Make this work ongoing. What will you do to continue to advocate for social justice and investigate your own relationship with racism and privilege ongoing - in a week, a month, a year? Consider how you can do this in a sustainable way. Subscribe to Nicole Cardoza’s Anti-Racism Daily email with action items (and pay her - one-time or recurring - for her energy).

Anti-racism courses

Ask friends or family members to join you in taking a structured course from some of the badass black women activists and educators who are leading the dialogue:

Note: Pay the black folks doing all this work $ for their time. If the course (or materials you’re reading) is free, see if they have a Patreon.

Directory of Black-owned businesses

Bay Area

Yelp list of businesses
7x7 Black Owned Eats (2019)
Airbnb Compiled List of Black-Owned Eateries and Experiences
SF Bayview Black Owned Businesses list
https://baobobdirectory.com/ -- looks like it’s member only? OR Facebook Page
https://bayareablackmarket.com/ -- limited listings
A List of Black-Owned Restaurants in the Bay Area Google doc

National

Rachel Ricketts’ buy BIPOC list
Black-owned bookstores (national)
https://www.supportblackowned.com/find-a-biz
http://theblackwallet.com/ (has an app)
Food - https://www.eatokra.com/ (app)

Where to donate

Local (CA / Bay Area)

National

Southern poverty law center
Minnesota Freedom Fund - bail fund for protesters being arrested (white owned)
Campaign Zero - a comprehensive platform of research-based policy solutions to end police brutality in America
ACLU
Black Lives Matter
Black Visions Collective
NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Mutual Aid Funds

Bail funds

Mental Health and Wellness

The Loveland Foundation

Templates for outreach

Remember: Call people in, don’t alienate by calling people out

Email - to local mayor and police chief (by Lauren Dowling)
Email - hold your employer accountable (shared by Rachel Cargle on Patreon)
Email - hold your academic institution accountable (shared by Rachel Cargle on Patreon)

Resources for protestors

Other resource lists

Tasha K’s anti-racism curriculum (shared by Nicole Cardoza; subscribe to her Anti-Racism Daily email, it’s the best I’ve found for distilling topics, providing education and highlighting ways to take effective action)
Rachel Ricketts’ anti-racism resources
Anti-racism for beginners by Tiffany Bowden, PhD and MG
Anti-Racism Resources for White People by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein
Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) resources list
Advocacy Toolkit for Community Policing shared by Barack Obama
Anguish and Action on Obama.org
SURJ tips for having conversations about the importance of protests
Funders for Justice: Divest/Invest - defund the police toolkit

"Racism is an insidious cultural disease. It is so insidious that it doesn't care if you are a white person who likes black people; it's still going to find a way to infect how you deal with people who don't look like you. Yes, Racism looks like hate, but hate is just one manifestation. Privilege is another. Access is another. Ignorance is another. Apathy is another. And so on. So while I agree with people who say no one is born racist, it remains a powerful system that we're immediately born into. It's like being born into air: you take it in as soon as you breathe. It's not a cold that you can get over. There is no anti-racist certification class. It's a set of socioeconomic traps and cultural values that are fired up every time we interact with the world. It is a thing you have to keep scooping out of the boat of your life to keep from drowning in it. I know it's hard work, but it's the price you pay for owning everything." - Scott Woods

Educate Yourself

Other lists do a great job of aggregating all this stuff. See above for other resource lists. A lot of this is pulled in from those.

Resources for decolonizing the yoga/wellness space

Zoe is a yoga teacher which is why this is getting prominent space in this doc. The yoga/wellness industry is extremely white washed and does a lot of harm. If you practice yoga or meditation, or especially if you’re a teacher or studio owner, check out these resources. Or if you’re in a different industry, look into anti-racist resources for your particular space. PLEASE COMMENT WITH OTHER RESOURCES TO EXPAND THIS SECTION!

Trainings:

Off the Mat and Into the World by Hala Khouri and Michelle C Johnson @skillinaction (see Michelle’s upcoming Dismantling Racism training June 22-July 1)
Embody Inclusivity by Eliana Chinea

Books:

Skill in Action: Radicalizing Your Yoga Practice to Create a Just World by Michelle C Johnson
Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation by angel Kyodo williams, Lama Rod Owens, Jasmine Syedullah

Podcasts:

Yoga is Dead by @yogawalla and @tejalyoga
Mindful Strength by @kathrynbruniyoung
Teaching Yoga by @corageroux

Watch:

Link between racism and health (TED talks)
Decolonizing Yoga & Wellness (2 seasons of talks)

Consultants (for studios, businesses, and entrepreneurs):

People to follow:

@skillinaction
@diannebondyyogaoffical
@zenchangeangel
@bexlife
@tina_strawn_life
@peacefilledmama
@iriseyoga
@mynameisjessamyn
@dr.jpop
@kendracoupland
@ashinspires
@leesareneehall
@iamdavinadavidson⁣
@tracee_stanley⁣
@wellness_yogini⁣
@benditlikelacy⁣
@oneikamays⁣
@buddha_body_yoga⁣
@wellness8elle
@blackandembodied
@malaikamaitland
@maryamajayi
@julio.a.rivera / @liberatemeditation
@commandofitnesscollective
@naayawellness (by @sinikiwe.stephanie)
@susannabarkataki
@curvyyogime
@goodbodyfeel
@royolaroyola
@halayoga
@eliana.chinea
@yogimaris
@princepuja
@navigillwellness
@tejalyoga
@yogawalla
@abcdyogi
@yogateachersofcolor
@manojdias_
@decolonizing_fitness
@offthemat
@amberkarnesofficia
@yogapipeline

Other lists

YogaGirl resource list (intersectional)
MindBodyGreen posted links to 75 black trainers, yogis, and fitness professionals’ accounts to support.

People & orgs to follow

Fill your feeds. Share, center, uplift black (and poc) voices. LISTEN.

@laylafsaad Layla Saad (Patreon)
@rachel.cargle Rachel Cargle (Patreon)
@theconsciouskid The Conscious Kid
@ijeomaoluo Ijeoma Oluo (Patreon)
@ihartericka Ericka Hart
@ibramxk Ibram X Kendi
@sincerely.lettie Lettie Shumate (Patreon)
@sonyareneetaylor Sonya Renee Taylor (Patreon)
@iamrachelricketts Rachel Ricketts (Patreon)
@austinchanning Austin Channing
@janayathefuture Janaya Future Khan
@myishathill Myisha Hill
@leesareneehall Leesa Renee Hall
@moemotivate Monique Melton
@blackandembodied Alishia McCullough
@cleowade Cleo Wade
@latashamorrison Latasha Morrison founder of @beabridgebuilder
@leemerrittesq S Lee Merrit, Esquire
@thegreatunlearn The Great Unlearn self-pace course by @rachel.cargle
@ckyourprivilege Check Your Privilege guide by @myishathill
@nowhitesaviors No White Saviors
@grassrootslaw Grassroots Law Project by @shaunking
@blklivesmatter Black Lives Matter
@colorofchange Color of Change
@blackcoffeewithwhitefriends Black Coffee w/ White Friends
@antiracismctr Antiracism Center by @ibramxk
@showingupforracialjustice SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice)
@surjnyc NYC chapter of SURJ
@privtoprog From Privilege to Progress
@unitedstreettours United Street Tours by @chakita_sharnise

Books

Many lists already exist for this - check out black coffee w/ white friends and Tasha K’s anti-racism curriculum and Rachel Cargle’s community POC reading recs

Buy directly from the authors, BLACK OWNED BOOKSTORES or via bookshop.org (support independent).

Articles

75 things White People Can Do For Racial Justice
What We’re Missing When We Condemn Violence at Protests (Vox)
Presumption of Guilt (Equal Justice Initiative)
The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism by Audre Lorde (BlackPast)
The State is Failing Black People (The New York Times)
Minneapolis Activists Aren’t Surprised a National Movement Started There (Time)
A History of Race and Racism in America (The New York Times)
What Is Performative Allyship? Making Sure Anti-Racism Efforts Are Helpful (Elle Australia)
3 Things to Consider When Choosing Between Calling Someone Out or Calling Them In. (Everyday Feminism)
Health and Justice — The Path of Liberation Through Medicine (Medium)

Videos

So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo talk at Google (51:45)
Netflix

When They See Us
13th

Podcasts

Scene on Radio - Season 2 (14 ep, 2017) - “Seeing Whiteness”
Code Switch (by NPR)
1619 Project (via NYT)
Dear White Women
No White Saviors
Speaking of Racism
Black History Year (from PushBlack)
Intersectionality Matters! (hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw)
Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
Good Ancestor Podcast
The Toure Show - I live in a Slaveocracy /Nicole Hannah Jones
Irresistible
SHIFT the Narrative by Seeding Sovereignty (Indigenous focus)
Ear Hustle (daily life in incarceration)

Resources for Parents / Kids

Support The Conscious Kid on Patreon and get incredible daily resources on this topic in your inbox

Doc created and compiled by Zoe Evans and Tawnee Kendall. We are white female-identifying people living in the Bay Area. Please feel free to add links, edit, comment, and share. Reach out to Zoe or Tawnee with any questions or to start a dialogue.