,

Learning and Unlearning

,

One of the anti-racism actions we are committed to here at N+T is learning. Make no mistake, we know that many people (white people especially) hide behind “learning” and “listening” as a way to avoid confrontation and ease their own discomfort. We also know that truly becoming educated is hard and intentional work. It involves reading, yes, but also deep self-assessment, conversation, relationship building, participation, and practice. It requires discipline, and a willingness to be corrected, to accept criticism, and to turn to inquiry rather than defensiveness or explanation. And, it demands that we confront and unlearn our deep-seated behaviors, attitudes, and biases if we are to come to a place of meaningful anti-racist accomplice-ship. 

Below is a list of just a few of the resources and tools that have been speaking to us over the last week and some insight into what they are bringing up as we come to grips with the magnitude of the work we have ahead of us to live into our vision for helping create a radical cultural shift in Boston. We welcome your thoughts and additions to this list in the comments section or with an email to info@nowandthere.org.

What we are…

Researching and Supporting: 

  • The policy initiative outlined by Campaign Zero and the Invest/Divest platform from The Movement for Black Lives, both of which call on cities and elected leaders to divest financial resources from policing and relocate them to healthcare, housing, education, and other investments to improve the safety and thriving of Black people.

“On June 19th, we'll celebrate the 155th Anniversary of Juneteenth — take that in, one hundred and fifty-five years since the last slaves were informed of the Emancipation Act —and how little has changed, or will change until we reckon with our history of slavery and it's echos in our policing system. This is why modern-day lynchings, like that of Ahmaud Aubery and the murder of George Floyd by someone who purported to uphold the law, still happen today. In 2020. For me and my white counterparts, we are all complicit in these horrific crimes as well as the countless racist affronts that occur daily when we fail to call out the systems and policies that have created opportunities for us and death for others; when we fail to stand behind what we say when we declare Black Lives Matter.” — Kate Gilbert, Executive Director

Studying: 

“I see myself in so much of this. Perfectionism, sense of urgency, paternalism, worship of the written word, and yes, defensiveness. I am complicit, and I am convicted. I also don't have words, I just am reflecting on how I uphold white supremacist culture every day unintentionally. This is helping me identify those behaviors and attempt to remedy them.” — Leah Triplett Harrington, Assistant Curator

  • How to be a White Accomplice in the Fight for Racial Justice, offers a clear and actionable path from being a well-meaning actor to an active accomplice in the fight against racism. Developed in collaboration with Black and Brown movement leaders, this resource is meant to challenge white people to move outside their comfort zones and take concrete steps toward not just allyship, but accomplice-ship.

Reading:

“Both of these books are part of my continued investigation into the Black experience in Boston. Only recently have I begun to understand how racism can be so prevalent in a city that purports to be liberal and enlightened. And how I have perpetuated Boston's long history of silence, suppression, and inaction when it comes to the racist, inhumane treatment of our Black sisters and brothers.” Kate Gilbert — Executive Director

If you've heard about, read, and/or want to read White Fragility, that's great — but read The History of White People too! A comprehensive history of the "whiteness" con, this book is a must-read for white people — like myself — looking to unravel the facts and fictions of the global racial mythology that has stitched "us" into complicity. Here's a 2019 talk Painter gave at Emory University, titled "What Can The History of White People Teach Us About Race in America?" - Julia Leonardos, Social Media & Digital Engagement Apprentice

Listening:

  • The 1619 Project — both the written work and especially the 6-part podcast, which goes deep into the lives and experiences of Black Americans today and lays bare the false and white supremacist narrative that has become the mythology that is mainstream US History. 

Listening, at the pace of the human voice, has been a way to absorb information in a way that sticks. — Gianna Stewart, Public Art Accelerator Fellow

  • Intersectionality Matters with Kimberlé Crenshaw. If you've ever invoked the term "intersectionality," you're quoting antidiscrimination lawyer Kimberlé Crenshaw, who coined the phrase in this 1989 essay.

  • Code Switch, a blog, and podcast from NPR which puts “Race. In your face.” and schools us weekly on the issues of race and racism against not only the Black community but all BIPOC and works to contextualize current events and call out those Characteristics of White Supremacy and systemic racism that have brought us to where we are today. 

Matters of race and racism, structural and individual, are woven into the fabric of our country and the ways in which we relate not only to our fellow citizens but also how we as a nation interact globally. Code Switch offers vital news commentary that centers the lived experiences of people of color and puts the ways in which race and racism shape current events front and center. It tackles everything from pop-culture to education, economics to politics, and, of course, headline news. Listening every week has offered a major, and much-needed lens-shift in my life. — Mary-Liz Murray, Digital Strategy & Communications Manager

Tracking: 

“This list provides us with several actionable things that we can all do right now to seek justice for the Black lives that have been wrongfully taken too soon, many of which may be unfamiliar: James Scurlock, Sean Reed, Tony McDade — we must learn to say their names and fight for the justice that they deserve.” - Katie Charlton, Development Assistant