Dear EDCJCC staff members, contractors, and guest artists,
This site is designed to be an orientation and onboarding to key topics around the subject of Anti-racism.
Institutional racism is a 400-year-old system and structure and impossible to fully comprehend with just the hours of material provided. Thusly, this resource is to help you gain a general understanding of the principles of Anti-racism. This is NOT a comprehensive learning, only a sampling. It is also important to note that much of this learning is centered on Anti-blackness. The history of racism in this country (which affects all racially oppressed and targeted groups) stems from this country’s history of Anti-blackness. To start to understand how to become Anti-racist, one must have an understanding of anti-blackness, as much of the system of racism is built on anti-blackness ideology.
We hope this site will inspire you to dive deeper into unpacking and relearning, so that you can support the organization in its endeavor to become more and more Anti-racist.
Learning starts where knowledge ends.
We hope this information will lead you to Anti-racist ideas and action.
The journey of this work for this organization will only move as fast as the slowest absorber of this information moves. We hope that your learning will move at a pace that supports the Edlavitch DCJCC and the people it desires to include.
Anti-racism is an ACT OF LOVE. We are showing love to people who have never been loved by this country.
We welcome you to do the work and be a part of the Anti-racist community and initiatives.
Total reading/watching time without reflection or further reading is approximately 90 minutes
To help you go through these training modules is this comprehensive glossary of terms from Racial Equity Tools.
Unit One: Understanding Racial Trauma
(8:00 minutes)
- Read This Is What Racial Trauma Does To The Body And Brain by Jillian Wilson (5 Min.)
- Read Coping with racial trauma: How people of color can heal from racism by Brit Moorer (3 min.)
- What is Racial Trauma?
- How has it shown up in your life? Physically? Mentally? Spiritually?
- How can you mitigate the trauma?
- What are some things you can do to heal from the trauma?
- Read How to Recognize and Cope with Racial Trauma by Krystal Kavita Jagoo, MSW, RSW (5 min.)
- Listen to: Episode 202: Racial Trauma with Thema Bryant-Davis (36 min.)
- Watch Understanding Racial Trauma Understanding Racial Trauma (4:24 min.)
Unit Two: Self Care for BIPOCs
(10:41 minutes)
- Watch Emotionally Restorative Self Care: People of Color – Black People – African Americans by Brandi Jackson Wellness (9:50 min.)
- How has your self-care changed over time?
- How do you feel when you take care of yourself?
- What have you learned about yourself from your self-care journey so far?
- Is there anything that your self-care practice has helped you overcome?
- What does it look like—and how does it feel—when you feel cared for by yourself or your community?
- Read How You Can Honor the Radical History of Self-Care by Martha Tesema (4 min.)
- Read Self-Care for BIPOC: Black, Indigenous, and People of Color & Tips for Allies by Natalie Rice-Thorp, Ph.D. (3 min.)
Unit Three: Unpacking Internalized Racism
(19:57 minutes)
- Read The Battle to be Me: How Internalized Racism Impacts People of Color in America (8 min.)
- Watch Being Smart Does Not Mean Acting White (Cultural Background) (1:13 min.)
- Watch The Cost of Code Switching | Chandra Arthur | TEDxOrlando (10:44 min.)
- How do you relate to these notions of internalized racial inferiority and superiority? Is either one familiar to you? If so, how do they show up in your life?
- How do they show up in your workplace, school, place of worship, or community?
- How do they interact with feelings associated with other aspects of your identity like gender, age, ethnicity, class status, etc.? Explore your answer by drawing, singing, or dancing your reactions.
- Watch People of Color discuss the impact of Colorism by Good Morning America (6:38 min.)
- Watch Tyra Banks-Asian Eyelid Surgery (8:27 min.)
- Watch Black Self / White World — lessons on internalized racism by Jabari Lyles (9:12 min.)
Unit Four: Intersectionality
(4:54 minutes)
- Watch Kimberlé Crenshaw: What is Intersectionality? (1:54 min.)
- Read The Indispensable Work of Understanding Intersectionality by Anna Rascouët-Paz (3 min.)
- How do you identify? Racially? Gender? Sexuality? Other?
- In what ways might your identities intersect?
- What moments in your life when experiencing discrimination did intersectionality come into play?
- Watch What is Intersectionality and Why is it Important? by ADP (3:52 min.)
- Watch The urgency of intersectionality Kimberlé Crenshaw (18:49 min.)
Unit Five: Racial Joy and Pride
(28:04 minutes)
Note: Some sections that don’t pertain to your culture can be skipped.
- Watch What is ‘black joy’ and why do we need it in our lives? (4:27 min.)
- Read What is Asian Pride? (And What Does It Mean For You?) by Will (10 min.)
- Read 14 Reasons To Be Proud To Be Latino By Tanisha Love Ramirez (4 min.)
- Watch 5 Girls on Why They’re Proud to Be Native American by Teen Vogue (1:37 min.)
- Read 10 Ways to Show Your Native Pride by Indian Country Today (4 min.)
- Read Attributes of Our Arab Culture, Making Us Proud By Shayma Amour (4 min.)
- Describe 10 things about your culture that brings you joy.
- Name three things you can do this week to celebrate your joy.
- What new thing can you try from your culture that you haven’t ever tried?
- How can you celebrate other cultures?
- Name 5 things you admire about other cultures.
- Read Stay Proud: Being Asian American Is a Good Thing by Alicia del Prado Ph.D. (4 min.)
- Read and watch Being Asian American During This Time Has Been A Blessing In Disguise by Justin Chan (8 min.)
- Read Celebrating Black Joy as an Alternative Form of Resistance and Reclaiming of Humanity by Kim Pham (4 min.)
- Read What Black Joy Means – And Why It’s More Important Than Ever by Chante Joseph (4 min.)
- Watch Unpacking Black Joy From The Revolutionary to the Ordinary (9:22 min.)
Unit Six: Tools for Conflict De-Escalation
(6:30 minutes)
Read CPI’s Top 10 De-Escalation Tips by Emily Eilers (Article, 6:30 min)
- What are some common signs of conflict escalation/agitation in an individual?
- Why is your voice such an important tool for conflict de-escalation? Give specific examples.
- What is the role of active listening in the conflict de-escalation process?
- What are some things that you should NOT do when interacting with someone in crisis?
- Read The Art of De-escalation and Conflict Resolution by Jeremy Romo (5 min)
- Read Conflict De-Escalation Techniques by Vivid Learning Systems (Article, 4 min)
Unit Seven: Being an Anti-Racist Active Bystander
(4:34 minutes)
- Watch Don’t be a Bystander: 6 Tips for Responding to Racist Attacks by by Lewis Wallace and Hope Dector, Narrated by Aaryn Lang (3:52 min)
- Watch How to intervene if someone is being harassed by American Friends Service Committee (0:42 min)
- What can you do to create a safe space for someone experiencing racist harassment?
- How can you avoid further agitating an aggressor?
- What does it mean to take cues from an individual being harassed? Give specific examples.
- Why is it extremely important to avoid calling the police in situations involving BIPOC?
- Read What To Do If You Witness a Bias Attack by Nicole Levy (6 min)
- Read the comic, What to do if you are witnessing Islamophobic Harassment by Maeril (Comic, 1 min)
Unit Eight: Jews of Color
(11:75 minutes)
- Read What Not to Say to Jews of Color — and What to Say Instead by Allison Barnes (6:50 min)
- Read Despite 10 years of promises, Jewish leaders have failed to make space for Jews of color by Ilana Kaufman (5:25 min)
- Describe any deep relationships you have with Jews of Color. If you do not have any, why?
- When you meet a Jew of Color, what are your assumptions about them and their proximity to Judaism? Interracial marriage? Conversion?
- Do you hold multiple identities? How has holding multiple identities affected you?
- Read Racism in the Jewish Community by Rabbi Sandra Lawson and Donna Cephas (4 min.)
- Read Moving Forward by Looking Within by Nate Looney (3:30 min.)
- Read Jews of Color and the Policing of White Space by Rebecca Peirce (8:18 min.)