What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition

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To reduce mandatory minimum sentences on the federal level, call or write to your federal legislators in support of the bipartisan Smarter Sentencing Act (S. 1013). It is co-sponsored by Sen Lee (R-UT) and Sen Durban (D-IL), and it reduces the length of federal mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent, drug-related crimes. She also argues that simply “calling people out” is not as helpful as taking action in movements against those actions, but adds ‘ do both if you must, but certainly don’t let the latter distract you from the former.’ Much is to be said about the ways we play into capitalism algorithms that market our ideas for profit by participating in them, and she expands on this in interesting ways. This is clearly in the mold of 2020’s antiracist books, but Dabiri wouldn’t thank you for considering her under the same umbrella. She doesn’t like the concept of allyship because it reinforces unhelpful roles: people of colour as victims and white people as the ones with power who can come and save the day. Join your local Showing up for Racial Justice (SURJ) group. There is a lot of awesome work going on locally — Get involved in the projects that speak to you.

is a thought-provoking look at white allyship and racial coalition that confronts whiteness (supremacy, denial, guilt and saviourism) by telling white people to accept that colonisation, imperialism and racism is at the root of their current privilege. Not going to lie and say I did more than skim through the book. I stumbled across this in university [the only segment I read through was presented as a paper] hence that was on my reading list. Even my extremely left-leaning liberal professor was less than impressed and ripped the piece to shreds. The unwavering fact that race is a myth shakes me to my core. Although intellectually I know that race is human-made, it still sincerely affects me. So much of my life has revolved around contemplating who (or what) I am. My mixed identity is complex, and anxious ruminations over where I fit in took a lot out of me, which was energy that could have been used elsewhere. Energy that was conserved by white, Irish friends who never had to consider their racial identity.

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Most importantly, this book is for everyone. We should also appreciate that we have an academic like Emma Dabiri writing as if James Connolly and Audre Lorde had a love child. The chapter headings are a great précis of the internal steps white people need to take – what do you need to realise about your behaviour? – but stops a little short of concrete actions. This was a refreshing and necessary book to read. Refreshing because so much of the discourse on race is driven by the USA’s cultural hegemony – whereas this book is rooted firmly in Ireland and the UK. While it does cover some of the US experience, it isn’t exclusively focussed there.

We need to raise children who understand race and are comfortable talking about it. A few resources for that: the book Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey, the NPR podcast Talking Race With Young Children, these children’s books, and these resources compiled by the Children’s Community School in Philadelphia.Research your local prosecutors. Prosecutors have a lot of power to give fair sentences or Draconian ones, influence a judge’s decision to set bail or not, etc. In the past election, a many fair-minded prosecutors were elected. We need more. There is a lot to digest in this book and I would suggest you take your time with it or return to it regularly. I was buzzing after reading it in a similar way to hearing a fresh song. In Read Read Read and Dance, I was moved by a discussion on the importance of non-linguistic modes of rebellion. Hip hop, jazz improv, dance and other musical and sonic mediums hold space for freedom and connection, as Dabiri says we need to “think less with our eyes”. Bottom line at the beginning because I'm going to be rambling a lot: Don’t make whiteness the protagonist of your speech! Don’t be patronizing! Don’t just engage in social media activism! Read, read, read, and dance!

Call or write to your federal legislators in support of The COVID-19 Safer Detention Act (S. 4034). The bill would the improve a program that permits the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to transfer elderly prisoners with nonviolent offenses and terminally ill prisoners from prison to home detention. Specifically, the bill would expand eligibility to include people who have served at least 1/2 of their term (the current requirement is 2/3), clarify that the calculation of time served include good time credit reductions, and clarify that elderly DC prisoners are eligible. Das Buch ist so wichtig. Und wirklich gut zu lesen, es ist verständlich und es gibt einen mit Zitaten aus anderen Werken, mit Fußnoten, einfach die Möglichkeit noch tiefer in das Thema und die verschiedenen Sichtweisen einzutauchen, so viele Quellen, die man auch noch lesen kann. Know what indigenous land you’re living on by looking that this map and research the groups that occupied that land before you did. Find out what local activism those groups are doing and give your money and time to those efforts. A wise former teacher once said, “The question isn’t: Was the act racist or not? The question is: How much racism was in play?” So maybe racism was 3% of the motivation or 30% or 95%. Interrogate the question “How much racism was in play?” as you think about an incident. Share this idea with the people in your life when they ask, “Was that racist?”This is jumping on the bandwagon behind DeAngelo and Kendhi and the other con artists praying on people's good intentions, leveraging tragedies and historical unfairness [too the tune of original sin, martyrdom, self-flagellation, repentance confession, hail maries, and all the trappings of a new inquisitory religion]. It seems to be so easy to complain about “the system” and its “permanent or structural” problems while profiting from those systems. I doubt these authors have forsaken their phones, laptops, cars, clothes, etc. All proceeds from these books should HAVE to be donated to other non-published authors. After all, that’s how collective works right? the few work for the many? Equal in everything (mostly poverty but whatever right?) Call or write to your federal legislators in support of the bipartisan Justice Safety Valve Act (S. 2695). The bill is sponsored by Sen Paul (R-KY) and would allow judges to give sentences other than the mandatory minimum sentence for a federal crime. Dabiri urges us to outright refuse the options of social change we have been presented with and begin the discussion on a new way of being. Her writing is a delightful mix of educational essay style and colloquialisms peppered throughout as she speaks “normally” (for a person raised in Ireland) with some cursing and a wonderful explanation of yer’wan which I hope was not only in the audiobook but is also present in print. 🤩