Racial Justice Reading List (a start!)

In my last post, I wrote about some first step we can take as white people when it comes to working for racial justice. I explained how it is important we do work on ourselves without expecting Global Majority people to always invest their emotional energy in explaining the issues to us.

The good news is that there are plenty of resources out there. Before I present you a list of some helpful readings, could I also encourage you to have a critical look at your social media use. Who do you follow or like? What podcasts do you listen to? How many of these are by white people talking from a Western frame, how many of these are written from a Global Majority perspective? What is the gender and sexuality of these people? You could start by intentionally following some people who will bring different perspectives and insights to your newsfeed.

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The Weight of Fighting for Racial Justice and What I Can Do as a White Person

A friend wrote to me with some questions around inequality and racism. She described a feeling of powerlessness and was unsure about what she, as a white woman, could do to make things better. One of the questions she asked really resonated with me and I decided to jot down some thoughts on paper. She asked: how do you hold the weight of this without being crushed by it?

I think it is important to realise that we do not manage this at all. We are crushed by it on a daily basis. We are so crushed by it,… it is a deep pain and a source of trauma for many people from the Global Majority (GM) I encounter, even though they might not all speak up about their experience of racism or see things the same way. Also, we personally at home are crushed by it and it often takes its toll on us as a multi-ethnic family. This is not an easy work and I am afraid it might never be. In fact, we’ve found that faith has become our main recourse. We go back to God.