How to Continue Anti-Racism Work Daily

Alright, so I’ve tried to write this 2 times already and both drafts were filled with 1,000+ words of my ego speaking out and trying to feel better about itself. THIRD TIMES A CHARM. I have been asking myself a lot of things this week but two of the biggest questions have been, “How can I continue this conversation?” and “How can I best serve my audience authentically on these difficult topics?” "How can I help guide you to continue the Anti-Racism work and conversation?"

I don’t want to write this post for myself. I don’t want to just write it for you. I want to write it for us. I want to provide some sort of accountability so that we can keep this conversation going. 

In reflection, I realized that I often forget about Anti-Racism work. It’s something that I forget is everyday work. My white privilege has given me the ability to place it on the back burner. My white fragility is the root of why I haven’t wanted to continue this work. I have been afraid of feeling shame and guilt for myself and my white ancestors. I am disappointed in myself for taking this long to find the fire within me to actively work on my own biases, programming, and help find ways to break down the systems that are suffocating so many people in the United States. I am disappointed but I can’t stay in that place. I can’t change the past and all I can do is hold myself accountable for continuing this work everyday for the rest of my life.

Before we get into things I want to say that I have messed up in the past and I most definitely will mess up in the future. I want you to call me out when I make a mistake and when I can do better. I am open and willing to learn and to be better and do better.

Aside from the questions above, here’s what I’ve been thinking about lately:

How can I make wellness and spirituality more inclusive and accessible?

How can I create a long term sustainable change within society?

What is my place in this work?

How is racial justice work related to shadow work? Why have I not seen the connection before?

Why does my ego come in SO HEAVY when it comes to posting about political topics?

Originally I wrote a blog post on everything I have been thinking about but I don’t think that is the value that I am supposed to provide. I’ve really had to take a step back and think what is the best way for me to approach this?

Alas, I think that sharing ways and holding accountability for doing this work in the long-term is a good place for me to start. I hope that you have been doing some short-term work such as signing petitions, donating, attending protests, sharing resources on social media but what happens in a few weeks or months when the buzz on social media has died down?

I want to continue this conversation.

I want to share ways that I will be actively engaging with this work so that we can continue to do this together. 

Let’s hold each other accountable. If you want to set up a call with me to sift through things coming up, send me a message and we can set one up. I want to support you!

1. Continue educating yourself

What does this look like?

• Reading books, listening to podcasts, watching movies and TV shows about topics such as the history of racism in America, whiteness, the systems in place and why they are the way they are, and what it is like living as a BIPOC in America
  • I’m currently reading and working through Layla F. Saad’s Me and My White Supremacy which includes 28-days of journaling and work to look at your own programming and how you contribute to white supremacy. I highly suggest it. 
• Signing up for newsletters, like Nicole Cardoza’s Anti-Racism Daily, to see this work daily
• Participate in classes, courses, or workshops relating to Anti-Racism work. I’ll be doing Rachel Ricketts’ Spiritual Activism course if you’d like to join me.

2. Diversify your feed

I realized that one of the reasons that I so often put this work on the back burner was because I have not actively sought out BIPOC influencers, spiritual teachers, content creators, artists, and racial justice educators to follow. While I do follow people of color, I don’t follow the people who are actively having these conversations. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

What does this look like?

• Follow BIPOC creators, educators, and influencers to see more than the little bubble of whiteness and white privilege
• Engage, listen, and support their work. We have so much to learn and we must actively listen to their experiences and hear what they need from us rather than going in and giving what we think they need.
• In addition to BIPOC, consider diversifying your feed by following LGBTQIA+ accounts and other marginalized racial and ethnic groups. It’s important to learn from different experiences instead of going through life with our blinders on.
• If you’re looking for some suggestions on people to follow, here is a good post!

3. Continue having this conversation

What does this look like?

• Seek out a friend to have a weekly accountability call to speak about these topics and issues like Anti-Racism, White Supremecy, police brutality, and general inequality in America
• Having difficult conversations with people you love (like family)
• Don’t be afraid to call people out; come from a place of love and help others learn
• Set a goal to read 1 book relating to racial justice and Anti-Racism each month (or listen to a podcast, watch a series, etc.) – hold yourself accountable!

4. Support Black-Owned Businesses

What does this look like?

• Try restaurants in your area that are Black owned (Louisville list & Baltimore list)
• Here’s a list of Black-Owned Businesses to support
• Consider switching some brands of products that you buy. I love Bridgeo hair products and am about to order the Matcha Turmeric Latte blend from Golde. More list of businesses here.

That seems like a good starting point, doesn’t it? But there’s always more work to do. There’s always more to learn and ways that we can be better. Please let me know in the comments below more ideas you have or how you are planning to continue this work.

Going further, I want to continue having conversations like this. Here are some ideas I plan on writing about:

• Reprogramming your beliefs of others is just as important as reprogramming your beliefs about yourself
• Many people are focused on survival and don’t have the space to focus on spiritual practice
• Why is the wellness world so damn expensive? 
• Spirituality is about the collective so that means it’s about social justice
• Addressing the elephant in the room: white privilege 

These are not easy conversations to be had and like with this blog post, I probably will have to write many drafts before I come to a concise post that provides tangible value and not just my ego spewing out nonsense. 

Overwhelmed? If you’re not sure where to start your Anti-Racism work, try here or here. Doing something is better than nothing but we must do more than we have been. We must do better. 

My heart is with you.

Let’s do better, together.

Nikki