Book Talk | Dismantling White Supremacy Day 28

I began this book last week and would love to have discussions based on the prompts provided within the book. The book is set up so that after each day's reading, there are a handful of prompts to respond to. Feel free to respond to as many or as few as you like. I would love for this to be a discussion and a place where we can learn and grow together. Please be honest, because that is the only way anything will change.

Additionally, I have been compiling a list of books under the #BlackLivesMatter Reading List tab. I am usually adding books daily that I find, or are recommended by others. Please leave a comment on that page if you have titles to add. I hope you can find titles on this list that you will learn from as well.

Day Twenty-Eight Commitments

1. Write three concrete, out-of-your-comfort-zone actions you are committed to taking in the next two weeks toward antiracism.

Saad offers some examples, stressing the importance of making these actions as specific as possible both in the who/what/where/when/why and how you will hold yourself accountable for these actions

• uncomfortable conversations you need to have
• significant changes in your life you need to make
• someone you need to call in/out
• sincere apologies you need to make
• organizations you need to begin volunteering at

2. Starting today and over the next week, begin to write down your commitments  to this work

Saad offers the following prompts to aid in crafting commitment statements.

• I am committed to showing up for this lifelong antiracism work because...
• I am committed to challenging my white fragility by...
• I am committed to using by voice for antiracism work by...
• I am committed to challenging racism in other people with white privilege by...
• I am committed to uplifting, supporting, and centering BIPOC by...
• I am committed to financially supporting the following BIPOC movements and causes...
• I am committed to decentering myself as a person with white privilege by...
• I am committed to continuing my lifelong antiracism education by...
• I am committed to the following values that will help me practice antiracism...
• I am committed to breaking through my white apathy by...
• I am committed to showing up even when I make mistakes by...
• I am committed to using my privilege for antiracism by...
• I am committed to challenging my optical allyship by...
• I am committed to being a good ancestor by...

Saad also encourages readers to place these statements where we can see them each day. She also recommends holding ourselves accountable by sharing these statements with others in our lives who are also committed to doing this lifelong antiracism work.

Thank you to everyone who has joined in the conversation over the last twenty-eight days. Some days these questions were really hard to answer honestly, but I hope that anyone who read the posts, commented, or worked through the prompts in private has found value here. I learned a lot about myself and had some very eye-opening moments.

We can all do better. We MUST do better. It is not enough to be "not racist". We must be firmly and loudly antiracist.

In solidarity,

Sarah