Day 3 - Feb 15

Colonialism and Systemic Racism Part 2

“I learned that racism, like most systems of oppression, isn’t about bad people doing terrible things to people who are different from them but instead is a way of maintaining power for certain groups at the expense of others.”

― Alicia Garza, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

READ

The Injustice of This Moment is Not an "Aberration" by Michelle Alexander

Author Michelle Alexander begins this article, "Ten years have passed since my book, “The New Jim Crow,” was published. I wrote it to challenge our nation to reckon with the recurring cycles of racial reform, retrenchment and rebirth of caste-like systems that have defined our racial history since slavery. It has been an astonishing decade. Everything and nothing has changed." The link above will bring you to a clean, printable version of the article. A direct link to the New York Times, where it was published, is embedded (medium).

The Case for Reparations by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This groundbreaking article in 2014 by Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me. The link above will bring you to a clean, printable version of the article. A direct link to the Atlantic, where it was published, is embedded. An audio link for those who would like to listen to the article is included. (long)

The Groundwater Approach: Building a Practical Understanding of Structural Racism by Deena Hayes-Greene and Bayard P. Love of the Racial Equity Institute

Racial Equity Institute. This short guide provides a framework for understanding how structural racism operates across multiple systems, impacting people in many aspects of their lives (long).

Explore the Cape Ann Slavery & Abolition website

Narratives about slavery in the United States sometimes portray it as an issue in the south, making it seem like slavery wasn't also occurring in the north. This website reveals histories and stories from Cape Ann, just 45 minutes from Lincoln, Boston, and Hanscom.

LISTEN

Birds and the Bees, Episode 557, Act 2: If You See Racism, Say Racism with W. Kamau Bell

Comedian W. Kamau Bell has two daughters, and tries to figure out just how much about the violent history of racism and oppression his four-year-old can handle. W. Kamau Bell hosts the CNN show United Shades of America. (22:00)

The N-Word by Still Processing Podcast

In our season premiere, we’re talking about the N-word. It’s both unspeakable and ubiquitous. A weapon of hate and a badge of belonging. After centuries of evolution, it’s everywhere — art, politics, everyday banter — and it can't be ignored. So we’re grappling with our complicated feelings about this word. (51:00)

WATCH

EXTRAS

ACTION

As you move about around your town/region, look for signs of Indigenous people. Look for:

State’s name
Street names
Parks, lakes, mountain names
Car names
School and other building names

Get curious:

Are the names connected to the original people of the area?
Are the names stereotypical and disconnected?
Can you find out the meaning of the name(s)?
What language is the name from?

Google the meanings and notice if you think or feel differently about this word you’ve seen and said so many times before.

SONG

Land of the Free by Joey Bada$$

Note: some images are graphic if watching the video

POEM

Sam by Lucille Clifton

ART

Fabiola Jean-Louis

“Madame Beauvoir’s Painting” Archival pigment print on hot press bright paper, 2016, Courtesy of the artist and Alan Avery Art Company, collection of Spelman College Museum of Fine Art.

REFLECTION FOR THE DAY

Have you included conversations about colonization in your discussions about racism? Why or why not? Why does the history of the United States often begin in England and Spain? How do you think colonized people across the world have similar experiences?

After today's challenge work:

Did you have any ‘a-ha’ moment?

Did you feel any discomfort?

What will you do differently based on your challenge today?

Today

Final Reflection

Report a Broken Link

Suggestions for Future Content