How to be an effective ally in the fight against racism

How to be an effective ally in the fight against racism

Read, listen, learn — Now is not the time to switch off. Now is the time to listen, learn, and act to support black communities in the US and beyond. Here's how you can do that.
  • Text by Huck

This week, tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets to protest the killing of African American man George Floyd by Minneapolis police. The anger, coalesced behind the “Black Lives Matter” slogan, has seen violent clashes between police and protestors in cities across the United States and solidarity protests erupting across the world, including here in the UK.

As the demonstrations have intensified, so too has the rhetoric from the state. Yesterday President Donald Trump threatened to send in the military to quell the protests before violently clearing the streets outside the White House of nonviolent protestors so he could pose for a photoshoot outside a nearby church. Scenes of tear gas-filled streets and people fleeing as rounds of rubber bullets have been shot into crowds have dominated the news. Many have been killed and injured in the unrest. Despite the arrest and charging of Derek Chauvin – the police officer shown to be kneeling on Floyd’s neck in a viral video circulated after his death – there seems to be no end in sight. 

The killing of George Floyd is just another instance in a long line of systemic racist abuse, oppression and violence stretching back over centuries. For white allies, the question of how to support, step up and stop the cycle of hate has never weighed heavier. Here are some suggestions to get you started. 

Read, Listen, Learn

Funds 

Books

Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Speigel & Grau

Freedom is a Constant Struggle, Angela Davis, Haymarket 

Notes of a Native Son, James Baldwin, Penguin Books

The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander, Penguin Books

Black and British: A Forgotten History, David Olusoga, Pan Macmilllan

White Privilege, Kalwant Bhopal, Policy Press

The Good Immigrant, Nikesh Shukla, Unbound

Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe, Penguin Books

Born A Crime, Trevor Noah, John Murray Press

Me and White Supremacy, Layla F. Saad, Queercus Publishing

Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi, Penguin Books

Videos

Articles 

Any and all content on gal-dem (you should also become a member).

Podcasts 

Further anti-racism resources

Guide to Allyship – an open-source guide to help you become a more thoughtful and effective ally 

How To Support Black Lives in The UK – a list of resources by @perkin_amalaraj.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. If we’ve missed a resource, group, fund or organisation please let us know and we’ll add it to the list. You can get in touch with us at ben.smoke@tcolondon.com

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter