Antiracist Work Group Sunday Dec 20 from 10-11am CT

At our meeting last week, we decided to talk this week about the inherent racism behind the “Christmas” message (or as we called it: “White Christmas”). But this week, as most weeks, additional racist topics have bubbled up to the forefront of our consciousness. So let’s roll this up into a larger discussion of “This Week in Racism.” See notes below.

Next week (Dec 27), we will talk about the position of Secretary of Interior where Rep Deb Haaland is the first Native American to hold the position of a Cabinet secretary in the history of the United States.

After that, we are into January (Wow! 2020 comes to an end!) and we’ll be going through the prompts of Me and White Supremacy — see below for more details on that.

This Week’s Topics: White Christmas, Anjanette Young, COVID-19 Vaccinations

There’s a lot going on as we wrap up this year. So let’s talk about some of it.

“White Christmas”

Observations about the whiteness of Christmas

• How Jesus became so white (WaPo)

• The secret history of black Santas (BBC)

• A family got a racist note after putting up a Black Santa. Soon, neighbors began displaying their own Black Santas. (WaPo)

• The Unwatchable Whiteness of Holiday Movies (The Walrus)

• What is the “War on Christmas?” → This is an oft-visited topic for tRump, a known White Supremacist.

Anjanette Young

Note: This footage is difficult to watch. This woman is naked and terrified and the police are completely uncaring about her predicament.

• Woman whose home Chicago police wrongfully raided says she feared for her life, relates to Breonna Taylor

• Compare and contrast to this story from last week of a white woman in a similar predicament: Florida state police release body cam video of raid on ex-Covid data’s scientist home

Vaccine Mistrust Amongst Black Americans

In our group, we have discussed the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. Now that the vaccine is rolling out, let’s revisit this topic.

• COVID-19 Burden on Black Americans Creates Vaccine Quandary

• Fighting COVID-19 Vaccine Mistrust In The Black Community

• Nearly one third of Black Americans remain hesitant to get Covid-19 vaccine, study finds

Jan 2021 = Me and White Supremacy

We have agreed to read the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad together in January. What started two years ago as an Instagram challenge as an action-oriented PDF is now a book. Here’s a great article to read or listen to on NPR all about the book. The book contains daily prompts for 28 days. Each week, we will come together on Sundays and discuss our experiences that week. (Yes, it’s a commitment.)

The book is readily available at the Chicago Public Library and via Hoopla. Here are the topics each week:

• Jan 3: Introduction: If you have any questions about getting the book or what’s entailed, this is the place for that. We’ll start with the prompts that day.
• Jan 10 (Review Week 1): White Privilege; White Fragility; Tone Policing; White Silence; White Superiority; White Exceptionalism

• Jan 17 (Review Week 2): Color Blindness; Anti-Blackness against Black Women, Black Men, and Black Children; Racist Stereotypes; Cultural Appropriation

• Jan 24 (Review Week 3): White Apathy; White Centering; Tokenism; White Saviorism; Optical Allyship; Being Called Out/Called In

• Jan 31 (Review Week 4): Friends; Family; Values; Losing Privilege; Your Commitments.

Whether you’ve been with us for the past six months or if you’re brand new to our group, you are welcome to join us for this January event. Examining the impact of white supremacy on our society and our own role in upholding it is a critical part of building an antiracist world.

Antiracist Actions to Take this week

Please note that this list is far from complete. If you have antiracist actions to include in this weekly email or at our meeting, please send them to me for inclusion.

Learn about the Chicago 400 and spread the wordThis week at our Thursday Roundtable meeting, members of the Chicago 400 came to speak with us and tell us about their experiences. Read more about the organization here. If you’re on Twitter, follow them. Stay tuned for upcoming legislative actions in 2021.

• • Twitter: Chicago400 (@chicago400)
  • Website: http://www.chicago400.net/
  • Additional links: https://linktr.ee/Chicago40

Stand Up Against Racism in Ravenswood in Support of and Solidarity with KJ
This is a continuing effort. KJ is a Black transgender woman who lives in Ravenswood and protests against systemic racism and discrimination at the corner of Winnemac and Winchester three days a week on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday afternoons between 12 and 4 pm. KJ welcomes additional protesters to stand in solidarity with her. Full details about her ongoing protest here. Sign up for a shift to stand with KJ here.