Respect Hawaii’s sacred land.

To the average American, Hawaii elicits a fantasy. Palm trees swaying in the light wind. Hot white sands reflect a radiant sun and kiss a crystal clear ocean. Hula dancers wait at the doorsteps to a hotel overlooking the vast Pacific. But this fantasy is just that, and to many Native Hawaiians, their reality is quite the opposite. This continued exploitation of Hawaiian lands and culture to visitors, many of whom fail to appreciate its deep culture and culture, contributes to the systemic colonization of the Hawaiian islands.

Happy Thursday! Today we're joined by Isiah to acknowledge the impact of colonization on Hawaii, and more importantly, respect and revere its lands. I appreciate how this piece speaks to how pervasive systemic oppression is – how so many issues, both past and present, only exacerbate the challenges we face today.

Looking for a last-minute holiday present? Gift the Anti-Racism Daily to a friend. Or, simply share it with your community to unlock cool swag.

Our newsletter is free and made possible by generous contributions from our community – no advertising or sponsorships. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Learn, learn, learn. This simple task is one of the most critical requests by Native Hawaiians for visitors. Hawaii is more than a nice Instagram picture. It’s a land of complex history, sacred lands, and cultural meanings.
Contribute to local businesses, as opposed to larger companies that are foreign to Hawaiian islands.
Understand the importance of the sovereignty movement. To learn more, follow social media accounts such as Protect Mauna a Wakea and ANGRYANGRYHAWAIIAN.
Donate to organizations and sign petitions such as Stop Mark Zuckerberg from colonizing Kauai and The Immediate Halt to the Construction of the TMT telescope on Mauna Kea

GET EDUCATED

By Isiah Magsino (he/him)

“First and foremost, we don’t reject tourists,” begins Kayana Kamoku, a Native Hawaiian who currently resides on the Big Island. “But when our land is treated as a commodity or item of wealth, that’s an issue.” Last year, Kamoku joined hundreds of other protestors to march on Mauna Kea. The development of a 30-meter telescope continues to threaten more than Mauna Kea’s peak (Science Magazine). The telescope is slated to replace what happens to be one of the most sacred realms for the Hawaiian people: a revered place synonymous with a godly shrine (Oha).

Although this is a groundbreaking development currently affecting Native Hawaiians, it is certainly not the only one. Mark Zuckerberg continues to sue Native Hawaiians for pockets of land within, or nearby, his estate forcing a small family to have to bid for their land (The Guardian). On the island of Kauai, at a development site called Keonaloa, a well-known ancient Hawaiian burial ground was excavated to make way for luxury condominiums (MP Hawaii). On a more subtle level, as people from Asia and the mainland continue to immigrate to Hawaii, the cost of living continues to soar, pushing Native Hawaiians out of their very own island because it is no longer affordable (Cultural Survival). “Native Hawaiians who leave the islands for college dream of coming home. It’s a dream to live in the place our ancestors are from,” says Kamoku.

As Covid-19 continues to devastate the United States, Native Hawaiians face another issue: is tourism being put above their health and well-being? Since reopening in October, Hawaii has allowed tourists to bypass the 14-day quarantine if they proved a negative test that was taken prior (Washington Post). And although tourism plays a large part in Hawaii’s economy, Native Hawaiians are one of the ethnic groups hit hardest by COVID-19 (Star Advertiser).

The well-being of Native Hawaiians has been placed on the back burner. Locals receive citations for violating coronavirus regulations, while tourists are encouraged to flout them (NYTimes).

Together, these issues illustrate the umbrella effects of the systemic oppression of Native Hawaiians by American imperialism. Native Hawaiians continue to be pushed around and out of their own homes for the sake of catering to travelers (Cultural Survival). Investigate the motives behind Zuckerberg, the telescope, COVID travel, and the development of sacred burial grounds, and you get one common denominator: money from outside of Hawaii. This contributes to the growing wealth disparity between non-Native Hawaiians and Native Hawaiians, as Native Hawaiians have the highest poverty rate in Hawaii, nearing 13-percent (Maui Time).

Such outside business interests have long interfered in Hawaii. Since the late 1800s, Hawaii has suffered from imperialism. Hawaii’s sovereignty was stolen even though it was a sustainable nation recognized internationally. In 1893, 13 white businessmen staged a coup with the United States to get Hawaii annexed, disguised as a treaty. The coup led to the dissolving of the Kingdom of Hawaii, and in 1898, Hawaii was formally annexed by the United States. (Nisei).

A century later, we need to remember that the mountains and other natural elements that seem to illuminate the photos shared on social media are more than that. As Kayana Kamoku explains, “Our land is more than land. We hold it close to us. It is a cultural identity and community.” Hawaii’s sovereignty deserves to be recognized and respected.

If you are a Native Hawaiian involved in the sovereignty movement, please contact us at submissions@antiracismdaily.com — we’d love to share your story.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Native Hawaiians have strong ties to their land. Their land is an integral part of their identity and affects them physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Kanaÿiaupuni and Malone).
White colonizers stole Hawaii in correspondence with the United States. This racial scarring still runs deep with young Native Hawaiians (NEA).
Many Native Hawaiians suffer from poverty and are pushed out of their homes as residential prices rise (Ka Wai Ola).

11/24/2020 | Stop violence against Native women.

7/5/2020 | Support the Navajo Nation through COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Thank you for all your financial contributions! If you haven't already, consider making a monthly donation to this work. These funds will help me operationalize this work for greatest impact.

Subscribe on Patreon | Give one-time on PayPal | Venmo @nicoleacardoza

Nicole Cardoza 12/16/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/16/20

Support domestic violence survivors during COVID-19.

Every year, ten million people experience domestic violence (also known as intimate partner violence) in the United States. Domestic abuse (which includes physical, emotional, and economic components) is used to systematically dominate and control victims, and has long been utilized in the systematic oppression of women (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence). This year has brought a rise in domestic violence worldwide as a result of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, orders that essentially trap victims with their abusers and increase opportunities for abuse to happen (The Washington Post).

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Recently, the death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. passed the 300,000 mark. But there's so much death and violence happening that the data doesn't take into account. Today, Erica joins us to share more information on how we can support domestic violence survivors during COVID-19.

Our newsletter is free and made possible by generous contributions from our community – no advertising or sponsorships. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

If you are someone you know is in immediate need of support, call 1-800-799-SAFE or chat life at thehotline.org.

Support local organizations that advocate for survivors of intimate partner violence. There are many regional ones, but a national one is the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
Use this guide from Domestic Abuse Intervention Services to support friends and family who are experiencing domestic violence
Create a safety plan by filling out this questionnaire by National Domestic Violence Hotline if you or a loved one is trying to leave an abusive environment safely (the website is structured so that it can quickly be exited if an abuser is near).
Follow @strongheartsdv and @survivorsofcolor, accounts led by women of color.

GET EDUCATED

By Erica Ezeifedi (she/her)

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the presence of intimate partner violence comes with “an overall cost to society,” including psychological trauma, increased risk of chronic disease, lost wages, loss of housing, physical injury and even death (SAMHSA). When race and gender intersect with domestic violence, the negative impact is exacerbated. Between 21-55% of Asian and Pacific Islander women, 41.2% of Black women, 29.7% of Latina women, and 51% of Indigenous women report experiencing intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime (Women of Color Network). Black women experience intimate partner violence 35% more than white women, and at 2.5x the rate of other women of color.

Women of color face unique dynamics of intimate partner violence that serve as barriers to escaping (Color Lines). Within the Black community, women can risk re-victimization when seeking resources to escape. This could come in the form of being arrested in instances of self-defense, or even being harassed or assaulted by police officers. Unsurprisingly, national reports of police brutality also create a strong sense of distrust of the police among Black victims, decreasing the chances that they will seek legal action against their abusers (Women of Color Network). Black women may also feel obligated to endure abuse to protect the Black men abusing them (Essence).

Although Asian and Pacific Islander and Latina people have very distinct cultures, some of their abuse victims face similar complications. The jobs often available to abuse victims from these communities are low-waged and rife with sexual harassment and racial discrimination (Women of Color Network). Additionally, abusers in these communities may hang the threat of deportation over the heads of undocumented victims. Others may lack access to information due to language barriers.

Now, Native women suffer the second highest rates of intimate partner violence. “The staggering statistics of intergenerational trauma, abuse of both Native women and children by Native men can be traced directly to intergenerational trauma, genocide, and to the introduction of alcohol, Christianity, and the European hierarchical family structure,” Women of Color Network explains. Generations of mistrust nurtured by maltreatment by white people can also make victims fear seeking help outside of their community.

These issues have been exacerbated during the pandemic. A senior director at a major hospital in Massachusetts cited a radiology study as having confirmed “what we suspected. Being confined to home for a period of time would increase the possibility for violence between intimate partners” (WebMD). In April, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres added "We know lockdowns and quarantines are essential to suppressing COVID-19, but they can trap women with abusive partners. Over the past weeks, as the economic and social pressures and fear have grown, we have seen a horrifying surge in domestic violence.” He went on to suggest that governments around the world should “make the prevention and redress of violence against women a key part of their national response plan to COVID-19” (NPR).

Many of the ways in which the novel coronavirus has negatively impacted women of color are the same factors that make them more susceptible to being abused in the first place. Economic dependency, for instance, is one of the first things that must be established for many people in order to leave an abusive relationship. Many victims stay with their abusers because they provide economic support. The pandemic has worsened the chances for victims to leave as it has increased unemployment, especially for women of color (Economic Policy Institute).

Social isolation— a factor that increases the likelihood of domestic violence— has been one of the consequences of worldwide stay-at-home orders. This has effectively cut victims off from support systems that might have provided relief or helped them to escape an abusive partner (See “Considerations of the impacts of COVID-19 on domestic violence”). Additionally, the shelters that would normally house abuse victims have had to reduce capacity in accordance with COVID-19 preventative measures, leaving many abuse victims without housing separate from their abusers (The New England Journal of Medicine). Meanwhile, the widespread uncertainty from the pandemic can trigger abusers’ fundamental insecurities, resulting in an amplification of violence (WebMD).

Trans people worldwide have also experienced an increase in domestic abuse for many of the same reasons. According to Transrepect, “trans women of color, sex workers, migrants, youth, and poor” have been made more vulnerable to abuse by partners as a result of the pandemic. Since October 2019, there has been a 6% increase in reported murders of trans people worldwide, 98% of which were trans women or feminine-presenting trans people (Transrespect).

We must strive to find ways to adapt COVID-19 safety measures to support women of color and trans people at risk for domestic violence. It is vital to remember that these vulnerable groups are battling two pandemics at once, both of which are attacking their bodies, minds, and spirits.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

There are 10 million people a year who experience intimate partner violence, many of whom are women of color.
21-55% of Asian and Pacific Islander women, 41.2% of Black women, 29.7% of Latina women, and 51% of Indigenous women all experience intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime.
Women of color who are victims of intimate partner violence are facing two pandemics at once. COVID-19 has increased economic dependency and isolation, while decreasing domestic violence shelter capacity, all of which make it harder to escape abusive relationships.
The pandemic has also made trans people more vulnerable to such violence. The reported murder of trans people has increased 6% worldwide since October 2019 (Transrespect)

12/7/2020 | Demand justice for Nickolas Lee.

11/23/2020 | Fight food insecurity.

11/11/2020 | Support the disability community through COVID-19.

10/13/2020 | Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/15/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/15/20

Repeal stand your ground laws.

This past June, William Marcus (Marc) Wilson, a 21-year-old Black student from Sharpsburg, Georgia, was driving with his girlfriend when a truckload of angry white people accosted them, calling them racial slurs and attempting to run them off the road. Terrified, Wilson fired warning shots from a gun he legally carried, one of which struck the car and killed a 17-year-old white woman sitting inside (Washington Post). Wilson fully cooperated with law enforcement and told them he fired his gun, fearing for his life, and surveillance footage demonstrated aggression from the driver. But the next day, Wilson was arrested and charged with one count of felony murder and one count of aggravated assault. He was denied bond in a hearing in August and is scheduled for a bond reconsideration hearing today, Tuesday, December 15, 2020 (Wilson’s lawyers’ website).

Happy Tuesday, everyone. How are you holding up today? Today we're analyzing the racial disparities of the enforcement of stand your ground, a controversial law that doesn't live up to its name. Read Marc Wilson's story and take action, and thanks to JustGeorgia and Tamika Middleton for helping to educate me on this topic.

Our newsletter is free and made possible by generous contributions from our community – no advertising or sponsorships. Join in by making a one-time gift on ourwebsiteorPayPal, orsubscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza).

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Join a live, virtual teach-in during the hearing on the case via Zoom today (12/15/2020) at 3:30p EST. If you live in Southeast Georgia, you can attend live.
Spread the word on this case using the hashtags #JusticeForMarcWilson #AllEyesOnStatesboro and #AllEyesOnGeorgia. Sharing assets available on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
To get more involved, contact JustGeorgia via their website: just-georgia.org
Research the self-defense and/or “stand your ground” laws in your state, and recent examples of its enforcement.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Technically, Wilson’s actions may have been protected under Georgia’s “stand your ground” law, a law that protects an individual’s right to use reasonable force, including deadly force, in self-defense without fear of criminal prosecution. Most states in the U.S. have some type of law like this but emphasize that civilians have a “duty to retreat” from the situation before responding with force. But at least 25 states allow “no duty to retreat,” and ten, including Georgia, specifically say individuals can “stand your ground,” hence the term (NCSL). These laws are all worded differently state-by-state, and some can be more lenient than others. Unsurprisingly, the NRA has helped push the implementation of “stand your ground” laws in several states (Mother Jones).

Florida is notorious for having an aggressive “stand your ground” law. Unlike other states, the state has to legally prove that the shooter did not act in self-defense, marking them innocent at default. In addition, those established to have “stood their ground” are granted immunity from both criminal prosecution and civil actions (CNN).

It’s no wonder that some of the most controversial stories of “stand your ground” stem from Florida. Markeis McGlockton was shot and killed by Michael Drejka after an argument about a parking spot. Drejka was initially not arrested for the crime until a month later, influenced by surveillance video showing McGlockton backing away from the altercation. Drejka was ultimately charged with manslaughter (Vox). More prominently, stand your ground laws in Florida were hotly contested after the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, which, in part, made it difficult to argue against self-defense and lead to George Zimmerman’s acquittal (The Atlantic).

But Georgia, too, has had its own share of challenges against these laws. In February 2020, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year old Black man, was out running for a jog when he was shot and killed by two men. Initially, no arrests were made based on the “stand your ground” defense. It took public outcry and released video footage of the altercation for an investigation, and the two suspects now face life sentences without parole (NYTimes).

The handling of these cases – no arrests, perceived innocence until proven guilty – are very different from how Marc Wilson’s case was handled. But according to studies, this is unsurprising: there are clear racial disparities in how “stand your ground” laws are enforced. Defendants are twice as likely to walk free if their victims are non-white. And race is considered a “significant predictor” of whether a “stand your ground” defense will be sufficient. In states with “stand your ground” laws, white people that shot someone who was Black were 11x more likely to be protected than the reverse (Bloomberg).

This notion has been reinforced throughout history beyond the “stand your ground” laws. In 1967, members of the Black Panthers Party protested on the steps of the California statehouse armed with loaded guns, urging Black people to arm themselves. At the time, this was legal due to the state’s open-carry laws. But this demonstration scared politicians, who quickly pass the Mulford Act, a state bill prohibiting the open carry of loaded firearms – and prohibiting loaded firearms in the state Capitol (History). Strict gun regulation laws passed across the U.S. shortly thereafter.

And even before this, the notion of stand your ground was reserved for white, male property owners. Native Americans who wanted to defend their homes from colonization had no legal grounds to do so, and many former Confederate states did not allow Black people to own guns for decades (NPR).

But this polarized time shows that, regardless of our history, more people are compelled to buy guns to protect themselves. Self-defense is the leading reason for individuals to purchase a gun. And the biggest increase of firearm sales in 2020 was from Black men and women, who demonstrated a 58.2% increase in purchases during the first six months of 2020 versus the same period last year (NPR). Bruce Tomlin, a 63-year-old truck driver from New Mexico, was inspired to buy a gun after seeing the video of Ahmaud Arbery being shot, stating that he’d “rather go to trial than go to the cemetery” (NPR).

Generally, I don’t think that we should rely on carceral punishment for anyone’s protection. A more comprehensive re-imagination of our criminal justice system is necessary for an inclusive future. And this case only exacerbates that point. If a law designed to promote self-defense can be used to protect those perpetuating the harm, it merely protects violence. And as we re-imagine criminal justice, it’s up to us to advocate justice wherever necessary.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Marc Wilson was charged with murder and aggravated assault for attempting to defend himself after being accosted while driving.
Stand your ground laws are racially inequitable; defendants of color are less likely to be deemed innocent, and violence against Black people is more likely to be protected.
Throughout history, the law has prioritized the protection of self-defense for white, male property owners.

11/16/2020 | Understand your local law enforcement.

10/29/2020 | Fight racist death row sentencing.

9/24/2020 | Demand justice for Breonna Taylor.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/14/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/14/20

Understand racialized tracking.

Almost seven decades after Brown v. Board of Education, school segregation continues, often within the walls of a single school building. Black students comprise 17% of our nation’s students but represent less than 10% of gifted and talented programs – and 53% of remedial programs. (The Atlantic). The process of diverting Black students from educational opportunities is known as “racialized tracking” and is practiced in many school districts across the country. The process is simple: gifted and talented programs practice gatekeeping through admissions tests that privileged students are more prepared to take, resulting in a student body segregated by the courses they are taking (The Atlantic).

Happy Monday and welcome back to the ARD. When I was in kindergarten, I was reading at a third-grade level. I was impatient and bored in school, which meant I was often getting in trouble. It took months of insisting from my mother before someone gave me the chance to prove that I was, indeed, smarter than my teacher thought. And that recognition likely changed my entire trajectory.

And this is an opportunity far few Black children, and children of color, receive. I can't imagine how this issue will be exacerbated as remote learning transforms the education landscape. Nia is here to unpack the history of racialized tracking.

It sounds like many people are eager for more connection! I'm going to dedicate today to creating that space for us. Stay tuned. If you missed Saturday's email, check your spam. We've been having issues with spam and I'm troubleshooting. I'll let you know if I ever skip a day!

Thank you all for your support! Our work is made possible by your contributions. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Support non-profit organizations committed to bringing equity to public schools, such as the Center for Educational Equity.
Review your own school district's policies and practices for tracking and admission into gifted and talented programs. Contact your school board if you have any concerns.
Support Black educators through the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE).
Vote in your local elections for your school board and school superintendent.

GET EDUCATED

By Nia Norris (she/her)

New York City’s public school system is the most frequently cited example of this kind of segregation in school districts. Children as young as kindergarten are separated through standardized testing. The unsurprising result is a segregated student body. In a school district where Black and Latino children make up 65% of the kindergarten population, they comprise only 18% of the gifted students. These disparities continue up until graduation (NY Mag). The New York City school system also utilizes other metrics to determine tracking, such as attendance-- which also puts students of lower socioeconomic status at a disadvantage. In 2019, a task force established by Mayor Bill de Blasio recommended that New York City scrap their gifted and talented programs and their selective admissions programs entirely. Still, the school district has yet to act on this recommendation (NY Times).

Inequities in school districts perpetuate systematic oppression in an especially devious way. By implementing small magnet and gifted programs and gatekeeping through admissions, school districts deprive Black students of the educational opportunities granted to their white counterparts. Meanwhile, they maintain the illusion of an integrated and diverse district. Because education is a predictor of long term success (people who have four-year college degrees earn over $30,000 more annually than people who do not, according to CNN), disenfranchising Black students perpetuates institutionalized racism and upholds the standards of the status quo.

In 1954 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated school districts violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution’s “equal protection clause.” The ruling required school districts to integrate immediately, arguing that the status quo of “separate but equal” was not actually equal (United States Courts).

Although Brown required that schools desegregate, the practice was shaky. Southern states worked around integrating schools through private school vouchers. Many Black schools were simply shuttered, and white students were given vouchers to attend private schools, funding them with public funds (American Progress). Even within school districts, most white students attend mostly white schools, and schools that are predominantly Black have fewer resources to provide quality education. The voucher programs also deliver funding that should be used in the public school system into private schools (SPLC). Also, the closure of Black schools after Brown displaced tens of thousands of Black educators, and Black teachers are still underrepresented in education today (Education Week). As of the 2015-2016 school year, white educators made up 80% of teachers in public schools in the United States (NCES). For more on the lack of diversity in education, check out our previous newsletter.

The good news: there are meaningful alternatives to racialized tracking. Duke University researchers found that when a North Carolina school district adopted rigorous academic standards and treated all students as gifted, educational outcomes improved. The students enrolled in the program during 2006-2010 closed the achievement gap by 4-6 percent and had better graduation and testing rates (Duke). Now, Wake County, North Carolina, is partnering with Duke University to implement a program called Nurturing for a Bright Tomorrow, exploring this concept further (WCPSS).

Covid-19 has given New York City some time to sit back and reconsider their admissions process after their admissions exam process fell apart during the pandemic (NY Times). School districts should take this year of reflection to restructure their programs to adopt an “honors for all” approach (Washington Post). We need to guarantee that our school districts offer the same academic opportunities to all our students.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In many districts, schools use “racialized tracking” to segregate student bodies through the admissions process to gifted and talented programs.
Many of the metrics schools use to determine tracking, such as attendance, work against students of color and students with lower socioeconomic status.
In a school district where Black and Latino children make up 65% of the population, they comprise only 18% of the gifted students (NY Mag).
Schools should adopt an honor system for all approaches to curriculums to offer all students equal opportunities.

10/19/2020 | Support restorative justice in schools.

8/20/2020 | Support affirmative action in schools.

8/17/2020 | Fight for equity in remote learning.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/13/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/13/20

Acknowledge whiteness in classical art.

Historically, whiteness has been hailed as the standard in beauty, art, and culture. In contrast, typically antithetical features (like deeper skin tones, coily/kinky hair, or wider/fuller facial features or body types) have been deemed inferior and thus unbeautiful. This can often mean interpretations of classical art that are based on preconceived notions of anti-Blackness. An example of this is the 2004 book cover from Benjamin Issaac’s The Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity from Princeton University Press. The modern depiction of this 510 BC Greek painting of Herakles ad Bousiris plays to anti-Black imagery of the naked Black male offset by his clothed white counterparts as violent, savage, and animalistic. But it does not acknowledge the more sophisticated approach to race that is present in the original painting, showing a myriad of complexions that are more representative of ancient Egyptian civilization (Getty).

It's Sunday, and we're back! Today we're joined by Mary-Hannah, a new writer at the Anti-Racism Daily, who's unpacking how our relationship to whiteness is influenced by classical art. I learned a ton through reading and editing this piece, and I hope you will, too.

And thank you all for your support! Because of you, we can offer this newsletter free of charge and also pay our staff of writers and editors. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or subscribe for $7/month on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Follow platforms like A Black History of Art (@ablackhistoryofart) that provide a more representative view of world art history.

Reflect: the next time you come across a historical narrative that praises European and/or Western progression, ask yourself these questions:
- Who are the ‘heroes’ of the story? Does this chronicle uphold whiteness as the standard?
- Where do Black and Brown people fit into the narrative?
- How would I/do I feel when history diminishes the presence and contributions of people who look like me?
Consider how you react to Black and Brown cultural identities and expression. Identify unconscious biases you may hold about who or what is “ideal.”

GET EDUCATED

By Mary-Hannah Oteju (she/her)

“
One is White as one is rich, as one is beautiful, as one is intelligent.
Frantz Fanon

We see continue to see this racial exclusion in TV romance dramas like Love Island (Popsugar), in the beauty and modeling world (Vogue), and even in academia. This impacts how we understand Black and Brown identities in these spheres, and results in people who aren’t white (or white-passing) receiving fewer opportunities and less representation in the media.

Recently, news anchor and reporter Tashara Parker from WFAA-TV in Dallas went viral for her natural updo (Today). Though many applauded her for celebrating her Black hair and Blackness, the image posted of her online sparked some debate about professionalism in the workspace. Often whiteness and its associated features are considered the most professional in the working world. This often leaves Black and Brown people in liminal spaces while navigating the web of their racial identities and workplace expectations (Byrdie).

Upholding whiteness as the standard is not a phenomenon that was formed from thin air. The exaltation of whiteness in media, art, and culture stems back to the Renaissance period. During this era, many artists fascinated with the earlier Greco-Roman period began to recreate those statues, opting for white marble to reflect what they understood to be the “classical” artistic technique. However, those Greco-Roman marble sculptures, such as the famous statue of Caesar Augustus from 1 AD, were originally vibrantly painted and adorned with intricate patterns and shapes. But over the centuries, these pigments faded, leading Renaissance artists to believe that they had originally been white (Vox). In the 18th century, influential art historians such as Johann Joachim Winckelmann began praising the “pristine whiteness” of these marble statues as the classical archetype (Hyperallergic).

It was from works like these that Eurocentrism and whiteness began to pervade conceptions of beauty. Color was equated to barbarism, in terms of race due to the ongoing transatlantic slave trade and also artistic pigment. Recently, using new technology, art historians have been able to identify that these statues were originally painted in color (Gizmodo). While this recent revelation does not make these ancient sculptures distinctively pro-Black/Brown, they do work to change not only how we understand the use of color in the classical world but challenges how we view color and even race today.

Continuing to hail whiteness as the ideal leaves no room for other racial and ethnic identities to flourish in the modern world. In the academic sphere, the ongoing battle of “decolonizing” the curriculum (The Guardian) in world-renowned universities like Oxford and Cambridge demonstrates that there are still overwhelming systematic biases that continually stifle color and diversity in contemporary intellectualism.

In the US, the number of non-white professors is significantly lower than non-white students in higher education. Data from 2017 says that 76 percent of all college and university faculty members were white, compared to 55 percent of undergraduates (Inside Higher Ed). While there has been substantial growth in racial diversity amongst the student population within the last two decades, the world of professional academia is still very racially exclusive. (For more on racism in academia, check out our previous newsletter.)

As a student of modern and medieval history and language, I’ve experienced first hand how historical narratives continue to exclude the contributions and discoveries of Black and Brown people for the simple reason that they aren’t white. For example, the impressive Nok sculptures from ancient southern West Africa are one example of Black artistry in classical world art. Some of these archaeological discoveries of the Nok peoples date back to as early as 1500 BC and are crucial in understanding early ancient civilizations. (ThoughtCo)

Similarly, bronze sculptures from c. 850 AD South India that depict Hindu deities can be crucial in analyzing the evolution of religious art history. They are also important in understanding early Indian art history in a wider cultural-historical context. However, because these are ancient Black and Brown art sculptures that do not showcase white civilization, they have not been afforded the same treatment when it comes to understanding classical world art history. Ignoring the historical prevalence of Black and Brown early civilizations and their art not only whitewashes classical world history but leaves minimal space to appreciate Black and Brown cultures as key to global history today.

The pervasiveness of whiteness as a societal paradigm means that Black and Brown people continually fight to legitimize our perspective. It is not enough for us to just be-- we are continually obliged to assimilate in outward expression and internal thought if we want to succeed.

Initiatives like the CROWN Act and other anti-discriminatory policies are the first steps in making diversity the standard. They put pressure on organizations and businesses to assess how they treat and view Black and Brown people, including women like Tashara Parker, and their cultural identities. While anti-discrimination laws will never be the panacea that a world plagued by inequality needs (World of Labor), they take a necessary step in identifying and denouncing discriminatory practices.

When whiteness is no longer upheld as the standard, cultural and ethnic diversity can truly be celebrated instead of simply being add-ons in one-week diversity panels and boards. The realities of being Black or Brown in America will no longer be a set of hurdles to overcome, but rather a mosaic of experiences and cultures to be celebrated and explored. A society that no longer deifies whiteness is a society in which beauty, art, and culture can be accepted in all shades.

Mary-Hannah Oteju is a junior at Cambridge University studying Modern and Medieval Languages. She is of British-Nigerian heritage but a metro-Atlanta native and is interested in exploring global concepts of Blackness throughout history within gendered and religious contexts.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

History isn’t objective. Often Black and Brown people are left out of historical narratives that have shaped how we view and understand the modern world.
Greco-Roman sculptures were often brightly painted but lost their color over hundreds of years. Their colorless appearance centuries later upheld a standard of whiteness that was inaccurate.
As a societal ideal, glorifying whiteness creates no room for Black and Brown people and their cultural expressions, which delegitimizes their positions in countless ways.
Rejecting whiteness through policy and legislature is just the first step in creating room for non-performative diversity and inclusion for Black and Brown people.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/11/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/11/20

Rally for representation in AI.

Dr. Timnit Gebru is a well-respected leader in the field of ethical A.I., an industry that’s committed to making artificial intelligence more inclusive and representative of our diverse population. She co-authored a groundbreaking paper that showed facial recognition to be less accurate at identifying women and people of color. She co-founded the Black in AI affinity group. And she was the co-leader of Google’s Ethical A.I. team – that is, until they abruptly forced her out of the company (Dr. Timnit Gebru’s Twitter).

Happy Friday, and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! I’ve watched this story unfold over the past week and see so many topics that we’ve touched on in this newsletter into one story. Read the injustices against Dr. Timnit Gebru and its implications in tech, and consider how you can protect critical voices in your own industry or area of passion.

Tomorrow's newsletter is our weekly Study Hall, where I answer questions and share insights from the community. Reply to this email to ask yours.

And thank you all for your generous support! Because of you, we can offer this newsletter free of charge and also pay our staff of writers and editors. Join in by making a one-time gift on ourwebsiteorPayPal, orsubscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go toantiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

If you consider yourself an “academic, civil society, or industry supporter,” sign the petition and stand with Dr. Timnit Gebru. If you identify as a Black woman, you can also sign this petition.
Read the apology written by Google’s CEO and compare it to our previous newsletter on apologies. Reflect on how it could have been approved. We’ll compare notes in tomorrow’s Study Hall.
If you identify as white, consider: how can you be a stronger advocate for the underestimated communities working in your field?

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Many leaders in the field indicate that her termination may be because of a research paper she was writing with her colleagues that outlined some of the inequities of large language models – or the body of data used to train A.I. software. As a result, more than 2,000 Googlers and over 3,700 supporters in academia and industry have signed a petition supporting Gebru and calling what happened to her “a retaliatory firing” and a case of “unprecedented research censorship.”

MIT Technology Review was allowed to publish some of the core findings, and they all are critical insights to making A.I. more inclusive. It notes the environmental and financial costs of running large data systems and how large databases are difficult to audit for embedded biases. It warns that these language models might not understand the context of words when wielded for racist or sexist purposes. It emphasizes that communities with less of a public lexicon than dominant culture won’t have an equal share of voice, meaning that their perspectives will be lost in the algorithms. And it warns how A.I. can be wielded to cause harm by impersonating real people or misconstruing their words. Read the full overview in MIT Technology Review.

Although the company may have viewed these topics as controversial, they’re certainly not new. Many researchers – including Gebru – have been advocating for the development and implementation of A.I. to be more inclusive, equitable, and accountable. Dr. Safiya U. Noble, author and assistant professor at the University of Southern California, has penned several pieces on the bias of algorithms, including this piece on how horribly “Black girls” are depicted when typed into Google (Time). Author Rashida Richardson published a study on how police precincts that have engaged in “corrupt, racially biased, or otherwise illegal” practices contribute their data to predictive models that are taught to perpetuate the same harm (SSRN). We’ve covered the inequities in facial recognition software in a previous newsletter. As Deborah Raji notes in her article in MIT Technology Review, many people like to say that the “data doesn’t lie.” But it does, often centering a white, male perspective on issues that should reflect all of us – and disproportionately harm marginalized communities.

"
The fact is that AI doesn’t work until it works for all of us.

Deborah Raji, a Mozilla fellow interested in algorithmic auditing and evaluation, for MIT Technology Review

But how are we expected to hold the industry accountable if they won’t make that commitment themselves? The controversy surrounding Gebru’s termination isn’t isolated, but one of many calls for Google’s accountability. And just a few weeks ago, the National Labor Relations Board found Google guilty of violating workplace rights for spying on, interrogating, and firing workers (Ars Technica). According to its 2020 Diversity and Inclusion report, only 24.7% of its technical workforce are women, and 2.4% are Black.

And similar stories are heard across Big Tech. Facebook has been pushed repeatedly to account for racial bias, hateful rhetoric, and election misinformation on its platform, and has recently announced new efforts that still fall short. Employees have rallied for accountability, staging walkouts and other protests (CBS News).

The unfair treatment that Gebru has experienced only further exemplifies the point. It doesn’t just deflect from the facts that she and her team have been working on. It’s a direct statement on the value of Black women and their worth in technology; indeed, a clear demonstration of some of the systemic barriers that got us to this point. And I want to underline this because it’s indicative of many conversations we have in this newsletter – the challenges that people of color, particularly Black people, experience when they are actively working to reshape oppressive systems.

"
We’re not creating technology in our own imagination. They create technology in their imagination to serve their interest, it harms our communities, and then we have to perform cleanup. Then while we’re performing cleanup, we get retaliated against.

Timnit Gebru, in an interview with VentureBeat written by Khari Johnson

Google CEO Sundar Pichai apologized for the situation (Axios). I highly recommend reading the apology and Gebru’s response to it, using some of the points made in our newsletter on apologies. Gebru also references gaslighting, which we’ve broken down in another newsletter. But the damage is already done. Google has lost a prolific leader in AI ethics, and many have lost their faith in them. It also casts a disturbing picture of how major corporations can attempt to silence individuals whose voices are necessary for us to move into a more equitable future.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Dr. Timnit Gebru, a leading researcher in ethical A.I. was unfairly terminated in her position at Google.
A.I. has been known for misrepresenting or harming, marginalized communities because of lack of representation and accountability from Big Tech
It's important that we protect those trying to reshape inequitable systems, especially when they represent marginalized communities

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/9/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/9/20

Amplify mental health resources for immigrants.

The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn has affected people globally, immigrants are especially vulnerable. As they grapple with job loss, family death, stacking bills, eviction, health issues, and remote schooling and caregiving, immigrants’ mental health is being impacted by these conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Happy Thursday and welcome back! A new Gallup survey found that "Americans’ assessment of our mental health is 'worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades'" (NYTimes). Although we covered the intersection of COVID-19 and systemic oppression frequently, we haven't discussed its impact on our mental health. Kayla joins us today with her perspective on how we can amplify mental health resources for immigrants, who are disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Thank you for all your messages alerting me that I didn't switch yesterday's Key Takeaways in the newsletter. My sincere apologies. They are correct on the web version of the newsletter. Usually, I make real-time edits where needed on the web version, found here: antiracismdaily.com/read.

Thank you for your generous support! Because of you, we can offer this newsletter free of charge and also pay our staff of writers and editors. Join in by making a one-time gift on ourwebsiteorPayPal, orsubscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go toantiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Learn more about mental health resources for immigrants and refer immigrants to the resources from the Immigrant Learning Center’s list
Share this curated list of diverse and inclusive therapists (from InclusiveTherapists.com) that can meet the needs of immigrants
Check your local mental health organization for ways you can support and/or spread the word about their resources.
Have conversations with family members to destigmatize mental health. First, educate yourself about your own mental health situation. Second, explore what support systems you have, and lastly, if you feel comfortable, share with loved ones what you are experiencing.

GET EDUCATED

By Kayla Hui (she/her)

While every administration has dealt with immigration differently, the Trump Administration has gained its notorious reputation for separating kids at the border. A few weeks ago, Trump blocked the Justice Department from paying for mental health services for migrant families who had been separated at the border especially amid a global pandemic (NBC News).

For example, 14.3% of immigrant workers live in overcrowded housing, making it difficult to practice social distancing (Center for Immigration Studies). Immigrants and children born from immigrant parents are also more likely to experience food insecurity (PubMed). Coupled with COVID-19 stress, they are dealing with job and health insurance loss, hampering mental health access.

Common mental health issues include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychiatric disorders related to exposure to war, violence, and torture (PubMed). A study found that immigrants were much less likely than nonimmigrants to utilize mental health services, especially among communities of color.

There are two types of barriers that hamper mental health access for immigrants, cultural and structural (PubMed). Cultural barriers include stigma, norms, and attitudes whereas structural barriers include factors such as costs, transportation, and discrimination.

When trying to seek mental health care, my sisters and I were always met with the same response: “You don’t need it. There’s nothing wrong with you.” Growing up in an uninsured immigrant household, stigmatization was just one of the barriers that prevented my family and I from seeking mental health services. When the pandemic hit, our mental health was hit hard. Some of my family members had lost their jobs, experienced stress from surmounting bills, and were socially isolated. I witnessed the repercussions of the pandemic on my family and knew that we weren't alone in experiencing these barriers to mental health access.

Oftentimes, access to mental health services can be seen as an extra or unnecessary expense especially in communities where stigma is prevalent, making it hard to justify its need to family members (The University of Chicago Press Journals). When mental health is left unmanaged, it can lead to physical health problems, homelessness, job instability, and suicide (Psychology Today).

In addition to the lack of health and mental health coverage for immigrants, language barriers persist in the mental health space. A study found an association between the under-utilization of psychiatric services with language proficiency (Psychiatry Online).

“What does this mean?” was a common question my grandmother would ask whenever we visited the doctors. Because English was my grandmother’s second language, I translated healthcare information in the doctor’s office from Cantonese to English so that she could understand. For many immigrants where English is not their Native language, understanding health information can be daunting. Therefore, there is a need for multilingual mental health providers who are culturally competent and can understand the mental health needs of immigrants.

Beyond cultural barriers, there are structural roadblocks including the lack of access to health insurance. Unfortunately, health insurance coverage for immigrants is a complex issue that predates the pandemic. Back in the 1940s, the United States federal government tied health insurance to employment by incentivizing employers to start offering health insurance to workers. As health insurance industry grew, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) began chipping away at the tax-exempt status. To save the tax-exemption for employer-based insurance, the Eisenhower administration secured tax-exemption permanently. Thus, employer-based health insurance was born. (The Observer).

Health insurance access is even harder for undocumented immigrants, many of whom are not eligible to work jobs due to the racist and discriminatory nature of our employment and health system. Under federal programs such as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid, undocumented immigrants are not eligible to receive those benefits, leaving the state of their mental health vulnerable (Health Insurance). Of the 44.8 million immigrants living in the United States, nearly 20% were uninsured in 2018 (Pew Research Center).

And this issue was exacerbated because of COVID-19. Between February and March, the number of unemployed immigrants increased by 30%, doubling the unemployment rate of U.S. born workers. (Migration Policy Institute). Because health insurance coverage is tied to employment, immigrants lost their health insurance and mental health coverage.

Federal programs are fueled by taxpayer dollars. It is disheartening to see how immigrants are not covered under some federal programs, despite undocumented immigrants paying a total of $11.7 billion in state and local taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (Vox). Due to the 1996 welfare law, it categorized immigrants for eligibility for federal programs such as “qualified” and “not qualified” (National Immigration Law Center). The “qualified immigrant category includes people with green cards, refugees granted asylum, certain survivors of sex trafficking and abuse. For the “not qualified” category, those include undocumented individuals. Many federal benefit programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, non-emergency Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) leave immigrants out. And because health insurance coverage is not distributed equally, the health system was designed to only benefit a select few, leaving immigrants with worser mental health outcomes. Sadly, the United States does not provide universal healthcare for all.

When members of our community thrive, we all thrive. Immigrants are members of our community and their health should be a priority. We can support their mental health by destigmatizing it, supporting policies that shape health insurance access for immigrants, and support community organizations that are amplifying their mental health needs.

Mental health impacts every facet of our lives. It governs our daily actions and shapes our behavior. Therefore, access to affordable mental health should be prioritized and made available. Mental health is a human right.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting immigrants' mental health.
Cultural and structural barriers hamper immigrants mental health access (PubMed).
Albeit undocumented immigrants pay taxes, they aren’t protected or covered under federal programs like the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid programs

10/5/2020 | Protect undocumented Americans.

9/17/2020 | Abolish ICE.

8/10/2020 | Respect the relationship between name and identity.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/9/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/9/20

Rethink transracial adoption.

Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett publicized her large family, including two Haitian adoptees. In response, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi wrote that historically, white families used adoption to “civilize” “savage” Black children. “And whether this is Barrett or not,” he tweeted, there is “a belief that too many White people have: if they have or adopt a child of color, then they can’t be racist.” Conservatives were outraged at the “attack” on Barrett’s children, arguing that no one who invited children of color into her home could be racist (Newsweek).

Good morning (or afternoon or evening) and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Today we're honored to have Andrew here to share his perspective on transracial adoption. This came up in questions when we wrote about Amy Coney Barrett back in October (see related issues section for context) and I'm glad we have a voice to share more with us today. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

TAKE ACTION

Support the Adoptee Citizenship Act to ensure no internationally adopted person fails to receive US citizenship.
Follow Nodutdol, Raha Feminist Collective, About Face, and Code Pink to learn how to oppose US military intervention and exploitative practices that create orphans for the adoption system.
Help transracial adoptees build multiracial communities by reaching out across racial or cultural lines.
Recognize that white Americans benefit from military and economic practices that create adoptees. Follow @ROAR_Magazine, @inthesetimesmag, and @democracynow to learn more.

GET EDUCATED

By Andrew Lee (he/him)

But this isn’t just about one judge. While this summer’s protests brought racial injustice into the consciousness of many white people, some of them still believe that transracially adopting (that is, adopting across racial lines) a non-white child is the ultimate act of allyship.

This issue is personal for me because I’m a Korean person adopted into a largely white family. I think it’s important to question the idea that international, transracial adoption is a pure act of white allyship. This isn’t because I wish I stayed in an orphanage, or because I’m against multiracial families, or because I think that people who can’t or don’t want to have biological children should be prohibited from raising kids. However, like many other transracially, internationally adopted people, I’ve realized that there’s a lot more at stake in these adoptions than we first think.

About 200,000 Korean children like me have been adopted by families in the United States (NBC News). Scores of adoptees come from countries like Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Thailand (Considering Adoption). The narrative is that our birth families don’t want us, so their adoptive parents do us a service by taking us in. In this story, birth families and countries are irresponsible, while adoptive families and the United States are charitable humanitarians.

There are a few problems with this. First, international adoption has been loosely regulated. In some countries, parents place their children in an orphanage temporarily when they can’t make ends meet, later returning to reclaim them (CNN, Firstpost). Some have found their child has been adopted to a different country in their absence. In other cases, adoptive parents fail to correctly register their kids for US citizenship (The Intercept). Their children find out years later that they’re actually undocumented immigrants subject to deportation to countries don’t remember (NBC News). The demand for adoptees is so strong that the welfare of actual adoptees can be an afterthought.

The second problem with the humanitarian view of adoption is that countries that send children to the United States are often poor as a result of the American government’s actions.

There’s a reason Americans don’t get adoptees from France or England. While South Korea isn’t a poor country today, adoption from the country started right after the Korean War, when it was one of the poorest (Brookings). During the war, American forces deforested nearly the entire peninsula with napalm (Truthout). Some women survived by having sexual relations with American occupying forces. Their mixed-race children were the first Korean American adoptees (USA Today).

Afterwards, adoption of full-blooded Korean children like me followed, as efforts to economically outcompete the communist North came at the expense of setting up a welfare system for single mothers (The Korea Herald). Adoption from South Korea, wrote adoptee Maija E. Brown, created “a paternal attitude between Korea and the US where white Americans rescued Asian orphans, while concealing the US responsibility in the Korean War” (University of Minnesota). In the words of Ju-Jyun Park, adoption from South Korea is one of the ways in which “the war lives on as a material fact” (The New Inquiry).

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, another source of adoptees, has seen autocracy and war since the United States helped overthrow democratically elected Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the 1960s (Guardian). Today, conflict is driven by the reserves of valuable metals like coltan, essential to the production of computers and cellphones (Dissent). Just as in Korea, US policies created the conditions to ensure vulnerable children couldn’t be supported by society, and then swept in as these children’s “savior.”

Even domestic transracial adoptions have problematic aspects. How else could you describe a system that literally offers Black children at a “discount” rate compared to white children (NPR)? (For more on the complications that can arise with the domestic adoption industry, check out this report and this article.)

This is why a color-blind savior attitude towards adoption just doesn’t cut it. If you transracially adopt a child, recognize that systemic racism doesn’t disappear because you “don’t see race.” That child will need a multiracial community to provide the resources and resiliency to survive in a white supremacist society, skills that no white parents will be able to provide, no matter how good their intentions.

In the words of transracial Korean adoptee Jenn Hardin, racial justice means we have to “explore the dark history of Korean adoption, the parts that don’t fit the ‘save the orphans’ narrative that so many refer to because it’s all they know” (Medium). We should question the transfer of resources and children from poor countries to rich ones. We should rethink a system that deprives poor women of color in poor countries of the social support and reproductive care that would stop their countries’ orphanages from filling up with potential adoptees.

It’s time to rethink transracial adoption.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

About 200,000 Korean children have been adopted by families in the United States (NBC News). Adoption from the country started right after the Korean War.
The countries that send children to the United States are often poor as a result of US military and government actions. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, US policies created the conditions to ensure vulnerable children couldn’t be supported by society, and then swept in as these children’s “savior.”
A color-blind savior attitude towards adoption is not allyship. Systemic racism doesn’t disappear because you “don’t see race.” Transracially adopted children need a multiracial community to provide the resources and resiliency to survive in a white supremacist society, skills that white parents cannot provide, no matter how good their intentions.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/8/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/8/20

Learn how to apologize.

As we become more aware and attuned, we are bound to make mistakes – which means in various scenarios we may cause harm or be harmed. Our fear of this can force us to retreat from tough conversations or important moments of learning. But suppose we can equip ourselves with tools for navigating challenging situations. In that case, we can more effectively practice harm reduction if and when it occurs – and feel more confident when engaging in uncomfortable situations. This act may allow us to stay in relationship – not run and flee.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! I'm celebrating the small joys this week, so I'm looking forward to a nice cup of coffee and the sunshine the day will bring. Today we're diving into the act of apologizing and how essential it is to this work. It was inspired by rich conversation with our first cohort of our Anti-Racism for DEI course that wrapped this week. I'd love to hear how you're moving through apologies this year.

Thank you all for your generous support of our newsletter. Because of you, we can offer this newsletter free of charge and pay our staff of writers and editors. Join in by making a one-time gift on ourwebsiteorPayPal, orsubscribe for $7/monthon Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go toantiracismdaily.com.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Reflect on the apologies you've experienced in your life. How did they feel? What resonated with you? What left you feeling unfulfilled?
Practice an apology by yourself some time today. You can apologize for something you've actually done to someone else, or apologize for how you might have treated yourself at some point.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

One of these tools is the act of apologizing. And apologizing isn’t embedded in U.S. culture. Generally, people in the U.S. are wary of admitting that they are wrong. A personal admission of guilt can lead to consequences – a loss of respect, friends, and community, and complicated emotions to process individually. A study found that, on average, politicians who apologized were more likely to lose support than gain it afterward, which some use as a rationale for why President Trump doesn’t apologize (NYTimes). Legally, apologies can be weaponized for punishment, which is why lawyers and insurance agents may recommend against it (The Daily Beast).

This perspective is quite different than how other countries embrace apologies as part of their culture, as explained in Harvard Business Review. And here, it seems our aversion to apologizing is part of our relationship with power. An offender will often choose not to apologize because they “maintain a greater sense of control and often feel better about themselves” (Scientific American). This perceived sense of power may feel like protection against external shame, blame, and consequence.

But it also blocks us from accountability – a critical skill needed when we’re doing this work. Not just when we engage in conversations on a one-on-one basis, but when we envision how we want communities to thrive. We can’t continue to rely on punitive practices when we work to change systems: like re-imagining public safety and collective care. And we can’t keep shaming our leaders for admitting mistakes until we are ultimately left with those too proud to do so.

Luckily, we can practice apologies on our own and bring them into our next conversation. And a wholesome apology is more than just saying, “I’m sorry.” There are many spaces for inspiration you can go to for apologies, including your own spiritual, religious, or cultural backgrounds. I have learned a lot from resources created by Mia Mingus and Brené Brown and recommend their work in full. Here are some important points I’ve learned:

Invest in self-reflection.

The apologies we’re focusing on aren’t the compulsive “OMG, I’m SO sorry” ones you might squawk out if you bump into someone on the street. We’re looking for thoughtful and sincere apologies, and those often take some deep self-refection. To complete the following steps, you must be willing to understand your role in what happened. That may include journaling and processing individually, talking with a friend, or learning from books, podcasts, etc. Start here so you can do your best moving forward. Learn more via Mia Mingus.

Note: Reflect on what is yours to own.

I think it’s worth including from my perspective as a Black woman born and raised in the U.S. Women, women of color particularly, are often burdened to take responsibility for the wrongdoings around them. I often find myself wanting to apologize for something that was done to me, not by me. I encourage all of us, but particularly those most marginalized, to reflect on whether or not that’s actually our burden to carry, especially if we’re the ones receiving the harm.

Say you’re sorry.

Naming that your sorry – without any “ifs, ands, or buts” is critical. Changing, or removing this phrase entirely, is a common way people try to eschew responsibility. Using phrases like “I’m sorry you felt that way” or “I didn’t realize you’re so sensitive” puts the focus on the other person’s feelings, not your actions. Phrases like these can be wielded to manipulate or even gaslight others, too, so you want to avoid that regardless of intention. Instead, stick to the action that you can apologize for, like, “I’m sorry I said what I said last night.” More on this from Brene Brown in conversation with Harriet Lerner.

Acknowledge the impact.

We reference intention v. impact often in this newsletter because it’s an essential act of accountability (learn more here). And that’s no difference when it comes to apologizing. Instead of emphasizing that you “didn’t mean” or “never intended” to do something, name and acknowledge the impact. That can look like “I realize my behavior last night made you upset” or “I now understand that my actions are incredibly condescending. I appreciate how Franchesca Ramsey breaks this down in this video.

Change your behavior.

An apology is something we do, not something we say. And we carry it forward by changing our behavior to minimize opportunities for future harm. This action might be something you name in your apology, like “moving forward, I will not talk to you that way again.” It may also be something you commit to learning more about so you can grow, “I’m going to take a course so I can better understand how to engage properly.” But neither you, the recipient, or society gain anything until you put it into practice. This might be difficult, and burdensome, and tiring, and overwhelming – yet if you’re going to apologize, you have to be committed to this step. Learn more via Mia Mingus.

----

Remember that after you apologize, regardless of how well-rehearsed and well-practiced, you have to detach yourself from the outcome. No one owes you their forgiveness, no matter how deeply you may desire it. Respect the recipient’s boundaries and ensure your apology is consensual. And, note that an apology is not a replacement with other forms of accountability, like giving reparations or removing yourself from a position of power. But sometimes, an apology can be an excellent start to transforming our relationships – with ourselves, each other, and society as a whole. And we have to start somewhere.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Apologizing is a form of accountability.
U.S. culture tends to prioritize punishment over accountability. To disrupt these systems, we must disrupt how we relate to apologies.
Apologies can be well-crafted and practiced, but that still doesn't mean that they need to be accepted.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/7/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/7/20

Demand justice for Nickolas Lee.

On April 12th, 2020, Cassandra Greer-Lee discovered that her husband, Nickolas Lee, had died after contracting coronavirus in Chicago’s Cook County Jail (CCJ). At the time, the jail was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times). Like many of CCJ’s detainees, Lee was awaiting trial. Today, Cassandra is sharing her personal experience with us. In this interview, she tells us about her beloved husband, her ongoing activism, and what she thinks achieving true justice for her husband would look like.

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Today, we're centering Cassandra Greer-Lee and her fight for justice for her husband, Nickolas, and all detainees vulnerable to COVID-19. Take a few moments today to join her efforts.

This newsletter is made possible by our generous group of supporters. Join in by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here. Thank you all for making this work possible.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Support Cassandra and other Cook County Jail protesters via @justice4nicklee or facebook.com/JusticeForNickolas. Mutual aid can be sent to facilitator @Megan-Kay-2 (Venmo) or $megankay11(Cashapp). To spread awareness, use hashtags #JusticeForNick and #FreeThemAll.
Contact your state’s attorney or county sheriff’s office. Demand that officials protect public health by protecting, isolating, and releasing detainees. (If you are in Cook County, Chicago Community Bond Fund (@chibondfund) provides templates.)
Support laws like the Pre-trial Justice Fairness Act to end money bond. Donate to bail bond funds.
Follow groups like Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (@soulinchicago), Torture Justice Center (@chitorturejustice) and Nikkei Uprising to support and learn more.

GET EDUCATED

By Jami Nakamura Lin with Cassandra Greer-Lee (she/her)

Today, Cassandra is sharing her personal experience with us. In this interview, she tells us about her beloved husband, her ongoing activism, and what she thinks achieving true justice for her husband would look like.

First, some context: today, eight months after Lee died, coronavirus is again widely circulating at CCJ. As of December 4th, 316 of the 5,493 people detained in the jail have coronavirus, the highest number of current cases ever (Cook County Jail Coronavirus Tracker). Yet CCJ does not plan to release any further detainees. (In the spring, due to public pressure and coronavirus concerns, CCJ released some of “those awaiting trial and low-level nonviolent offenders” (CNN).)

Inmates, advocates, and correctional officers themselves have long argued that CCJ hasn’t done nearly enough to protect the public health of people inside (Block Club Chicago). In September, a federal appeals court upheld a judge’s earlier injunction that mandated widespread coronavirus prevention policies inside the jail, despite Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s appeals (Chicago Community Bond Fund). For more on the conditions inside CCJ, check out Injustice Watch.

Interview with Cassandra Greer-Lee

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

In the beginning of this painful battle, on the day Nickolas died, I called Channel 7 News. They were airing the coronavirus deaths, and I asked if they could please stop labeling him “Detainee #3”. He has a name. My battle has been to show that he was a man. Not just a detainee, not just a number. That’s why I carry his big picture around all the time. He had a family that loved him.

He was only 43 years old. He had a lot of living left to do with me. He was a phenomenal cook and a wonderful friend. He was the type of person to encourage you to do better and be better. People might have thought he was mean because he never smiled, but he wasn’t. He loved to see me smile. God couldn’t have blessed me with a better man, and I will never find another friend like him in all my life. My goal was to continue to grow old with him. But that was cut short. His death was preventable.

So I want people to know— please look past the things [Sheriff Tom] Dart said about my husband. He should have had the opportunity to go through the judicial system so a judge could decide whether he was guilty or not guilty. But instead, he was sentenced to death by coronavirus at Cook County Jail. The saddest part about CCJ and this whole system is that they would rather prepare for mass incarceration than to make programs, help children, and give money to low-income communities to prevent mass incarceration.

The jail system is not made to reform anyone. This is profit. This is human lives for profit.

I just need everyone to know— yeah, my husband was an inmate. He still deserved to live. I don’t deserve this pain. I tried to save his life. My husband tried to save his own life to no avail. And Tom Dart [who tested positive at the end of November] gets to quarantine with all the wonderful luxuries of his home and the comfort of his wife. I don’t wish him any ill will, because no one should have to go through the pain that I’m going through. But he doesn’t have to be in a hospital room alone with people coming in wearing space suits. At the hospital, my husband couldn’t even walk to the window to see me, and I was downstairs there every day he was at Stroger [Hospital]. I was just trying to send up my energy to him.

I think if he had gotten to Stroger earlier, he could have lived. But when he got there, he went straight to the ICU. He was already in an advanced stage of COVID. Based on speaking to my husband on the phone, the [CCJ] guards were scared to come on the tier. The nurses were afraid. It took until inmates were deathly ill before they could be moved [to the hospital].

I am fighting my hardest to make sure that no other family feels this pain. Unfortunately, we just filled the eighth casket that we were hoping that we wouldn’t. But we’re still fighting, and I now have forces that have joined with me. At the beginning, I was alone and no one really cared about an inmate’s wife. And then people like Chicago Community Bond Fund (@chibondfund) and Nikkei Uprising came and stood with me. People like Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (@soulinchicago) and Torture Justice Center (@chitorturejustice).

On one hand, we are getting victories— on the court side, judges are agreeing with us. We were able to defund the jail by $35 million, even though it was only a fraction of the $157 million we were hoping to put back into Black and Brown communities. (Read more about Budget for Black Lives. ) We are being heard. This fight isn’t in vain.

But the victory isn’t where I really would like to see it, which is back there with the detainees [in CCJ], those human beings whose lives are in jeopardy. Their fate could be my husband’s. I keep in contact with other inmates mainly through the phone, but also when I’m outside protesting, through letters in the windows, notes on dry erase boards. I first connected with them when my husband was there— he would have other inmates call me to see if I had found any help [for his coronavirus]. Some days he was too sick to call me, so they would call me instead.

After Nick, I told them to keep calling me. My heart is so heavy for them. I am fighting for them. I was speaking to one of their mothers, and she was crying so hard. Her son’s bond is $200,000, and she just doesn’t have it. She’s doing all the overtime she can. It broke my heart because she was right: your freedom depends on wealth. And he’s not yet convicted of anything.

So for me, finding true justice for Nickolas would be first, voting Tom Dart out, and to get [a sheriff] who understands that inmates’ lives matter. Second, to end money bail. And then— I know this is farfetched— to close down county jails. Before then, to stop preparing for mass incarceration, and instead to prevent incarceration.

As of right now, the memories hurt. I try to think so hard about them, even though that’s all I have left— memories. But I have to fight. I just can’t let them murder him and do nothing. I’m going to go out every Sunday until we win. As long as my husband is dead and Tom Dart is there, I’m going to be out there.

Cassandra Greer-Lee protests in front of Cook County Jail every Sunday afternoon from 1-5pm and welcomes others to join her. For more information, check out @justice4nicklee or facebook.com/JusticeForNickolas. Mutual aid can be sent to facilitator @Megan-Kay-2 (Venmo) or $MeganKay11(Cashapp). Donations are requested for protester supplies (heaters, signs, etc) and for materials for people inside CCJ (books, crosswords, etc). To spread awareness, use hashtags #JusticeForNick and #FreeThemAll.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Nickolas Lee died on April 12th, 2020. He was a phenomenal cook, a wonderful husband and friend, and the third person detained at Cook County Jail (CCJ) to die of coronavirus. At the time, CCJ was the nation’s “largest-known source of coronavirus infections” (NY Times).
Like many people in CCJ, Lee was awaiting trial. Because of America’s unjust pre-trial money bond system, the wealthy can await trial at home, while those without enough money to pay bail remain incarcerated and at risk.
Lee’s wife, Cassandra Greer-Lee, believes that achieving #JusticeForNick means replacing Sheriff Tom Dart, ending money bail, changing our mass incarceration system, and— eventually— closing county jails.

10/29/2020 | Fight racist death row sentencing.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/6/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/6/20

Promote harm reduction during the overdose epidemic.

Since the coronavirus pandemic shut down America, opioid overdoses have been on the rise. There are many explanations for this, including new stressors and uncertainty, general isolation, and a decline in the accessibility of recovery programs and treatment centers (US News). Though Black people use opioids at about the same rate as the rest of the general population, they have seen the highest increase in opioid deaths (SAMHSA).

Hi and Happy Sunday! How are you feeling this week? It's been a busy couple of weeks for us – we're hiring two new staff members and just brought on a designer to introduce video and updated assets to the brand. I'm excited and eagerly counting down the days til 2021.

Today we're joined by Nia who's unpacking the disproportionate impact of the opioid crisis during COVID-19, particularly on communities of color. I'm committing to taking a CPR class (online!) this month.

TAKE ACTION

If you know people who use opioids (including legal prescription opioids), consider obtaining naloxone and getting training on using it. Depending on your state, naloxone may be available over the counter at your pharmacy. Naloxone can also be accessed through local harm reduction initiatives. If you are having a hard time finding naloxone in your area, you can get naloxone online.
Take a CPR training class to be prepared if you encounter someone who is unresponsive due to an overdose.
Consider donating to harm reduction organizations that distribute lifesaving overdose reversal medications free of charge.

GET EDUCATED

By Nia Norris (she/her)

There has also been a decrease in the accessibility of medication-assisted treatments (MATs), such as methadone and buprenorphine (also known as Suboxone). Buprenorphine can be prescribed by a doctor to be taken at home, but methadone requires a daily trip to the clinic. Harm reduction advocates argue that methadone maintenance should be more flexible, especially during the pandemic, and that clinics should be offering additional take-home doses for patients (Filter). However, many clinics do not provide extra take-home doses, forcing patients to risk their health to come into the clinic daily (Talk Poverty).

In Chicago’s Cook County, Black people account for half of the overdoses (Chicago Tribune). The numbers are similar in Philadelphia (Philadelphia Inquirer). Black people have also been affected by the Covid-19 virus at disproportionately higher rates nationally, making the increase in overdose deaths and the coronavirus pandemic an intertwined issue (NY Times).

Historically, the “war on drugs” targeted Black individuals, disproportionately incarcerating Black Americans, despite the fact that they do not use drugs at a higher rate than white Americans. It has led to family separations due to incarceration and a new form of slavery through prison labor. The ACLU described the war on drugs as “The New Jim Crow” in 2003 (ACLU).

The opioid crisis provoked a media discourse that is largely differentiated from the “war on drugs,” when the “crack cocaine crisis” was painted as a problem of the Black community. White Americans started dying from opioid overdoses due to the overprescription of painkillers. Discrimination in prescribing practices led to lower rates of Black people being addicted to prescription painkillers. The opioid epidemic caught the nation’s attention because of its impact on white, middle-class Americans, and helped rebrand addiction from an issue of criminality to a public health crisis (NCBI).

However, as restrictions were placed on painkiller prescriptions, more Americans turned to heroin and fentanyl. This led to an upward swing in overdoses among Black people (NY Times). However, Black people who suffer from substance use disorders are still largely invisible in the public health discourse (Addiction Psychology).

Systematic racism accounts for the disproportionate overdose rates of Black people during the Covid-19 pandemic. First of all, Black people are less likely to have access to MAT medications like buprenorphine and more likely to rely on methadone clinics. (Remember, buprenorphine can be prescribed to be taken at home, but methadone must be taken at a clinic.) Doctors have to possess a special certificate to supply buprenorphine and are limited in the number of patients they can see. Because the number of doctors who prescribe buprenorphine does not match the demand, doctors can force patients to pay out of pocket or choose to accept only private insurance (NY Times). If clinics are closed or unsafe due to disproportionate coronavirus rates, it impacts the accessibility of needed medications, leading to more relapses. There are also racial disparities in access to addiction treatment (Addiction Center) and the pandemic-related closure of support groups such as Narcotic Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous.

We can mitigate the impact of the overdose crisis on the Black community through better funding for treatment programs and increasing accessibility of life-saving medication-assisted treatment, such as a loosening of restrictions on the prescribing of methadone and buprenorphine. Harm reduction also has a vital role in this discourse. Everyone who loves someone who uses drugs should keep the life-saving overdose reversal medication naloxone on hand. Harm reduction initiatives are largely underfunded: private donations primarily fund organizations that provide syringe exchange services and naloxone free of charge. Some operate on the fringe of legality due to paraphernalia laws, and many states do not have syringe exchange programs at all (Drug Policy Alliance). These ideological and political barriers continue to exist in spite of evidence that these services reduce harm in the community (CDC). Donations to these programs will put naloxone in the hands of people who need it

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Overdoses are on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic and are disproportionately impacting Black people.
Black people have less access to addiction treatment, as well as medicated assisted therapies such as buprenorphine.
Increased access to overdose-reversal drug naloxone can help avoid preventable deaths.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/4/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/4/20

Repeal the Trump Equity Gag Order.

On September 22, the Trump administration signed an executive order prohibiting “divisive concepts" in diversity training programs such as systemic race and sex discrimination and implicit race and sex biases (White House). The order, often referred to as Executive Order 13950, seeks to discredit systemic racism and the impact of the enslavement and genocide of Black and Indigenous people. It discredits critical race theory. And it emphasizes that implicit bias has no place in policies, and federal policy shouldn’t be spent to combat it. All of this attempts to invalidate the work of organizations that have committed themselves – through research, advocacy, public policy, creating safe spaces, etc. – to name and dismantle white supremacy. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has filed a lawsuit against this executive order (NAACP).

Happy Friday and welcome back. The Trump administration's executive order on racial diversity training was signed two months ago and has already made a devastating impact on institutions and organizations, including ours. Today is a straightforward call-to-action to preserve the education and advocacy of the topics you've been reading here each day.

Yesterday marked our six-month anniversary of the Anti-Racism Daily! I started this newsletter on June 3 to offer consistent ways to take action to dismantle white supremacy. I never thought we'd be fighting against an executive order six months later. But I'm grateful we get to do it, together.

TAKE ACTION

Sign the petition demanding the immediate repeal of the Trump Administration’s Equity Gag Order.
Use the hashtag #TruthBeTold to demand the repeal of the Equity Gag Order.
Fill out this form to provide any information on how the Equity Gag Order impacts your lives and communities.

These action items are provided by the African American Policy Forum, an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists, and policy-makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality. Learn more about their work and support if you can.

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

We briefly referenced Trump’s sentiment on this issue in a newsletter outlining the history of critical race theory, before the executive order was announced. But now, two months later, we must talk about the impact that this executive order has had for institutions across the U.S. – far beyond the federal government. Many people assumed that this order was more performative than anything. But it’s easy to discredit its impact if you’re unfamiliar with the reach of federal funding.

First off, it had an immediate and significant impact on federal contractors themselves. The National Fair Housing Association, which rallies to end housing discrimination, provides training for federal agencies and industry leaders to ensure fair and equitable practices. As we’ve discussed in previous newsletters, systemic racism plays a significant part in housing equity – and all of this is exacerbated with COVID-19. Lisa Rice, the organization’s President and Chief Executive Officer, emphasizes that undoing systemic racism is critical for mitigating these issues. But because of this gag order, her organization is now restricted from effectively explaining why this gap exists.

“
If we cannot tell the truth, we cannot effectively advocate for the policies that we need.
Lisa Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Fair Housing Association

But it goes beyond contractors. Organizations that rely on funding from the federal government worked quickly to act accordingly. This includes the education space, which is particularly horrifying. We’ve written about how critical it is to promote anti-racism education, from diversifying curriculum to actively acknowledging racism with the Gen Z community. Stanford University was thrust into the spotlight when they publicly released a checklist for approving diversity content. The corresponding memo states that the university prohibits diversity training that discusses whether the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist or whether meritocracy is racist, sexist, or made by one race to oppress another, alongside other referenced statements in the executive order (Venture Beat). After public backlash, the university expressed that the memo was shared pre-emptively and did not reflect their values.

It’s also affected organizations doing the work completely separate from federal agencies. The AAPI shared examples in their talk, and participants joined in through the live chat, and the impact was broad. An elementary teacher had her children’s books reviewed for restricted content. A diversity and inclusion trainer was asked to remove anti-racism from their invoice. A student was requested to remove lines about white supremacy from their dissertation! And our newsletter has been banned in schools and organizations alike – one organization asked if we could change our name to comply with their corporate standards.

So when we can’t talk about the historical context of these inequities, where does it leave us? Rice emphasizes that it places the blame on the victim; the individual suffering from these systemic inequities is responsible – not the system or the structures that oppress them. This idea is something that the administration has pushed consistently. Just weeks after this was launched, Donald Trump Jr. put it bluntly, stating that Black people have to “want to be successful” for his father’s policies to work (AP News).

“
Anti-racist speech is the most American speech. But we have to counter that against a President that believes ‘Make America Great Again,’ which means ‘make America white again.’
Charles R. Lawrence, III, professor and anti-racism scholar

This type of erasure attempts to diminish accountability for the federal government. But it also aims to deteriorate the foundation and strength of Black people. Our history, our culture, and legacy are not defined by the systemic inequities that we’ve faced – but certainly influenced by it. Furthermore, our labor and exploitation were critical to this nation’s growth and development; we wouldn’t be here without it. We can’t move forward if we don’t acknowledge where we’re coming from.

Based on the Biden adminstration’s focus on racial equity, it’s expected that this executive order will be reversed shortly after inauguration (USA Today). Ideally, they implement an executive order that counters this one, reinforcing the importance of this education for federal agencies, schools, and other institutions. And, most importantly, we must commit to keep doing this work ourselves. Continue to educate yourself, have tough conversations, and rally for change.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

On September 22, the Trump administration signed an executive order prohibiting “divisive concepts" in diversity training programs such as systemic race and sex discrimination and implicit race and sex biases (White House)
This executive order affects the scope of what federal agencies can learn about racial inequity and how it influences their work
It's also created complications for how racial history and theory can be taught in schools and corporate settings
This gag order restricts us from acknowledging the impact of racism in America and discredits the resilience and strength of the communities impacted

RELATED ISSUES

9/7/2020 | Learn about critical race theory.

9/21/2020 | Support the 1619 Project.

12/2/2020 | Fight racism within Gen Z.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/3/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/3/20

Unpack Middle Eastern stereotypes in Hollywood.

The Southwest Asian/North African (SWANA) community is one example of a group that has faced harmful representations and stereotyping in Hollywood. A 2016 report uncovered many findings that support this fact, particularly on television. A majority of television characters from this region (67%) appear in crime or geopolitical dramas. Among those characters, 78% are “trained terrorist/agents/soldiers or tyrants,” which reinforces the stereotype that this group should be understood as a threat. On top of that, two-thirds of all television characters from the Middle East “speak with pronounced foreign accents,” solidifying the idea that those from the region will always be “foreigners” in the United States (MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition). In other words, these findings illustrate how Hollywood co-signs the belief that those in the SWANA community do not and cannot belong within the bounds of the nation.

Hi everyone – and happy Thursday! Thanks so much for all your responses on yesterday's survey. We're trying to create more resources to support this diverse community in 2021, and that insight is super helpful. Another helpful insight? Today's newsletter by Ida. As someone that grew up in an all-white community, I was only introduced to the SWANA community through movies that horribly misrepresented the community. Highly recommend reading every word of this piece and taking all action items.

This newsletter is made possible by our generous group of contributors. Support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here.

You can now gift the Anti-Racism Dailyto a friend. It's pay-what-you-wish and I'm happy to send a holiday greetings at no cost too – just reply to this email.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Support the MENA Arts Advocacy Coalition, an organization that works “for the advancement and visibility of Middle Eastern/North African performers on-screen in film, television and streaming platforms.”
Watch the documentary Reel Bad Arabs (or read the book it’s based on) to learn more about how Middle Easterners have been depicted in Hollywood over time.
Watch films and television featuring SWANA actors and/or made by SWANA creators that depict lived experience with greater nuance, like Ramy Youssef’s Ramy and Desiree Akhavan’s The Bisexual (both streaming on Hulu).
Read bell hooks’ Reel to Real: Race, Class and Sex at the Movies to understand how television and film can serve as sites of liberation or oppression for communities of color more broadly.

GET EDUCATED

By Ida Yalzadeh (she/her)

We’ve previously written about the ways that Hollywood whitewashes film and television to prefer stories represented and made by white people. Also crucial in this conversation is how Hollywood has consequently represented the Middle East throughout its history.

While some may think that this sort of stereotyping is concentrated in the post-9/11 era, Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of the SWANA community and the contested region has roots that go even further back. Scholars have noted the presence of the Middle East and Middle Eastern characters in Hollywood going back to just after World War II. At a time when the United States began asserting themselves as a superpower in the world arena, Hollywood and the film industry were influenced by U.S. foreign policy decisions (and that sort of mentality has never really seemed to stop). Hollywood used the Middle East as the setting of biblical epics like The Ten Commandments (1956) and Ben Hur (1959)—stories that showed the very American ideal of the power of freedom over slavery (Epic Encounters). Other films like Arabian Nights (1942) showed the Middle East as an exotic and Orientalized fantasy land. In so doing, Hollywood flattened and whitewashed the Middle East to serve the United States’ imperial interests.

After the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Jordan and Syria, Hollywood depictions of the Middle East and its inhabitants shifted. Arabs, in particular, were portrayed by the film industry as terrorists and other insidious stereotypes (Atlas Obscura). The most notable example is the 1991 film Not Without My Daughter, which portrays Sally Field as an American woman trying to escape her Iranian husband’s clutches, who is intent on trapping her in Iran, where she has few rights. Although the Iran Hostage Crisis had ended a decade prior, disdain for Iranians and Iran was still apparent in the United States. And while the film’s initial release was not notable, it has continued to endure in the cultural zeitgeist as “evidence of the barbarity of Iranian men” and Islam. More significantly than that, it was screened in schools for “educational purposes” (Vulture). This trope continued into the 1990s, with films such as True Lies (1994) and The Siege (1998) depicting Arabs and Palestinians as terrorists.

In the wake of September 11, this trend of portraying Middle Easterners as terrorists did not abate, as films like Argo (2012) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012) were released to critical acclaim. But, in addition to these Hollywood depictions that tied SWANA and Muslim Americans to a sinister and aggressive other, a “sympathetic Muslim” character emerged that proved to be just as harmful. After 9/11, primetime crime and political dramas would feature sympathetic or more “positive” representations of Arabs and Muslims. Characters included Muslims who were steadfast patriots to the United States or victims of a hate crime. While this may seem like a good thing on the surface, it is actually used to strengthen the idea of the U.S. as a benevolent power (like after World War II) and justify imperial aggression abroad (Arabs and Muslims in the Media).

To move forward, we need to acknowledge how Hollywood has historically stereotyped the Middle East, depicting people from the region as barbaric, exotic, backwards, threatening, dangerous, or objects of pity. Rather than perpetuating a particular idea of the Middle East as a monolith, we should feature the voices of an array of individuals coming from the SWANA community to give texture to representations of lived experiences. Although there are parts of this experience that involve trauma sustained during and after 9/11 — as well as the many other contentious moments that have come with U.S.-Middle East relations — the community’s experiences encompass so much more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A majority of SWANA television characters (67%) appear in crime or geopolitical dramas. Among those characters, 78% are “trained terrorist/agents/soldiers or tyrants,” which reinforces the stereotype that this group should be understood as a threat.
While some may think that this sort of stereotyping is concentrated in the post-9/11 era, Hollywood’s stereotypical portrayal of the SWANA community has roots that go even further back, with scholars identifying the post-World War II era as the beginning of Middle Eastern representation in Hollywood.
Rather than perpetuating a particular idea of the Middle East as a monolith, we should feature the voices of an array of individuals coming from the SWANA community to give texture to representations of lived experiences.

RELATED ISSUES

9/15/2020 | End Hollywood whitewashing.

7/17/2020 | Analyze representation in media.

8/5/2020 | Avoid spiritual bypassing.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/2/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/2/20

Fight racism within Gen Z.

Last August, I sat on a panel with the other 1.2% of Black students in my school district to discuss our experiences with racism in our community. All of us had stories to share about encountering slurs, facing microaggressions, and being treated as though we were less than due to the color of our skin.

Yet all of us were also members of Gen Z — a generation praised by figures like Senator Bernie Sanders for our tolerance and decency (Teen Vogue). Headlines propose that Gen Z might be the generation to “end systemic racism” (Screen Shot), and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey hope that racism will die away with older generations (MSNBC). As nice as the idea of racism passively dying off sounds, it cannot be a reality without active anti-racism.

Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. Although the generation that follows mine is often considered more liberal and active, there are many that support more conservative values and ideals. Lena, a high school senior who's new to the ARD, to share her perspective on addressing racism in the Gen Z community.

Are you a part of Gen Z? Or, are you a parent or teacher? Take our Gen Z survey here.

This free, daily newsletter is made possible by our generous group of contributors. Support our work by making a one-time gift on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here.

You can now gift the Anti-Racism Dailyto a friend. It's pay-what-you-wish and I'm happy to send a holiday greetings at no cost too – just reply to this email.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Sign the Diversify Our Narrative petition (@diversifyournarrative) to encourage your local school board to implement anti-racist texts in the classroom (U.S. only).
Reflect on the ways you can model anti-racist behavior for the young people in your life.
Follow Gen Z Black activists like @winterbreeanne and @iammarleydias.

GET EDUCATED

By Lena McEachern (she/her)

For starters, let’s take a look at the recent 2020 Presidential Election. Although young people of color overwhelmingly supported Joe Biden, 45% of white youth voted for Trump (Tufts). The candidate who shared a white power message in June (NPR) and incessantly espoused hateful rhetoric was the candidate of choice for nearly half of young white Americans this year.

For more evidence, we can look directly at the case of 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people at a protest after police shot Jacob Blake in Kenosha, WI. Instead of facing condemnation, Rittenhouse received praise from conservative figures and left custody after they helped pay for his $2 million bond (NBC News). When people think about Gen Z, they often think about the ‘Yara Shahidi’s and ‘Malala Yousafzai’s of our generation, but our generation also includes people like Rittenhouse.

Racism perpetrated by members of Gen Z is especially dangerous due to the lack of accountability that follows it. Acts of racism committed by young people are often seen as innocent mistakes. These actions aren’t harmless — they negatively impact young people of color and prevent them from feeling accepted in their schools and communities.

Are you a part of Gen Z? Or, are you a parent or teacher? Take our Gen Z survey here.

Historically, young generations of white Americans have effectively used their perceived youthful innocence to cover up their racist acts. In the 1920s, the KKK began “Ku Klux Kiddies,” a branch for children to advocate for white supremacy under the guise of festive and youthful parades. Teenage boys and girls participated in the Junior Ku Klux Klan and Tri-K-Klub, respectively, further perpetuating racist ideas with a youthful image (History).

Gen Z is also not the first generation in recent history to fail to live up to its anti-racist reputation. Millennials were also praised for their anti-racist tendencies (Los Angeles Times), but 61% of white people under 30 believe white people are harder-working and more intelligent than African-Americans, compared to 64% of older white people (The Cut). Millennials do differ from older generations; however, in the fact that they are less self-aware of their racist beliefs. Millennials and members of Gen Z alike will not readily proclaim themselves as racists or white supremacists but will demonstrate these beliefs through their words and actions instead. For example, a younger person may argue that because they believe Black people have a victim mentality, this does not mean that they are racist, but simply that they hold a different opinion.

Much of this Gen Z racism occurs on college campuses across America. Some racist young people see themselves as pushing back against a new culture of “sensitive” inclusivity and diversity. When Instagram accounts like @dearpwi emerged to document the racism that students of color face at predominantly white universities – from being called slurs to watching KKK demonstrations outside of campus –conservative college students responded, claiming that young white people are the truly oppressed ones. Many white members of Gen Z believe that initiatives like minority-specific scholarships are examples of anti-white oppression and use these to justify white supremacy.

Many times, this white supremacy appears in the form of microaggressions. Young people harass their classmates of color about affirmative action in the college application process, tell racist jokes, and stick their hands in their Black peers’ hair without consent.

This behavior isn’t something that goes away passively on its own — it’s something that’s normalized and passed down from generation to generation until an outside force works to stop it. Be that outside force.

Acknowledge the prevalence of racism amongst members of Gen Z and actively work to combat it. Encourage anti-racist texts in school classrooms, and expose young people in your life to diverse books, films, museums, and art to show them anti-racist narratives before they adopt racist beliefs. And, of course, model anti-racist behavior in your own life through your words and actions.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The idea that racism will die out with older generations is naive; white supremacy is still prevalent among members of Gen Z. 45% of white youth voted for Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election, the candidate who shared a white power message in June (NPR).
An American National Election Studies survey showed that 61% of white people under 30 believe whites are harder-working and more intelligent than African-Americans, compared to 64% of older white people (The Cut).
Younger people can be less self-aware about their racist beliefs, and their racist actions are often seen as youthful mistakes.
Historically, young generations of white Americans have effectively used their perceived youthful innocence to cover up their racist acts. In the 1920s, the KKK began “Ku Klux Kiddies,” a branch for children to advocate for white supremacy under the guise of festive and youthful parades.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 12/1/20 Nicole Cardoza 12/1/20

Fight inhumane medical care at ICE facilities.

As of November 11, 2020, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have deported six of the women who came forward with claims of having been coerced into sterilization at Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia and will potentially deport at least seven others, says NBC. Dawn Wooten, a registered nurse who previously worked at the detention center, came forward in September, alleging that forced sterilization procedures were widespread at Irwin. Read more about this case in our previous newsletter on the subject.

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! Can you believe it's already December? Because 'tis the season, you can now gift the Anti-Racism Daily to a friend. It's pay-what-you-wish and I'm happy to send a holiday greetings at no cost too – just reply to this email.

Today we're rallying around the ongoing atrocities happening at ICE detention facilities. This email, written by Bianca, focuses on inhumane medical care, but it's just one of many reasons to take action.

TAKE ACTION

Stay informed by following the ACLU, which regularly updates ICE violations by going here.
Stand up against ICE by signing this petition by the ACLU here.
Donate to the Immigrant Defense Project here.

GET EDUCATED

By Bianca Gonzalez (she/her)

Jackelin (who asked to be identified by her middle name) is a 33-year-old Hondorian immigrant and mother of five who is married to a US citizen. She has been living in the U.S. for more than five years. Jackelin was one of the 16 women who wanted to testify against Dr. Amin after receiving care four months prior. After coming forward, she was “scheduled for a … deportation flight, until a last-minute order came for her to remain at the rural Georgia facility.” (LA Times)

Even though, according to ice.gov, “it is against ICE policy to initiate removal proceedings against an individual known to be the immediate victim or witness to a crime,” ICE has taken that same action in light of recent legal pursuits.

Yanira, who has been a detainee for about a year, said after almost boarding the deportation flight, said that “they used to take their sweet time on deporting women, letting us stay here extra time to make us learn their lesson,” until the whistleblower came forward. “Then [nearly] everybody started getting deported so fast, everyone who’d had surgeries or something performed on them. There’s only a few of us left in here” (LA Times).

Columbia University law professor Elora Mukherjee is currently working with several of the detainees. She believes that “ICE is destroying the evidence needed for this investigation” by targeting these women for deportation (The Hill). While the women who have already been deported or who will be deported before they have a chance to speak with legal professionals might still be able to serve as witnesses in a case, those working on the issue will have an increased difficulty at maintaining contact.

Moreover, one report that looked into the death of 18 detainees from 2012 to 2015 found that “substandard care was evident in 16 out of 18 deaths, and subpar care contributed to the deaths of at least 7 of these individuals” as well as finding “numerous incidents of substandard and dangerous medical care,” which included “sluggish emergency responses” as well as “failure to follow up on symptoms that required attention” and “severely inadequate mental health care (Freedom for Immigrants).

Advocates have been expressing concerns over ICE practices for years. Eleven different independent human rights monitoring bodies have sent formal complaints to the US government over the past few years, expressing concerns for human rights violations at the Irwin County Detention Center and the Stewart Detention Center, which is also in Georgia run by a for-profit corporation (Aljazeera).

In May 2018, Project South and the Penn Law Transnational Legal Clinic sent a letter to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), citing extensive use of solitary confinement as a form of punishment and control, exploitation of immigrants’ labor, extremely negligent medical care, poor sanitation, denial of due process, and race-based discrimination as their evidence (Aljazeera).

While the neglect at ICE detention centers in Georgia is devastating and needs to be addressed immediately, other states are taking steps to improve conditions at their detention centers. Texan Congresswoman Veronica Escobar came together with Representatives Jason Crow, and Sylvia Garcia introduced the End Transfers of Detained Immigrants Act on November 20th, 2020 (Escobar).

This bill was introduced as a companion to Senators Michael Bennet and Jeff Merkley’s bill, the End Transfers of Detained Immigrants Act, released in late September 2020. It immediately prevents ICE from transferring immigrant detainees between ICE facilities or to any prison during the pandemic, as well as immediately releasing detainees whenever social distancing according to the CDC’s recommendations was not possible (Bennet). Read Bennet and Merkley’s bill here.

While we’re making progress in the fight for immigration reform in America when it comes to developing policies that protect human rights, we have more than enough evidence of medical negligence and abuse in detention centers to advocate for the immediate widespread release of detainees and to advocate for defunding ICE.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The detainees who came forward claiming to have received medically unnecessary procedures by doctors have become targets for deportation.

States are making strides to advocate against inhuman practices at ICE detention centers, but we still need reform at the federal level.
ICE has an extensive history of medical neglect.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/29/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/29/20

Stop Shia persecution.

In America, Muslims are often seen as a monolith. As a whole, we have experienced discrimination and persecution from non-Muslims. What people may not know is that Islam actually consists of many sects, including Sunnism, Shi’ism, Ismailism, and Ahmadiyya, much like how Christianity includes Protestantism and Catholicism. The minority sects, specifically Shi’ism, are currently being persecuted in multiple Muslim-majority countries (Human Rights Watch), including the genocide of Shias in Pakistan (Al Jazeera).

Happy Sunday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily! Today we're joined by Farwa Zaidi, who's educating us on the Shia genocide and how we can take action – by raising awareness, getting education, and supporting organizations working to keep this community safe.

TAKE ACTION

Learn about the history of Shias and their persecution

READ: Shi’ism: A Religion of Protest by Hamid Dabashi or Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History by Laurence Louër
WATCH: The short documentary How the World Turned Its Back on Mass Murders in Pakistan from NowThis

Spread awareness in person and on social media about the genocide going on against Shias.
Support organizations working on the ground in Pakistan like The Zahra Trust (@thezahratrust) and JDC Foundation Pakistan (@jdcfoundationpk).

GET EDUCATED

By Farwa Zaidi (she/her)

Even in the United States, many Shias like myself have felt pressured to hide our beliefs in majority Muslim spaces. Shias worldwide know the feeling of hearing a non-Shia Muslim expressing anti-Shia sentiments before realizing they’re talking to a Shia. Anti-Shi’ism is so systemic that changing your name or hiding which mosque you attend is commonplace for many (NY Times).

Being Shia itself is a crime in Malaysia, and Shias have been deported from the United Arab Emirates if their identities are found out (Majlis.org.uk). While many Shias have fled to the U.S. for safety, Shiaphobes have immigrated here as well. A profile of the rising population of Shias in 2012 quoted Muthanna Waili, whose family was expelled from Kuwait in 1985 and established a Shia mosque in the US. He said, “I’ve personally had people label me as a kafir, an infidel. People look at you like you’re trying to change the traditional way” (Washington Post).

Historically, Shias have always been the minority, so they have a centuries-long history of being oppressed by the majority (New Statesman). Shias comprise about 10-13 percent of all Muslims worldwide, according to the BBC. Sometimes referred to as “Twelvers,” Shias believe that the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet Muhammad was divinely appointed as his successor, as were the next 11 members of his lineage, a total of twelve Imams (britannica.com). On the other hand, Sunnis, who belong to the majority sect of Islam, believe the people elected Muhammad’s successors.

There has been tension between the sects since the death of the Prophet, but recent events in Pakistan have made being Shia a death sentence (The Guardian). New blasphemy laws make reciting Ziyarat Ashura (a prayer that Shias have been reciting since the 9th century) illegal. Violence against the minority has also risen at alarming rates, with at least five Shias being killed for their beliefs since August 30th (The Diplomat). Although the names of those directly responsible for the murders have not been released, it is clear that they were influenced by different Deobandi (Sunni revivalist) groups who have plotted anti-Shia rallies and speeches in the past couple of months.

Pakistan’s history of Shiaphobia is political as well as religious. When it was founded in 1947, Pakistan was supposed to be a haven for all Muslims, regardless of sect, as well as non-Muslims. However, this utopia didn’t last long. When dictator Zia ul Haq seized the Pakistani government in a coup in 1977, he began to shape Pakistan into a Sunni Islamist state. Meanwhile, Iran was beginning its Shia Islamic Revolution and began supporting Shia militant groups in Pakistan. The United States supported Saudi Arabia's Shiaphobic government during this time to protect their oil interests. For more on the Iranian Revolution, read this article from E-International Relations.

When Iran and Iraq went to war in 1980, Iraq involved itself in Pakistan’s emerging sectarian conflict. Soon the Arab Gulf states joined to help marginalize Pakistan’s Shia Muslims, who were seen as Iran’s pawn in the region. Thus Pakistan soon became the site of an elaborate sectarian proxy war between Shia Iran and its Sunni strategic competitors (War on the Rocks).

Since 1963, approximately 23,000 Pakistani Shias have been killed for their beliefs, and the number seems only to be rising. There are also currently about 80 convicts on death row or serving life imprisonment terms in Pakistan for committing “blasphemy,” according to the US Commission for International Religious Freedom.

Shias have always known the violence of Shiaphobia. Sunnis continued to triumph politically as Islam spread across the East, and today, sectarian violence is the cause of clashes across the region, including in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Despite the ongoing violence against Shias, the sect is still thriving (AP News). There are many organizations doing work on the ground to support Shias who live in danger. The Zahra Trust is a faith-based charitable organization that provides humanitarian aid globally so that people can live self-sufficiently. They provide emergency relief, food aid, medical aid, educational support, water and sanitation services, support to orphans, widows, and vulnerable people. The Shaheed Foundation is dedicated to supporting the families of genocide victims, while The JDC Foundation of Pakistan also helps those in need, including victims of genocide and their families.

We need to work to eradicate Shiaphobia. Ending persecution against minorities is paramount to creating real safe spaces. But in America, many non-Shias are unaware of sectarian tensions and genocide. In this case, silence is quite literally violence, and Shiaphobes depend on it to continue their persecution without repercussions. It is up to us to share the stories of persecuted Muslims and spread the word about the genocide going on under our noses.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Shias are being persecuted and killed just for their beliefs in multiple Muslim countries.
Non-Shias rely on silence and ignorance to continue violence against minorities without consequences.
Supporting Shias on the ground and Shias applying for asylum is paramount.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/27/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/27/20

Support Black-owned businesses: Bookstores

Each Friday for the rest of the year, we’ll be featuring Black-owned businesses to support this holiday season. Today, we’re centering books written by people of color that you can order from Black-owned bookstores from across the U.S. We always recommend supporting a local business near you before using this list, so these are just suggestions! Read why supporting Black-owned businesses is so critical, especially with the economic challenges we're experiencing. Key takeaways in today's newsletter reference some of these stats.

Happy BLACK Friday!

Each Friday for the rest of the year, we’ll be featuring Black-owned businesses to support this holiday season. Today, we’re centering books written by people of color that you can order from Black-owned bookstores from across the U.S. We always recommend supporting a local business near you before using this list, so these are just suggestions! Read why supporting Black-owned businesses is so critical, especially with the economic challenges we're experiencing. Key takeaways in today's newsletter reference some of these stats.

This list is designed around the recommendations we centered in last week’s newsletter on diversifying your bookshelf. Let me know if you get one of these book!

Thank you to everyone that makes this newsletter possible! Support our work by making a one-time contribution on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here. I'm grateful for each one of you that's with me on this journey.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Commit to buying one gift this holiday season (for yourself or others) from a Black-owned business
Identify something you're looking to purchase before the end of the year, and search for three Black-owned alternatives

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Matter

Denver, CO

Find books, stationery, home goods and other curated gifts from independent, Black & woman-owned retail space for designers, activists & other thinking persons.

Elatsoe
Darcie Little Badger
$19
Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family. Illustrated by Rovina Cai.
SHOP >

Last Stop on Market Street
Matt de la Peña
$19 "This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the wonderful perspective only grandparent and grandchild can share, and comes to life through Matt de la Peña’s vibrant text and Christian Robinson’s radiant illustrations.
SHOP >

Elizabeth's Bookshop & Writing Centre

Denver, CO

Elizabeth's Bookshop & Writing Centre is an innovative literacy center based in Akron, OH. Their catalog highlights the work of writers who are often excluded from traditional cultural, social and academic canons. This was created by Rachel Cargle, a renowned academic and educator whose work we feature frequently in this newsletter. A percentage of all sales go to The Loveland Foundation to support their mission of making mental healthcare accessible for Black women and girls.

Here The Whole Time
Vitor Martins
$17.47
"The charm and humor of To All the Boys I've Loved Before meets Dumplin' in this body-positive YA love story between two boys who must spend 15 days living with each other over school break."
SHOP >

With the Fire on High
Elizabeth Acevedo
$17
"Ever since she got pregnant freshman year, Emoni Santiago's life has been about making the tough decisions--doing what has to be done for her daughter and her abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen, where she adds a little something magical to everything she cooks, turning her food into straight-up goodness."
SHOP >

People Get Ready

New Haven, CT

People Get Ready is a neighborhood bookspace that is grounded in respect for the dignity of all beings, the importance of reciprocal relations, and the transformative power of radical love.

King and the Dragonflies
Kacen Callender
$18 "In a small but turbulent Louisiana town, one boy's grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard, to learn that there is no right way to be yourself."
SHOP >

The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett
$27
"From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white."
SHOP >

Black Garnet Books

Twin Cities, MN

Black Garnet Books is a Black, woman-owned bookstore located in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, primarily stocking Adult and YA contemporary literature by Black and racially-diverse authors.

Transcendent Kingdom [Audiobook]
Yaa Gyasi
$28
"Yaa Gyasi's stunning follow-up to her acclaimed national best seller Homegoing is a powerful, raw, intimate, deeply layered novel about a Ghanaian family in Alabama. Narrated by Bahni Turpin."
SHOP >

Leave The World Behind
Rumaan Alam
$24.14
"A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong."
SHOP >

The Lit. Bar

Bronx, NY

“Once upon a time, a girl from the Bronx had big dreams of opening an independent bookstore/wine bar right here at home. It would be the only indie bookstore in the entire borough–home to 1.4 million people and 10 colleges and it would be called The Lit. Bar…”

God-Level Knowledge Darts: Life Lessons from the Bronx
Desus & Mero
$24
Desus Nice and The Kid Mero are multitalented comedians, writers, and podcasters who currently co-host Showtime's first-ever late-night talk show, Desus & Mero, as well as the long-running Bodega Boys podcast. Their book reflects on their life experiences.
SHOP >

Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot
Mikki Kendall
$23.92
"A potent and electrifying critique of today's feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in Black feminism."
SHOP >

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A recent report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that “the number of African-American business owners plummeted from 1.1 million in February 2020 to 640,000 in April," a 41% decrease.
Black people are twice as likely to be turned down for business loans than their White counterparts.
Although Black people account for 15% of the population, there are few Black-owned brands carried by major retailers.

RELATED ISSUES

6/11/2020 | Support black-owned businesses.

9/30/2020 | Close the racial wealth gap.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/26/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/26/20

Support the land back movement.

From 1778 to 1871, the United States signed some 368 treaties with various Indigenous people across the North American continent. The treaties were based on the fundamental notion that each tribe was an independent nation. But as white settlers began moving onto Native American lands, these treaties were abandoned, replaced by greed, dominance, and oppression (History).

Happy Thursday. Many of you asked if I could help provide ways to celebrate Thanksgiving better, but I don’t think that’s the right approach. When it comes to this work, we need to center marginalized communities outside of the lens of whiteness and oppression. So instead, I urge you to celebrate Indigenous resistance and resilience, and commit both today and each day to reparations. Today we’re analyzing the importance of the land back movement and how we can do our part to advocate for the return of stolen lands.

You may also benefit from reading about the myth of Columbus and the importance of Indigenous People’s Day.

Thank you to everyone that makes this newsletter possible! Support our work by making a one-time contribution on ourwebsiteorPayPal, or giving monthly onPatreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go toantiracismdaily.com. You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards bysigning up here. I'm grateful for each one of you that's with me on this journey.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Practice a land acknowledgment with your loved ones today. Use the Native Land app to identify to whom the land belongs, and follow these steps before participating.
Then, research how you can support the Indigenous community closest to you. Donate to a mutual aid fund, advocate for a local land back initiative, etc. Here is a broader mutual aid fund to support as an alternative.
Sign the petition to close Mt. Rushmore and return all public Lands in the Black Hills to the Oceti Sakowin,

GET EDUCATED

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Another major contributor was the Indian Relocation Act of 1830, which forced around 100,000 Indigenous people from five tribal nations out of their homelands. Indigenous communities not only were forcefully separated from their land, and an estimated 15,000 Indigenous people from various nations died of disease and other causes during these forced marches (Atlas Obscura).

One of many of these broken treaties is The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, where the U.S. signed an agreement with Native communities historically known as the Sioux (Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota) and Arapaho. It established the Great Sioux Reservation, a large swath of lands west of the Missouri River, and designated the Black Hills as “unceded Indian Territory” (Smithsonian Magazine). But when gold was found on that land, the U.S. changed their minds – and redrew the boundaries of the treaty to work in their favor, stripping the people of their own land.

In the five generations since the treaty was signed and broken, the Sioux Nations have steadily lost reservation lands to white development. They now live in small reservations scattered throughout the region. Meanwhile, the U.S. grew this region of South Dakota into a national tourist attraction by creating Mt. Rushmore, designed to be a “testament to American exceptionalism,” and centering presidents who themselves contributed to the violence and disenfranchisement of Indigenous communities (National Geographic). Protests at Mt. Rushmore during 4th of July weekend amplified the modern-day land back movement. Local tribes are still demanding the closure of this monument, in addition to the return of the stolen lands it occupies (NDN Collective).

Efforts to reclaim these lands – both in the U.S. and abroad – have been happening for generations. The magazine Briarpatch recently published a 100-year history of the land struggle with key wins in both the U.S. and Canada. And there’s been some progress this year. The Esselen tribe of Northern California reclaimed 1,200 acres of ancestral land after 250 years (The Guardian). And just this month, four dams on the Klamath River in Southern Oregon and Northern California were scheduled for removal, restoring river health and declining salmon runs (Oregon Public Broadcasting).

"
The only reparation for land is land.
Madonna Thunder Hawk, Lakota matriarch and Lakota People's Law Project organizer

Giving land back is a clear and obvious way to repair the legacy of violence and harm against Indigenous communities. But it’s also a way to repair our relationship with the environment. Indigenous communities have been stewarding this earth sustainably for generations, and never produced the amount of emissions and toxins we’re dealing with today. They also have an innate knowledge of how to encourage reforestation, preserve our waters, manage fires, and preserve biological diversity. In this way, land back is more than returning territory, but expanding tribal management, and centers Indigenous communities in the heart of climate justice. Read more in Lakota People’s Law Project.

In the absence of land return, other initiatives are focused on the return – or “rematriation” – of seeds from native lands. European settlers, and later, U.S. government officials, would attack the food supplies of Indigenous communities as a way to force them to move. Some would leave without these precious seeds, and others would relocate only to discover their seeds couldn’t grow in new terrains. For many Indigenous people, seeds represent the connection to the land and the ancestors that stewarded them. Efforts like The Indigenous Seed Keepers Network are working to bring those seeds back to the people and their lands, and cultivate the Indigenous food movement (Atlas Obscura).

Once realized, comprehensive land back can transform modern-day Indigenous communities. It has the opportunity to untether these lands from a history of white supremacy and systemic oppression, including the local law enforcement. It has the potential to re-establish access to basic utilities like clean water and air, and redefine what leadership looks like. But more importantly, it’s the right thing to do. I can’t imagine what it’s like to watch a nation celebrate erasure and land theft each year, but I can commit to advocating for reparations. This is work we can rally for today and throughout the year.

"
Land is more than the diaphanousness of inhabited memories; Land is spiritual, emotional, and relational; Land is experiential, (re)membered, and storied; Land is consciousness—Land is sentient. Land refers to the ways we honor and respect her as a sentient and conscious being. Therefore, in acknowledgment of the fundamental being of Land I always capitalize Land. I have come to know Land both as a fundamental sentient being and as a philosophical construct.

Sandra Styres (Kanien’kehá:ka) from Literacies of Land

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The federal government offered a series of treaties to Indigenous communities across the U.S., but broke nearly all of the agreements
The forceable removal of Native communities from their lands has stripped people of their culture and connection to their ancestors
Initiatives to return stolen lands aren't just reparations, but a clear way to disamantle white supremacy and center Indigenous communities in climate justice

11/15/2020 | Learn the key terminology.

10/21/2020 | Change racist sports team names.

10/12/2020 | Honor Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

7/5/2020 | Support the Navajo Nation through COVID-19.

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/24/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/24/20

Stop violence against Native women.

Native women are facing a crisis of violence. Homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native girls and women aged 10 to 24, and the fifth leading cause of death for Native women aged 25 to 34. In the United States today, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are nearly 2.5x more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in the general population. 70% of these violent victimizations are committed by persons of a different race (Department of Justice).

Happy Tuesday and welcome back. Today we're focusing on the violence that Native women, girls and Two-Spirit people experience in the U.S. and Canada through my conversation with Lauren Schad. This continues our focus on those missing and murdered, in part, because of longstanding bias and discrimination.

Thank you for making this newsletter possible! Support our work by making a one-time contribution on our website or PayPal, or giving monthly on Patreon. You can also Venmo (@nicoleacardoza). To subscribe, go to antiracismdaily.com. New! You can share this newsletter and unlock some fun rewards by signing up here.

Nicole

TAKE ACTION

Amplify the voices of MMIWG2 families and survivors of violence using the hashtags #MMIW, #MMIWG and #MMIWG2S on social media.
Donate to the Red Ribbon Skirt Society, which memorializes those lost to violence and supports their loved ones.
Consider: What local resources are available for missing, runaway, and exploited Indigenous youth? How can you help create more resources or raise awareness of the existing resources?

Action items inspired by the MMIWG2S & MMIP Organizing Toolkit, created by the Sovereign Bodies Institute. Read the full study to find more.

GET EDUCATED

Lauren Schad. Photo taken by Jean (@blstrt_) — *Lauren Schad. Photo taken by Jean (@blstrt_*)

By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Native women are facing a crisis of violence.

Homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native girls and women aged 10 to 24, and the fifth leading cause of death for Native women aged 25 to 34. In the United States today, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are nearly 2.5x more likely to be sexually assaulted than women in the general population. 70% of these violent victimizations are committed by persons of a different race (Department of Justice).

As we’ve reported in the past, lack of media attention and misreporting has minimized this issue. According to a study by the Urban Indian Health Institute, many victims are often racially misclassified, skewing the data. In addition, there are tense relationships between law enforcement and American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This, paired with media bias in reporting missing and murdered persons cases, leads to a wide discrepancy in data. In 2016, there were 5,712 reported cases of MMIWG2S, but only 116 of them were logged in the Department of Justice website (Urban Indian Health Institute). However, community leaders and activists emphasize that this data doesn’t accurately represent the true number of the population that goes missing.

So, advocates are rallying for justice. Conversations with the hashtags #MMIW, #MMIWG and #MMIWG2S are garnering intention both in the United States and abroad. (The abbreviations stand for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls; and Missing and Murdered Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people, respectively) (APA). This organizing is holding federal and local governments accountable; Savanna's Act, passed earlier this year, aims to increase data coordination and collection and improve protocol between law enforcement and Native communities (Teen Vogue).

It’s critical that we amplify efforts to raise awareness and take action. To learn more about this injustice and how we can support, I interviewed my friend Lauren Schad, athlete and activist, on her work advocating for MMIW.

How does being a professional athlete influence your advocacy efforts?

In my experience as a professional athlete, I have found that there is a lot of confusion and misinformation about us as Native peoples – not just in my homelands of the United States, but in Europe as well. Therefore, having the opportunity to live overseas for my career now allows me to reach an audience on an international level. The networking system that is naturally embedded within the sports community allows for information to travel quickly. Meaning, the work of others and myself regarding our advocacy for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn now become an open dialogue for people on a global spectrum.

You’ve been vocal about supporting MMIW throughout your career – on and off the court. Do you experience any pushback?

There is always going to be pushback or denial when you are fighting against a system inherently prejudiced against BIPOC womxn. People are often unaware of this decimation against Indigenous womxn and the staggering statistics we face, solely because of the lack of coverage, documentation, legislation, representation, and resources outside of Indigenous communities. Our people are fighting this daily, but when there is a systemic structure already in place to silence us, the battle for justice becomes that much harder.

On more than one occasion, I have had strangers come up to me and try to validate actions blatantly harmful to Native Womxn by telling me how I should have felt about the situation. I have been questioned about the authenticity of my testimony simply because people cannot believe that “In this day and age, this still happens?” I have even heard that MMIWG2S is not, in fact, a motion of people demanding justice, protection, and resources for our womxn and children, but a political movement. No matter how much you progress, there will always be people, governments, and corporations who choose to ignore and diminish the endless work our people have endured since the beginning of colonization – including the ongoing work and efforts by the community for our stolen sisters.

“
The way I overcome this is by remembering and honoring all of our stolen sisters. Reminding ourselves that this is not about us. It is about them – and giving them a voice when theirs has been silenced. It is our innate responsibility as Indigenous people to protect one another, to honor these lives and do right by them.

I look to other advocates and strong womxn fighting for the same objective. The Red Ribbon Skirt Society and Lily Mendoza in my hometown, Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel, Rosalie Fish, Sunny Red Bear-Whitcombe, Ashley Callingbull, to name a few, alongside many many other phenomenal womxn, all show the power that one voice can hold. Now imagine if there is enough of us speaking up. The change we are looking for is inevitable. Protection for our womxn is inevitable. So choosing to give up, or stop, is not an option.

How do you feel social media plays a role in advocating for MMIW?

Social media can be a critical tool in relaying knowledge, especially for a motion like MMIW. When you have a group of people severely lacking representation in mass media, those people must find ways to spread that information across large platforms to larger audience to make an impact. For a cause as large-scale as MMIW, social media plays a key role in educating those who are unaware of this genocide happening to Indigenous womxn. On various platforms, you are confronted by many Indigenous advocates speaking up about what they believe in and find important. And because of this, this idea of harmless ignorance can no longer be used as an excuse. It has the ability to give us as Native peoples a voice on platforms you wouldn’t often see elsewhere. We can now create the content and narrative of our own stories and peoples without a go-between. It’s just us and our voices. There is something extremely powerful in that.

How do you wish other people, particularly those that are not a part of the Indigenous community, would take action?

For those not a part of the Indigenous community, I hope they take the time to educate themselves further – not only about MMIW, but the ongoing persecution Indigenous peoples have faced throughout history. Then, once they have listened to the attestation of Native peoples, open that dialect to the people in their circle. Become an ally and help champion an important cause. If I have learned anything by speaking up about MMIW, it is that the oppression we have faced is an ongoing effort to dehumanize and silence Native peoples as a whole.

Everything is interconnected with one another: the exploitation of the land, our stolen sisters, the hypersexualization and caricaturing of our people (read more)...each are a cause and effect of one another. Our voices are powerful entities, and if we use them, we can create intentional and impactful change.

Lauren Schad (she/her) is the youngest of three daughters born and raised in Paha Sapa (Black Hills) in Rapid City, South Dakota. She is currently a professional starter for Volleyball Nantes. Inspired by Rosalie Fish, Lauren dedicates each match to a woman/child on the ongoing list of Missing Murdered and Indigenous women, baring their name on her hand. With the amount of spectators that attend matches, she believes this movement plays an instrumental part in opening the dialogue on an international scale; that in order to educate and bring awareness to this epidemic, one must first get people to ask the question. Read her full bio >

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Native women are facing a crisis of violence.
Over 5,000 Native women are marked as missing persons, but a small percentage are recognized by the federal government
Media bias, misreporting, and distrust with law enforcement all causes discrepancies in reported cases, making it difficult to gather accurate data
Raising awareness about this issue helps drive action by local and federal government

PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT

Nicole Cardoza 11/23/20 Nicole Cardoza 11/23/20

Fight food insecurity.

A new report found that one in five people in the U.S. have turned to a food pantry, food bank, or community food distribution at some point since the pandemic began, a 50% increase than before (Consumer Report). And Household Pulse survey found that nearly 11 % of American adults “sometimes or often” did not have enough to eat in the previous seven days, according to data collected by the U.S. Census Bureau from Oct. 14 to 26, a stark increase from 3.7% increase in 2019 (Washington Post). And the people most likely to need support are people of color. Over a third of Black Americans have used a food pantry, food bank, or community food distribution during the pandemic, and 22% of Hispanics (Consumer Report).

Happy Monday and welcome back to the Anti-Racism Daily. We've been reporting on COVID-19 regularly since the start of this newsletter, and haven't tackled the issue of hunger head-on until today. Food is often the center of many people's celebrations this month and next. As we head into the holiday season, do what you can to center food access, too.

I know things may feel overwhelming right now. But I'm confident we can get through anything together. Remember that no matter where you are, you're not going through this alone. I'm rooting for you.

TAKE ACTION

If you need assistance, check to see if you are eligible for the federal Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP). In addition, reach out to food banks near you and explore other resources that may help.

Donate to a local food bank, food pantry, or food-related mutual aid network. Ask before you give: some may prefer canned goods, and others may ask for monetary donations, which can help them buy what’s needed tax-free at a local grocer. Here is a list of food banks by location. If you can, make it a monthly donation.
Sign up to volunteer at your local food bank or mutual aid fund to distribute food on Thanksgiving and throughout the weekend.
Contact your senators and demand they pass the HEROES Act.

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By Nicole Cardoza (she/her)

Our nation – and countries around the world – are facing an unprecedented hunger crisis.

The growing hunger crisis is a heartbreaking outcome of various aspects of the impact of COVID-19. Unemployment and the lack of fiscal stimulus from the federal government make buying food difficult. But with millions of kids temporarily or permanently out of school, many families have lost their relationship with free-and-reduced food programs that these schools provide. This creates added strains for families to feed everyone at home (The 74). Even the rising cost of utility bills are draining limited funds at home (Washington Post).

And this issue is exacerbated by the rising cost of food. Globally, food costs are rising as countries begin to stockpile. Individuals, too, are hoarding the staples as they stay indoors, clearing shelves at local grocery stores (Marketplace). Although they’ve dipped slightly since their peak in August, prices now are still 4.1% higher than September 2019, and the forecasted outbreak leaves projections looking grim (USDA). The increase in costs makes food more inaccessible for consumers – and food banks, too.

Food banks have been overwhelmed since the first wave of COVID-19 in the U.S (The Atlantic). And many were struggling to support the local community before the pandemic even started. On average, 35 million people face hunger in the United States – which is approximately the entire population of Canada. And, despite the misconception, many of those people are families with at least one working adult (Feeding America). Our nation is inherently inequitable, and access to food is no exception. Food banks were never designed to be a sustainable long-term solution to a growing hunger crisis, and considerable support is necessary for them to continue.

As many local food banks and pantries struggle with the strain, mutual aid organizations have mobilized quickly to help support. As we’ve discussed in a previous newsletter, mutual aid networks can often offer fast and immediate support to a hyper-local community in need. And food is no exception. Although they may feel less organized and official than the places you’re familiar with donating, they are often making immediate, on-the-ground that larger organizations can’t. Do your research and support wherever possible.

Charitable endeavors can’t do this work alone, and many are calling for the federal government to take action. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, is a national response to food inequity that supports nearly 38 million people (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities). In the Consumer Reports article, Luis Guardia, president of the Food Research and Action Center notes that for every meal that charities provide, the federal government’s Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nine (Consumer Reports).

A 15 % increase in SNAP funding was proposed by House Democrats in the HEROES Act 2.0 stimulus bill, which is projected to help 16 million people – including 7 million children – who live in households that participate in SNAP and have not received extra SNAP pandemic-emergency benefits (Washington Post). This stimulus bill is still (still!) awaiting a decision in the Senate. Many expect the Biden administration to move quickly on this upon inauguration.

But January 20, 2021 is a long way away, and people are in need now. Not just in the U.S., but around the world. U.N. agencies believe that 250 million people in 20 countries will be impacted by severe malnutrition or even famine in the coming months (AP News). As a community, we must do our best to support each other right now. In addition, we have to commit long-term to see each other through this crisis and advocate for food security for all.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Hunger is a growing crisis in both the U.S. and around the world, with a disproportionate amount of people of color relying on food banks than ever before
An investment in SNAP benefits could help 16 million people access food
Food banks are struggling to meet demand as the pandemic worsens with no end in sight

10/13/2020 | Support Chinatown during COVID-19.

10/6/2020 | Be afraid of COVID-19.

9/16/2020 | Fight for paid sick leave.

9/6/2020 | Protect the aging population from COVID-19.

8/30/2020 | Protect housing rights during COVID-19.

8/23/2020 | Support those incarcerated and impacted by COVID-19.

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