"In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist. We must be anti-racist." -- Angela Davis
Anti-Racism is strategies, theories, actions, and practices that challenge and counter racism, inequalities, prejudices, and discrimination based on race.
Scope: This guide is intended to support informed dialogue and action by providing general information and resources about anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion. It's not an exhaustive list of anti-racist and social justice initiatives nor does it capture all of the many facets of the conversations around the issues listed here. This guide serves as an introduction to these issues and as a starting place for finding information from a variety of sources.
We welcome your suggestions on strengthening this guide as we view it as a constantly evolving resource. While the guide was created through a joint effort of multiple library faculty members, please email suggestions to libref@oneonta.edu
Racism is prejudice plus power; anyone of any race can have/exhibit racial prejudice, but in North America, white people have the institutional power, therefore Racism is a systematized discrimination or antagonism directed against people of color based on the belief that whiteness is superior. It is insidious, systemic, devastating, and integral to understanding both the history of the United States and the everyday experiences of those of us living in this country.
White Privilege: White privilege is an institutional (rather than personal) set of benefits granted to those of us who, by race, resemble the people who dominate the powerful positions in our institutions. One of the primary privileges is that of having greater access to power and resources than people of color do; in other words, purely on the basis of our skin color doors are open to us that are not open to other people. For example, given the exact financial history, white people in the United States are two to ten times more likely to get a housing loan than people of color − access to resources. Those of us who are white can count on the fact that a nation’s history books will [describe] our experience of history. American Indian parents, on the other hand, know that their children will not learn in school about the contributions of their people.
Microagression: one of the everyday insults, indignities and demeaning messages sent to people of color by well-intentioned white people who are unaware of the hidden messages being sent to them.
References
DeAngelis, Tori. "Unmasking racial micro aggressions." Monitor on Psychology 40.2 (2009): 42.
DiAngelo, Robin J. What Does It Mean to Be White?: Developing White Racial Literacy. 2016.
Information Resources
Information Resources
Many professional library organizations have made statements in support of Black Lives Matter or the movement in general. Please click on the links listed below to view the individual statements by the organizations.
Grateful acknowledgement for some content of this guide: Simmons University Library Anti-Oppression guide; Shauffler Library White Anti-Racism Social Justice guide