Anti-Racism: What Is Anti-Racism?

Anti-racism is the process of fighting racism through action and ideas. Since many policies and cultural norms derive from systemic racism and the oppression of people of color, it takes active awareness and action to make change. People who are anti-racist put in effort to identify racist thoughts, subconscious prejudice, and policies; they then take action to work against those things.

The anti-racist movement has gained popularity in recent years as the Black Lives Matter movement and police violence against the Black community have come to the forefront. Many activists have voiced that simply being “non-racist” is not enough to change unconscious biases. Given these events, the goal of the anti-racist movement is to educate, inspire, and create lasting change in the United States’s policies and behavior.

Anti-racism is important because it brings awareness and change to racist behaviors and racist policies. The Black community, Latinx community, Asian-American community, and other racial groups are still subject to forms of racism and implicit bias in their everyday lives, even after the advancements of the Civil Rights Movement.

Anti-racist actions work to bring racial equity to all areas of society, including the criminal justice system, health care, the wage gap, public health, and public education.

There are many things you can do to practice anti-racism and fight inequity. Here are a few examples:

• Talk about racism with friends and family. A necessary part of being anti-racist is talking about the history of racism in your community and saying something when you see (or hear) it happening. This is especially important if your community is homogenous because you may not have interacted with people of different backgrounds from you.
• Volunteer. There are many organizations doing anti-racism work, so look for one in your community and volunteer your time.
• Be curious and listen. If people of color share their experiences with you, listen, ask questions, and support them.
• Look for diversity. Look for environments (social settings, jobs, clubs, volunteer organizations) with diversity. This will help you learn about others and help you find others that are working toward racial equality.

Being anti-racist requires you to do the work required to change your thoughts and dismantle racist systems. Use these tips to bring anti-racist behavior into your own life:

1. 1. Educate yourself. Learn about racism and white supremacy in the United States of America through books, podcasts, and talking to others. You can find helpful reading lists online for free. Understand what systems oppress Black people and other people of color and how those systems have perpetuated white privilege.
2. 2. Consider your own racial bias. Since many communities derive from racist systems, you likely carry your own subconscious biases. Bring awareness to your defensiveness about racist ideas and biases so that you can work to change them.
3. 3. Talk about race. Support racial justice by discussing racist ideas and the history of racism (or recent examples) with your friends and family, and don’t refrain from having difficult conversations.
4. 4. Take action. Volunteer with nonprofits, donate, and speak up for anti-racism efforts. This includes calling out racial injustice and microaggressions against communities of color when you see them.

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