
A COMMUNITY OF BELONGING
creating an equity framework
We are at an inflection point in history; we have a choice to remain status quo or actively engage in creating a more equitable community. United Way of Forsyth County has made the commitment to engage, and we have dedicated resources to understand how we experience equity issues, the impact of these issues on Forsyth County, and what we can do to address these issues. We understand that equity is already implicit in our existing approach to community impact and gives United Way a solid foundation on which to deepen and strengthen equity as a process and an outcome. Our goal is that equity becomes part of the DNA of who we are and how we work with our community to create positive change.
WHERE DO I START ?
The following are easily digestible, yet substantial resources that can assist you as you begin your journey to engage in equity:
- 1619 Project Podcast
- Systemic Racism Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHIQIO_bdQ
- 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh
- Beyond Color Blind Podcast PODCAST | Wtlewis
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- Ultimate Guide to Resources for LGBTQ+ Students
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU ENGAGE IN THE WORK
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Click here for articles and books to read, videos to watch, and podcasts to subscribe to
- “America’s Racial Contract Is Killing Us” by Adam Serwer | Atlantic (May 8, 2020)
- Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement (Mentoring a New Generation of Activists
- ”My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” by Jose Antonio Vargas | NYT Mag (June 22, 2011)
- The 1619 Project (all the articles) | The New York Times Magazine
- The Combahee River Collective Statement
- “The Intersectionality Wars” by Jane Coaston | Vox (May 28, 2019)
- Tips for Creating Effective White Caucus Groups developed by Craig Elliott PhD
- “Where do I donate? Why is the uprising violent? Should I go protest?” by Courtney Martin (June 1, 2020)
- ”White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Knapsack Peggy McIntosh
- “Who Gets to Be Afraid in America?” by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi | Atlantic (May 12, 2020)
Videos to watch:
- Black Feminism & the Movement for Black Lives: Barbara Smith, Reina Gossett, Charlene Carruthers (50:48)
- “How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion” | Peggy McIntosh at TEDxTimberlaneSchools (18:26)
Podcasts to subscribe to:
- 1619 (New York Times)
- About Race
- Code Switch (NPR)
- Intersectionality Matters! hosted by Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast
- Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
- Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
- Seeing White
Books to read:
- Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins
- Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Dr. Brittney Cooper
- Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon
- How To Be An Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
- I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
- Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
- Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad
- Raising Our Hands by Jenna Arnold
- Redefining Realness by Janet Mock
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
- So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
- The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
by Michelle Alexander - The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century
by Grace Lee Boggs - The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color by Cherríe Moraga
- When Affirmative Action Was White: An Untold History of Racial Inequality in Twentieth-Century America by Ira Katznelson
- White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo, PhD
- I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
- Tears we Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
- 1619 Project by the New York Times
- Stamped From The Beginning and How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
- Case for Reparations in the Atlantic and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Waking Up White by Debby Irving.
- Lies my Teacher Told Me, James Loewen
- Decolonizing Wealth, Edgar Villanueva
- The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein
Films and TV series to watch:
- 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
- American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
- Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 — Available to rent
- Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada) — Hulu with Cinemax or available to rent
- Clemency (Chinonye Chukwu) — Available to rent
- Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
- Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Available to rent
- I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
- If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
- Just Mercy (Destin Daniel Cretton) — Available to rent
- King In The Wilderness — HBO
- See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
- Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
- The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution — Available to rent
- The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
- When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
Organizations to follow on social media
- Antiracism Center: Twitter
- Audre Lorde Project: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Black Women’s Blueprint: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Color Of Change: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Colorlines: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Conscious Kid: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Equal Justice Initiative (EJI): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Families Belong Together: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- MPowerChange: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Muslim Girl: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- NAACP: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- National Domestic Workers Alliance: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- RAICES: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ): Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- SisterSong: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
- United We Dream: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Recommended Anti-Racism Resources:
- 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
- Anti-Racism Project
- Jenna Arnold’s resources (books and people to follow)
- Resources for White People to Learn and Talk About Race and Racism
- Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide by Tatiana Mac
- Showing Up For Racial Justice’s educational toolkits
- The [White] Shift on Instagram
- “Why is this happening?” — an introduction to police brutality from 100 Year Hoodie
- Zinn Education Project’s teaching materials
Resources for parents:
- Books:
- Podcasts:
- Articles:
- The Conscious Kid: follow them on Instagram and consider signing up for their Patreon
This document was compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020. The original document can be accessed here.
IMMEDIATE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
Be an active part of change. When you see an injustice, speak out. When something doesn’t look right, question it. Look at your surroundings. Dr. Gregory C Ellison, Fearless Dialogs spoke about your 3’ of influence. How can you make an impact?
Advocate for bigger changes in the community. Once you understand the impact of racist systems and institutions, work for changes to dismantle.
Movements/Action:
- Sign up for emails with The Action Pac. https://theactionpac.com
- Support Black Lives Matter. https://blacklivesmatter.com
- Learn about the Movement for Black Lives. https://m4bl.org
Other media:
- Color of Law video. https://www.segregatedbydesign.com
- Systemic Racism Explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrHIQIO_bdQ
- NYT Nicole Hannah Jones https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/06/24/magazine/reparations-slavery.html
- Duke Study. What we get wrong about closing the Racial Wealth Gap Study https://socialequity.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/what-we-get-wrong.pdf
- All Houses Matter! https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6XxybjGN_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
- How to be a Better White Person. https://www.theroot.com/how-to-be-a-better-white-person-in-2020-1840868641
- Kimberly Jones (author) video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb9_qGOa9Go)
- Review your media consumption. Is it all white? Try following the.root, zinneducationproject, austinchanning, and naacp on Instagram. Watch tv shows and movies that are non-white.
- 13th
- Listen to this explanation of racism. https://www.wunc.org/post/there-no-neutral-nice-white-people-can-still-be-complicit-racist-society
- Equal Justice Initiative. https://eji.org/get-involved/
- Oppression explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=139&v=3WWyVRo4Uas&feature=emb_logo
- Poem for White Friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UVIgjuovt8
- 28 Common Racist Attitudes https://gallery.mailchimp.com/f7c3e8c5c5cbc6cd069cdecd3/files/c326e213-2078-42ce-95f2-02bcaf2942f3/28ToolsChange.pdf
Workshops.
- REI (Racial Equity Institute) offered through Neighbors for Better Neighborhoods (NBN). https://www.nbncommunity.org/events
- White Privilege Conference. https://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com
Local:
- Subscribe to the WS Chronicle. https://www.wschronicle.com
- Engage with The Freedom Tree and SHARE https://www.idrusnow.org
- 18 Springs email list. Bodyandearth18@gmail.com
- Follow Winston4Peace on Instagram for events/marches
- Support Black Businesses.
- Learn more at equityforsyth.org