Racial Justice Statement & Resources
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The world and our hearts are heavy after watching the videos of George Floyd, a Black man and father of five, die at the hands of e a White Minneapolis police officer on May 25, 2020. The death of Mr. Floyd, along with Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and the many thousands before them, has generated a yearning to better understand the breadth and depth of racism in America and what actions one person can take. We also want to honor the pain that People of Color have endured and are enduring now.
ALF Oregon has provided this list of articles, books, podcasts and other lists to learn more and to understand what you can do to advance equity and safety in your community and in Oregon. The list begins with resources for People of Color, ways to find support and hear from others putting to words what you have gone through and are going through now.
If you have suggestions for additional resources or articles, please email info@alfo.org.
Resources and Readings For People of Color
Resources to Better Understand the Breadth and Depth of Racism in America
Books - All were read and suggested by Senior Fellows. (links are to Powell's books but find wherever you access books)
Articles
Podcasts / Blogs
Programs and Workshops
Video Presentations and Documentaries
Call It COVID-19, a Weiden + Kennedy Anti-Asian Racism Video in response to the rising discrimination against Asians around the world as a direct result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Weiden + Kennedy's Portland affinity group, Asiancy, created the video. Watch the video on Weiden + Kennedy's Twitter
Daily Readings Broken Down By Time Each Day
Awareness and Skill Building
An Even Longer List of Resources...
Oregon's Stand Against Hate
Learn about the frequencies and importance of hate crimes and bias incidences
Law enforcement agencies are separately required to report bias crimes they investigate to the Oregon State Police, which has its own data dashboard (the bottom right of their dashboard has the bias reporting categories).
Get Comfortable
As you read these articles, dialogue with friends and family to get comfortable with talking about racism, white privilege, and white supremacy. Find someone whom you can discuss these articles.
For those in power in your community, you could:
• conduct regular reviews to determine if indiscriminate racial profiling is taking place in local organizations and in particular with law enforcement agencies.• make it easier for community residents to report police misconduct.• create civilian review boards with independent power to discipline officers or recommend discipline for officers that will actually be enforced.• demand that state legislators facilitate legislation to make it easier to prosecute police misconduct in Oregon Note: If you don't already know, click here to find your own legislators. • make police officers pay damages for police brutality out of their own pockets.
• implement mandatory training for court officers to recognize and reduce jury bias against defendants and plaintiffs who may be a member of a marginalized group or formerly incarcerated.
• examine whether abusive police practices are allowed in law enforcement agencies, such as police choke holds.
• talk to other leaders about advancing racial equity in your community.
The President's Order to Restrict Anti-Racism Trainings
During President Trump's presidency, he directed a crack down on federal agencies' anti-racism training sessions. As ALF Oregon's mission is to join and strengthen diverse leaders to serve the common good and enhance leadership by building on the strengths of diversity and by promoting collaborative problem solving within and among communities, we sought articles explaining this value of antiracism training. Please see below.
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We welcome your thoughts and additional resources. Contact Lisa Watson, Executive Director, at lisa@alfo.org or Kelley Whitmore, Program Manager, at kelley@alfo.org.
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