Becoming anti-racist in New Zealand
I want to be held accountable on my own journey to move from “not racist” to “anti-racist”. I will share my reading, my learning and my observations in the hope that my journey can help others. Please feel free to share your thoughts and recommendations in the comments. Hate speech and bullying will not be tolerated on this page; comments breaching this will be deleted without consultation.
19/06/20
Watched:
Black parents explain how to deal with the Police (this one absolutely broke my heart)
15/06/20
Last week, I found myself wanting to switch off from this discussion. I’m not proud of it and I’m not condoning it. I am however observing it and refusing to let myself look away for long. That’s white privilege in action. I’ve been having conversations with family and friends, and I’ve been allowing myself to become upset during the discussions - I never want to be desensitised to the shocking reality that too many Black people experience. My own emotional response is a powerful tool for communicating lessons, and growing understandings. If you are finding these conversations difficult, I encourage you to let your heart take over the conversation.
Watched/Read:
Followed on Instagram:
05/06/20
This week I’ve been focusing on watching videos and following new accounts on social media that broaden my worldview. Some of these accounts are activists, some are business people, some are here in New Zealand and some are based overseas. My goal in following new accounts is to increase diversity in my feed so I am exposing myself to a range of world-views.
Watched:
Dear White People (video by Instagram user @themanacho)
When did my black baby become a threat to you (video by Instagram user @laurenwhitney)
Followed on Instagram:
Cover photo by Pop & Zebra on Unsplash