WAYS to LEARN ABOUT and WORK AGAINST RACISM

Participate in an online discussion of the ​“Seeing White” series ​from the Center for Documentary Studies at
Duke, hosted by ​BAR WE (Building Anti-Racist White Educators):
https://barwe215.weebly.com/summer-2019-seeing-white-discussion.html#bn-forum-1-1-8947461/0​.

Take action against detention centers holding children in inhumane conditions. ​Various news outlets have
shared first-hand accounts from teams of doctors and attorneys monitoring conditions faced by children in
detention centers near the border that include young children caring for toddlers and failure to meet the
most basic of needs (e.g., soap, toothbrushes). Read more about what we can do to stop this injustice:
https://medium.com/@togetherandfree/feel-helpless-amidst-the-horrific-immigration-news-youre-not-how-you-can-m
ake-difference-today-108dc42de88e

Visit the Beck Cultural Exchange Center in Knoxville​, “the place where African American history and culture
are preserved.” ​For more information on the history and work of the Beck Cultural Center, see
https://www.beckcenter.net/about-1/​.

Educate yourself about the eviction crisis, including its relationship to wealth inequality and racism,
through this On the Media series (one of the episodes also includes a segment on the role of the media in
the Central Park Five case):
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/scarlet-e-unmasking-americas-eviction-crisis​.

Watch Ta-Nehisi Coates’ testimony at the US House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on reparations for
slavery and the Jim Crow era, ​the legacy of which is evident in the racial wealth gap and other consequences
affecting African Americans. The full hearing (3-1⁄2 hours) with Ta-Hehisi Coates’ five minutes of testimony
beginning around 46:30 is here:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?461767-1/house-judiciary-subcommittee-examines-case-slavery-reparations&fbclid=Iw
AR0XUo8FDZ2UFTcIOj9M5_Nfi5-HCUvTHc-aW-bYre_OA-MOqgdupkcAoTU​.

Mark your calendar to attend the August 31 Alcoa / Blount County NAACP celebration of Juneteeth and
the 400th anniversary of African Americans’ arrival in the United States ​(rescheduled from June due to
weather).​ ​Read more about the significance of Juneteenth here: ​http://www.juneteenth.com/history.htm​.

Learn more about how to work against racism through SURJ’s toolkits and online resources. ​For example,
learn about the characteristics of white supremacy culture here:
https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culture-characteristics.html​.

Get involved in anti-racist work with organizations such as Blount County United, our local NAACP
chapter, ​the Knoxville Black Lives Matter chapter, Southern Poverty Law Center, United Negro College Fund,
Black Youth Project 100, or other anti-racist organizations. Join list-servs and take recommended actions.

Attend a BLOUNT COUNTY UNITED meeting​: 4​th​ Sat. at 1:00 pm at St. Paul AME Zion Church, Maryville.
Invite Blount County United’s Education Committee​ to develop a program for your church or civic group.
For more information, contact BCUEdCmte@gmail.com
Join the Alcoa/Blount branch of NAACP​: 4​th​ Sat at 11:45 am at St. Paul AME Zion Church, Maryville.
You can find a digital version of this material under the “Take Action” tab on our website:
https://blountcountysurj.weebly.com/​.
Sign up for Blount County SURJ’s email list​: Contact us at ​blountcountySURJ@gmail.com
Visit and share our Facebook page:​ ​https://www.facebook.com/blountcountysurj/

A publication of Blount County Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) July 2019