| A checklist for 'white' people on African Americans |
| 1. | List ways that at one time or another you or your family have downplayed, minimized or denied the effects of slavery and post-slavery Jim Crow segregation on the African-American community.
|
| 2. | List ways your family may have colluded with or benefitted from the economic exploitation of African Americans. |
| 3. | What are ways that, actively or through inaction, you have resisted the full integration of African Americans into your workplace, school, social organizations or congregation?
|
| 4. | Notice which contemporary national problems are blamed predominantly on African Americans. What national policies are being discussed to blame and punish African Americans for these problems?
|
| 5. | Analyze your community. Which parts - schools, recreational facilities, job sectors, clubs - are presently de facto segregated:
· Which of these do you participate in?
· What could you do to challenge this segregation?
|
| 6. | Notice what specific institutional practices contribute to de facto segregation in your community (for example, red lining, real estate covenants, school district borders, suburban incorporation). List one that you are going to work with others to change.
|
| 7. | Notice what kinds of individual acts of discrimination keep the segregation in place (decisions by landlords, real estate agents, employers, teachers, etc.). What is one thing you can do to support public policies against discrimination, and their strong and consistent enforcement?
|
| 8. | Work to make sure the police are adequately supervised and monitored.
|
| 9. | Listen to African Americans define their own lives and problems, and push for their involvement at every level in every situation you are involved in. Support their leadership.
|
| 10. | Find out what you can do to work against the disbanding of affirmative action and other anti-discrimination programs and policies. |
| 11. | Find out about the agencies, local government offices and community organizations working against racism in your community.
· Support them financially.
· Support them with your time and energy.
|
| 12. | Notice the sports you watch and the music you listen to. Are there any in which African Americans are major performers?
· Who benefits financially, and who benefits culturally from the performances of African Americans in these areas?
· What are the economic factors that led African Americans to be major participants in these areas?
· What are the stereotypes that white people use to justify these concentrations?
· Support the efforts of African Americans to become more powerful in these areas through participation in management, through ownership arrangements, through less exploitive recruitment practices, etc.
|
| 13. | How can you challenge other white people when stereotypes of African Americans are used to blame them for social problems? What information or other preparation do you need to be able to do this well?
|
| 14. | Introduce your children to the complexities, history and accomplishments of African Americans.
|
| 15. | Make sure your schools and children's programs are multicultural and that African American youth are not singled out for punishment.
|