A "Movement Reader" to Aid Understanding & Sustained Action

You can't act if you don't understand. Like so many, I'm leaning into less familiar (even uncomfortable) territory around the movement all around us. I thought I'd share some of the resources I've been diving into these past few weeks to not only enlighten my understanding and perspective, but also to SUSTAIN a commitment to action.

I will keep updating these resources, and I welcome suggestions and builds. Thanks to those of you have offered great builds so far.

Foundational Startup Points

Black Lives Matter: The website of the movement is outstanding, and exceptionally well organized and primed for action. It's designed not only for active participants (e.g. marchers, organizers) but for those seeking a "basic what is this about" orientation to the movement. The site also provides a deeper level of historical context around topics that are being oversimplified in the media (e.g. defunding or disbanding the police).

Wikipedia on Black Lives Matter: This provides a very comprehensive chronology of the movement along with invaluable links to supporting content, articles, studies and more. It also provides easy links to profiles of all key individuals who lost their lives at the hands of police abuse.

Talk about Trayvon: A Toolkit for White People: A toolkit on the BlackLivesMatter.com site dedicated to bridging understanding about policies and practices around his death. "Our work is to get more white people who support us to take action toward racial justice—and to change the hearts and minds of those white people who are not yet with us."

FreedomCenter.org: This online archive from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, located in Cincinnati, includes a broad range of historical content, personal testimonials, and teaching material related to this history of slavery and social injustice. (Disclosure: I'm a board member of the Cincinnati Musuem Center which oversees NURFC.)

Global Citizens Circle: For over 46 years this group convenes diverse global community in civil discourse for constructive change. The LinkedIn group is extremely active (and welcoming). (Thanks, Lorretta!)

National Reports: Historic Must-Read (or Skim) Documents

The Ferguson Commission Report: Following the killing of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 and ensuring uprising, The Ferguson Commission, was launched to do a “thorough, wide-ranging and unflinching study of the social and economic conditions that impede progress, equality and safety in the St. Louis region,” and “to examine the underlying causes of these conditions including poverty, education, governance, and law enforcement.” report identified a total of 189 calls to action, with 47 areas identified as priorities due to the urgent, unflinching, and transformative potential of the action. The commission’s report was and is more than a policy change document – it is a living roadmap for our region to follow.

Kerner Commission Report: This report issued in early 1968 blamed the more than 150 riots between 1965 and 1968 on “white racism” instead of African-American political groups like some believed. Specifically, it identified confrontations between predominately white police forces and the predominately African-American communities they served. It also cautioned against radical responses by the black community, such as the policy of separatism advocated by some (source: FreedomCenter.org).

(The Kerner Commission) finding was that the riots resulted from black frustration at the lack of economic opportunity. Martin Luther King Jr. pronounced the report a "physician's warning of approaching death, with a prescription for life."[2] - Wikipedia

The Christopher Commission Report: In July 1991, some four months after the Rodney King beating (and ahead of the Los Angeles Unrest), the Christopher Commission report was published in pursuit of "a full and fair examination of the structure and operation of the Los Angeles Police department," including its recruitment and training practices, internal disciplinary system, and citizen complaint system.

Cincinnati Reports

The Collaborative Agreement: This 2002 study resulted in part from the widespread belief that too many unarmed African Americans had died in police custody and the demand that police officers stop killing and causing harm to unarmed African Americans. The agreement has three major components: the first drastically changed police use of force policies, the second increased transparency over police conduct to allow for greater accountability. The third component, bias-free and community-oriented policing, was implemented to reduce crime and build community trust.

Inspirations to Bridge Understanding

Martin Luther King Jr: Letter from Birmingham Jail: This is an open letter written on April 16, 1963 arguing that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and to take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts. Responding to being referred to as an "outsider", King writes, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"

Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom: A book I keep re-reading. "The book profiles his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison. Under the apartheid government, Mandela was regarded as a terrorist and jailed on the infamous Robben Island for his role as a leader of the then-outlawed ANC. The last chapters of the book describe his political ascension, and his belief that the struggle still continued against apartheid in South Africa" (source: Wikipedia).

Writings of Mahatma Ghandi: Leader of non-violent resistance. One of the inspirations for Martin Luther Kind and the non-violent Civil Rights movements. (Thanks, Shwetha.)

Video Clips Worth Watching

Obama on Race, Police Violence: Virtual town hall interview of former President Barack Obama hosted by My Brother's Keeper Alliance on “Reimagining Policing in the Wake of Continued Police Violence. Worth every minute!

13th Netflix Movie: In this thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the U.S. prison boom.

George Floyd Memorial Service Eulogy: I watched my this eulogy delivered by the Rev. Al Sharpton with my kids in an effort to more easily convey what's going on in the world. Longer time commitment (26 minutes) but wonderfully revealing and the realities and tensions we are dealing with right now.

Three Myths About Racism: Dr. Candice Watts Smith dispels in this 2020 TedX talk what we think we know about racism, and explores what we can do in order to live in a post-racist society. "It's important for us to have a shared definition of racism.."

Subconcious Racial Bias in Children: This CNN clip goes back to 2012 but it does a very good job illustrating both subtle and not so subtle forms of racial bias. Anderson Cooper details a 7th grader whose answers to similar scenarios differ depending on the race of the characters.

Talking About Race With White People: In this PBS NewsHour interview, Renni Eddo-Lodge responds when somebody tells her they don’t see race. Trying to raise the topic in white-dominated social circles often led her to an immediate shutdown, one that might spring from others’ fear of being wrong,

Leadership, Mentorship. I'm honored to serve on the CMC board with Honorable Jeffrey Hopkins, a US Bankrupcy Judge. Here's a clip he recently shared with us along with the words "We have an obligation to tell the historical truth—and more than that—take action to make our communities better." I also shared this with my Cintrifuse team.

Podcasts

Scott Galloway & Peter Henry Interview: Professor and Dean Emeritus of NYU Stern School of Business and economist, Peter Henry, joins Scott to discuss the inevitability of the moment we’re in surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, systemic racism, and injustice. Henry is the author of Turnaround: Third World Lessons for First World Growth.

Talking to Kids About Racism (NBC Into America): Host Tyrmaine Lee speaks to Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, a leading expert on how to talk to kids about race and racism, especially at this critical moment, and why starting young is so critical.  

How White Parents Can Talk to Their Kids About Race: Michel Martin, weekend host of All Things Considered, spoke with Jennifer Harvey, author of Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America.

Commentary from the Business and Sports World

NFL Players: This short piece by a number of Black NFL players had an unmistakable impact on the subsequent action of NFL in apologizing for previous policy.

Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto on "My Awakening" -- Incredibly thoughtful, reflective, piece that recently appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The Choice: P&G continues its series of thought-provoking films on bias and racism with “The Choice,” an invitation to the often-silent majority to become allies, advocates and activists to end racial inequality. The film inspires individuals to take action to create the world we all want to live in by challenging them to move beyond their comfort zones to Read, Listen, Donate, Plan, March, Vote, Speak Out, Step In, Step Up. The film is accompanied by an extensive web-based resource at pg.com/takeonrace that gives people a place to start.

The Talk: Scenes of black parents openly sharing truths about bias their children will experience. Produced by P&G, this spot won multiple awards, including Cannes Grand Prix. Criticism centered on "absent father" stereotypes which P&G addressed in a follow-up spot "The Look" (see below).

The Look: This spot (also from P&G) zeroes in on the "unconscious biases that black men are forced to confront on a daily basis, highlighting the barriers to acceptance they face in their everyday lives" (Ad Age).

Dream Crazy: This spot by Nike caused an outcry after featuring Colin Kaepernick in its 30th anniversary "Just Do It" campaign. The ad told viewers to “dream crazy,” in addition to Nike’s well-known slogan “Just Do It.” The ad was named “outstanding commercial” at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Don't Do It! In this 2020 Nike spot releases only a few days ago you see series of phrases appear against a black background, inverting the sportswear giant's famous slogan: "For once, Don't Do It. Don't pretend there's not a problem in America. Don't turn your back on racism. Don't accept innocent lives being taken from us."

Circumstances: This spot by P&G shines "light on the systemic bias and inequality the COVID-19 pandemic is revealing. "A virus doesn’t discriminate but circumstances do."