It’s painful to witness the anguish erupting in our cities following the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other people of color who have been unjustly killed. Take action by:
Listening: Many Black and Brown people are in enormous despair. Listen when they speak — without expecting them to work for the benefit of your learning.
Learning: Start with the recent Washington Post article by 2016–17 AAUW American Fellow alumnae Keisha Blain about the problematic history of policing in this country. Also consider Racism 101: Understanding Race and Racism and review this resource list that compiles other anti-racist articles, books, movies and podcasts.
Speaking Up: After you listen and learn, talk about these issues to members of your community — both in public forums and private conversations — and call out racism when you see it. Some of AAUW’s mission areas that disproportionately affect Black women and their families are student-loan debt, pay inequity and the lack of a livable minimum wage — all part of AAUW’s 2020 Gender Agenda you can speak out about.