Shut up and listen
When it comes to racism, I’m realizing I don’t know shit. So I’m trying to read and watch and learn.
It’s time for us privileged white guys to talk less and listen more. Here are 20 things that people shared with me over the last few days that stirred me, made me feel uncomfortable, and made me think.
1. This incalculable loss.
Remember that startling New York Times front page from a few days ago? The one that listed the Covid-19 deaths? This one…
This spin on it (the image at top of this page) made me gasp. 7,000 dead???
This is the data behind the project. (And here’s who came up with the visual.)
2. This eye-opening lesson on how to deconstruct racism in the headlines we read
3. These thoughts from Trevor Noah on the dominoes of racial injustice
4. This reminder not to forget Black women and girls
5. This speech from Killer Mike
6. This talk from Mellody Hobson (from 6 years ago) about how corporate America must be “color brave” instead of “color blind”
7. This piece from James Baldwin that President Obama mentioned yesterday and encouraged people to read
8. This advice on how to be a good white ally
9. This conversation with W. Kamau Bell.
10. This reminder that feel-good photos ain’t the end of the story
11. This look at how we could change policing as it exists today
It’s a provocative phrase, but “Defund the police” is really about changing what we ask of police and reassigning some of their responsibilities to a different part of the system. These posters explain more:
John Oliver has a pretty scorching take on it, too:
Click here for an updated list of links around the idea of “defund the police.”
12. This statement from Griffin Matthews that reminds us that no field, no business, no industry is not touched by racism
13. This hard look at the “bad apples” theory
14. This list of links from a cosmetic brand
15. These Black artists to follow on Instagram
She Is This | Melissa Alexander | Amir Khadar | I Am Jeremy | Kader Diaby | Alexis Hunley | Kendra Dandy | Michelle Norris | Lorna Simpson | Monica Ahanonu | KaCey Kal | Adrian Armstrong | Jekein Lato-Unah | Ciara LeRoy | Natasha Cunningham | Frances Smith | Justine Agada | Nikkolas Smith | Adrian Brandon | Jade Purple Brown | Simone Sanders | Stanley Whitney
16. These 200+ black-owned Etsy shops
17. These photos from the protests this week
18. This racism scale
19. These resources for people (like me) in the ad business
Black hands for comps | diverse stock photography | Black creatives to follow on Twitter (especially Derek Walker) | Adcolor | what it’s like to be Black in advertising | what brands and agencies are doing
20. And finally, to end on a moment of joy, these three young women
John Kovacevich is a writer and creative director in San Francisco. He’s grateful to his friends for sharing most of the links above over the last week.
