Let’s Talk About Systemic Racism

Let’s Talk About Systemic Racism

We have to do our part as South Asians in solidarity with our Black brothers and sisters. It’s not enough to just “not be racist”, we have to actively be “anti-racist” and that begins at home. 

Whether you’ve already put some thought into how to approach your loved ones about systemic racism or avoided the topic altogether for fear of having an “uncomfortable” conversation, it’s evident that now, more than ever, we have to talk about it. We have to have unfiltered, real, heart-to-heart conversations with our parents, aunties and uncles. We have to reframe the South Asian perspective. We have to act. 

Only once we start examining our lives, our thoughts and our feelings can we begin to understand how, consciously or not, we may be propagating beliefs deeply ingrained in our culture. Here are three steps to navigate the topic of systemic racism in your communities:

1) Be Informed - Do your research and ditch assumptions. Listen and learn from each others’ experiences. Educate yourself so you can educate others in your life. Identify the ways that racism and anti-blackness exist in your social circles and reflect on how we as a community can reframe our perspectives. Knowledge is power, and it’s important that we know our own history. For example, @southasiansmh recently shared a post that explains how the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s opened up the doors for Asians to enter the US. We also recommend following @southasians4blacklives for resources to help educate ourselves on dismantling anti-Blackness and confronting our own community’s biases.

2) Be Proactive - Act now to fight ignorance. Screenshot, share, and repost articles and resources with your friends and family. Whether it’s initiating a conversation at the dinner table or supporting black-owned businesses (www.supportblackowned.com), find ways to come together in solidarity with Black Lives Matter. Converse with empathy. Both relatable and shareable. We love this art by @shebanimal on how to engage with your Desi family in solidarity.

3) Be Patient - Keep an open mind and meet others where they are. It’s okay to disagree. Remember to first seek to understand each other’s views and be mindful of personal boundaries and sensitivities. This movement is ongoing and change takes time. Involve your siblings, cousins, and friends because we are stronger together. 

Here’s what’s top of mind to us: How can the South Asian community support our Black brothers and sisters, today, tomorrow, and for generations to come? Feel free to give us ideas at contact@mohifashion.com  or send us a DM @mohifashions. We’d love to hear from you.

 

Recommended Anti-Racism Resources

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” - Desmond Tutu

Protests are raging across the world over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man in Minneapolis. His death follows that of Breonna Taylor in Louisville in March, and Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia in February. However, anger, frustration, and tension have been building up in the US over the criminalization, dehumanization, and deaths of Black Americans over the last hundreds of years. 

In these times, we hope everyone does their part by discussing with friends and family members, speaking up in the face of injustice, and donating if you’re financially able to do so. Start researching by checking out our list of recommended anti-racism resources:

(1) Read 

Books:

  • Between the World and Me Ta-Nehisi Coates 
  • Assata: An Autobiography Assata Shakur 
  • Just Mercy Bryan Stevenson 
  • Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Autobiography of Malcolm X 
  • Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race Reni Eddo-Lodge 
  • When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir Asha Bandele and Patrisse Cullors

Articles:

  • “How to Make This Moment the Turning Point for Real Change,” by Barack Obama in Medium
  • “The Death of George Floyd, In Context,” by Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker
  • “This Is How Loved Ones Want Us To Remember George Floyd,” by Alisha Ebrahimji for CNN.
  • “You shouldn’t need a Harvard degree to survive bird watching while black,” by Samuel Getachew, a 17-year-old for the Washington Post
  • The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning The 1619 Project. Take some time to read the entire thing, especially this essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones. 

 

(2) Watch 

  • 13th Ava DuVernay, a documentary exploring the prison system and mass incarceration of African Americans in the US 
  • Selma Ava DuVernay, a film that chronicles the marches of the Civil Rights Movement
  • Just Mercy, a film based on civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s work on death row in Alabama
  • The Hate U Give George Tillman Jr., a film offering an intimate portrait of race in America
  • Dear White People Justin Simien, a Netflix series about being Black at an elite and predominantly white college
  • I am not your Negro Raul Peck, a documentary envisioning the book James Baldwin was never able to finish 
  • When they see us, a Netflix miniseries from Ava DuVernay about the Central Park Five
  • Becoming, a Netflix documentary following Michelle Obama on her book tour
  • Hidden Figures, a film about the brilliant African American women of NASA

 

(3) Listen

 

(4) Donate 

Here are some out of many organizations that you can donate to: 

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