The time is now for leaders to take a stand and act against racism. Together we can make a difference
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Click through to see specific actions you can take now to help eradicate racism.
WHAT
CAN I DO
People are asking what they can do to support the Black community.
We have pulled together some ideas and actions that we hope will get you started.
LEARN
Read books about the experience of Black people in America.
Follow Black organizations and leaders on social media.
Explore and connect with Black-owned or led organizations in your industry.
Explore resources about unconscious bias, its impacts, and steps you can take to interrupt its impact on the decisions you make and actions you take.
Take time to reflect on your own experience and role in creating more inclusion in your personal life, work life, and in society.
CONNECT
Reach out and check in – now and ongoing (e.g. ask how are you doing? how can I support you personally?) but do not push.
Listen more.
Be authentic and show empathy.
Ask permission to ask questions and talk about their experience and your privilege—people are individuals with their own experiences, there isn’t just one.
Deepen your connections, share your traditions, be curious and authentically invest in building strong relationships.
ACT AT WORK
Diversify and expand your networks.
Seek out untapped talent and provide opportunities.
Actively invite a range of perspectives and voices on all your teams.
Mentor or sponsor a colleague.
Ask for (and demand) diverse slates of candidates for hiring and promotion.
Notice what people are experiencing and ask how their experience differs from yours.
Actively support and sponsor Black Employee/ Business Resource Groups and their initiatives.
MODEL
Talk about racial issues openly with your children and family.
Encourage children to actively engage and lead discussions.
Provide books and toys that represent people of all different backgrounds.
Invite a diverse range of people into your social circle and celebrate aspects of each other’s cultures together.
AT HOME
CONTRIBUTE
Do business with Black-owned businesses.
Volunteer with organizations that support Black youth.
Mentor a Black student.
Donate to college funds for Black students and to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
GET ACTIVE
Get involved in your local community.
Contact local leaders, share your concerns, and ask what they are doing to change the status quo.
Join boards and organizations that support the Black community.
Contribute your time or money towards justice system reform.
Identify and support candidates across the country.
What follows is just a sample of the many resources available.
WHERE
CAN I START?
Take the time to explore and go deeper into the areas of most interest to you.
READ
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson
The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias by Dolly Chugh.
EXPLORE THESE
Campaign Zero: Dedicated to police reform and works with a 10-point plan aimed at reducing violence.
The Loveland Foundation: Committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: The vision of the NAACP is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.
ORGANIZATIONS
Color of Change: Designs campaigns powerful enough to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward.
The Southern Poverty Law Center: Specializes in civil rights and public interest litigation.
LISTEN
American activist, co-founder of Campaign Zero, co-host of the American political podcast “Pod Save the People”.
TO BLACK VOICES
Brittany Packnett Cunningham
American filmmaker, director, and film distributor.
Ava DuVernay
American civil rights activist and editorial writer. Principal at the Black Futures Lab, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Alicia Garza
American author and historian who teaches at American University.
Ibram X. Kendi
American author, social entrepreneur, television producer, and US army combat veteran.
Wes Moore
VOLUNTEER
Big Brothers Big Sisters
iMentor
Black Girls Code
BE AN
Pay attention to how people are treated and when you see injustice, speak up.
Be prepared to understand and empathize around the challenges that exist for Black people, do not discount their perspective.
ALLY
Find someone who will provide you with honest feedback. Ask for feedback regularly and hold yourself accountable.
Join a community group focused on race, equity and justice.
UNCOVER
Catalyst course on edX.
Watch the Ted Talk by Verna Myers on How to overcome bias.
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS
Take a course at work to explore your own biases and start the work of interrupting them.
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