More white women are educating themselves about anti-racism and allyship. There still aren’t nearly enough of them, but the number of white women requesting training in my group Real Talk: WOC & Allies for Racial Justice and Anti-Oppression continues to grow. That’s a good thing. We’re up for the task of working with them to address their own racism and showing them how to fight racism both on an individual and systemic level.

A white woman leads the mentoring in my group. She has done anti-racism work for decades. It was a natural fit for her to lead the training…

1. You make excuses for your racist friends/family. There’s no excusing racism. Yes, it’s harder to address with people you love, but this is the work. If you let it slide, you’re complicit. Period. Either you’re anti-racist or you’re not. You can’t pick and choose which racist white people you call out. Anti-racism means you address it wherever you see it. That means confronting your parents, siblings, husband, children, friends, etc. While it’s important to do the larger tasks such as marching for change, it’s equally important to educate the people around you. Anti-racism work is also a grassroots effort. …

I’m watching white people finally get off the sidelines and speak up. More of you realize what we’ve been saying about our experiences in this country is the truth. It took too long, but I see you fighting alongside us.

But not all of you.

When I say silence is violence, I’m now getting this answer: “Just because I’m silent, doesn’t mean I’m racist.”

Actually, it does.

Many white people still believe the only racists that matter are the ones spewing hatred and acting on that hatred. Those aren’t the people we regularly encounter. Our managers aren’t (usually) klansmen or…

Your choice is simple. Either speak up and join the fight or stay silent and side with the oppressor. I’ll no longer slice and dice the layers of racism so that White people can look at one another and say, “Well, at least I’m not that racist.”

You’re no better than a card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan if you stay silent. These violent acts are also on your hands. Silence always has consequences. You won’t walk in the light, preferring to skulk around in the dark bearing witness to bloodshed. …

Riots. Protests. Revolution.

Black people shouted. We shouted at the top of our lungs. We shouted to be seen. We shouted to be heard. We shouted our pain and anger.

White people? They turned their backs and walked away.

So here we are. People protest around the world to show their support for Black lives and their outrage at the murder of George Floyd. I’m heartened to see some White people protesting and not surprised to see others rioting with the sole purpose of causing even more violence against Black people.

Just as I’m not surprised some White people are…