THE PROBLEM
People say and do racist things, sometimes knowingly, sometimes unintentionally. When we ignore these words and acts, we are saying they are okay. Ignoring racism allows it to continue. Ignoring racism is racism.
Speak up. For some this is easy to do. For others it can be uncomfortable or awkward. The aim of Speak Up Against Racism is to encourage people to speak up, and provide support and resources to make speaking up easier to do.
Respectfully. Directly. Without judgment or shaming. When we hear something that we believe is racist, we can say we’re not okay or comfortable with it. We can ask the person to help us understand why they said it. We can have a conversation, or not. We just can’t ignore it.
For suggestions and tips to help you speak up, please see the Resources page.
We can encourage our friends, family and community members to speak up against racism by doing it ourselves. We can also put Speak Up Against Racism signs in our yards, photo frames on our social media, posters where we shop or work, and magnets/stickers on our cars and phones, for example. We can host a get-together of our friends and neighbors to let them know what we’re learning and doing, and encourage them to join us.
