Resources for Gender Justice Advocates to Challenge Anti-Black Racism
by Possibility Seeds’s Courage to Act Project
The following is a community-curated list of resources about understanding and challenging anti-Black racism for gender justice advocates. Any liberation from gender-based violence (GBV) cannot take place without an end to white supremacy and anti-Black racism. We invite gender justice advocates both in community organizations and at Canadian post-secondary institutions to read, engage and implement action plans with the help of the resources below.
To honour the labour that went into curating these resources, Courage to Act asks our community to add resources and share actions inspired by this resource guide. You can send these to anoodth@couragetoact.ca. It is vital that we actively address the intersections of anti-Black racism, sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence.
On Sexual Violence, Black People and Anti-Black Racism:
Black women and sexual assault stats sheet from the Washington-based National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community (Oct 2018)
Barriers for Black Survivors by End Rape on Campus lists some of the factors that prevent Black women, men and gender non-binary survivors from reporting sexual violence
Unlocking Us Podcast on being heard and seen with Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo Movement, and Brene Brown
Roots and Resistance: A webinar by Yamikani Msosa on the connections between sexual violence, state violence, and healing from collective and individual sexual abuse and trauma for Black survivors.
#MeToo Won’t Succeed If We Don’t Listen to Black Women article by Shanon Lee. She outlines the ways Black women have laid the groundwork for modern rape crisis centers and questions why they left out of the healing process for #MeToo.
One Year of #MeToo: The Legacy of Black Women Testimonies by Allyson Hobbs associate professor of American history and the director of African and African-American studies at Stanford University,
Culturally Specific Services for African-American Self-Identified Sexual Assault Survivors in Detroit article by Kalimah Johnson, LMSW, Executive Director of Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing and Awareness.
Expanding Our Frame: Deepening Our Demands for Healing and Safety for Black Survivors of Sexual Violence by Andrea Ritchie is a policy brief written in partnership with the National Black Women’s Justice Institute and the Ms. Foundation in 2019. The brief aims to help expand the messaging of the anti-sexual violence movement by centering Black women, girls and femmes and building new structures of partnership and accountability for healing. This report examines Black women, girls, trans and gender-nonconforming people’s experiences of sexual assault and uplifts recommendations for prevention and transformative healing.
Beyond Lights, Camera, Action, and Surviving R.Kelly Viewing Parties by Black Women’s Blueprint is a model for how to create a community of care for survivors during R. Kelly screenings. It also provides context for how to center Black girls who might be watching and respond when survivors disclose as well as how to educate the family about sexual violence.
On Recognizing Anti-Racism as a Cornerstone of Gender-Based Violence Prevention Work
Futures without Violence compiled a list of resources that addresses how racism and oppression have shaped our anti-violence movements and how we can dismantle racism in our organizations and communities.
The Colour of Violence, Angela Davis’ seminal keynote address at the inaugural INCITE! Women of Colour Against Violence Conference in Santa Cruz, explores the connections between police violence, prison abolition and the movement to end violence against women.
For Those in Management and Leadership:
A blog post from the Management Center on How to Manage When Things Are Not Okay (And Haven’t Been For Centuries)
An article by Bryce Celotto on Supporting Black Staff In Times of Crisis: What Managers and Organizational Leaders Can Do To Support Black Lives
A blog post by Michelle Kim on How to Manage Your Team in Times of Political Trauma
A Google Doc with recommendations for Leading during traumatic and triggering events
For Academics:
Cite Black Women is a campaign that pushes for the acknowledgement of Black women’s transnational intellectual production
The Lemonade Syllabus curated by Candance Benbow includes books, poetry, photography, music, theatre, film and documentary inspired by Beyoncé’s visual album, Lemonade. It’s a compilation of work celebrating black women.
Canadian Education is steeped in anti-Black racism is an excerpt from Robyn Maynard’s book Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present.
For Campus Organizers:
Campus Toolkit for Combatting Racism by the Canadian Federation of Students is a starter kit to help those who are new to organizing on-campus anti-racism efforts.
On Police and Prison Abolition:
A Q&A with Robyn Maynard, author of Policing Black Lives
A blog post by Sandra Hudson for the Broadbent Institute: Creating Policy Options for Defunding the Police and Creating Alternative Services of Safety and Support
Tarana Burke on the Connection Between Police Brutality and Sexual Violence Full Frontal on TBS
Prisons, Policing and Punishment resource list curated by Micah Herskind
TransformHarm.org curated by Mariame Kaba lists extensive resources around transformative justice, restorative justice, community accountability, healing justice, carceral feminism and abolition.
What Does Defund the Police Mean for Sexual Violence Victims an article by Jane Gerster that explores how the issue of defunding the police impacts sexual violence survivors.
On Black Healing and Support:
Resource Guide for Black Healing and Support, Greater Toronto Area
This Twitter thread on mental health resources for Black communities
Healing and Justice for African-American Survivors by Kalimah Johnson, LMSW, Executive Director of Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing and Awareness
On Black Women and Girls’ Lived Experiences:
An article for Chatelaine by Eternity Martis, 5 Black Women Talk About Their Lives In Canada–Past, Present And Future
The Behind the Numbers report written by Jen Katshunga, Notisha Massaquoi; Confronting Anti-Black Racism Unit, City of Toronto; OCASI, and Justine Wallace describes the experiences of black women and girls in Canada with a focus on education, health, criminal justice, labour market, academia, and data.
On Being Black and Queer:
Being African American and LGBTQ: An Introduction is a news article listing important issues faced by queer and trans black folks, and some relevant resources.
In the essay, I dreamt of a march for Black queer liberation Cicely-Belle Blain reflects on issues of identity, injustice, racism and queerness, and the balance of protest and celebration, anger and joy, fight and flight.
On Health Care and Reproductive Justice
This news article by Rebecca Grant on how Black women’s experience of pregnancy and maternal care is affected by race.
Black Experiences in Health Care Symposium Report looks at the health inequities experienced by Black communities in Ontario.
On Media Representation
Desmond Cole and Tea Mutonji in conversation about media representation, anti-Black violence and liberation
On Allyship and Anti-Racism:
This article by Ijeoma Oluo titled, Welcome To The Anti-Racism Movement — Here’s What You’ve Missed
Ibram X. Kendi compiled An Antiracist Reading List for the New York Times.
A Guide to Allyship is a Google doc with a robust list of resources, do’s/don’ts, and ideas on how non-black community members can support black communities.
20+ Allyship Actions for Asians to Show Up for the Black Community Right Now by Michelle Kim lists actions and resources on how the Asian community can practice allyship.
Detour-Spotting for white anti-racists by Joan Olsson is a short article about 18 common detours we must avoid on our anti-racist journey.
This Google Doc offers a comprehensive list of anti-racism resources compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker and Alyssa Klein .
15 ways to strengthen anti-racist practice by the Catalyst Project.
This blog post about 75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice.
