Racial Justice Challenge

Welcome to Day 3 of the Racial Justice Challenge

We begin with Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie, who stated in her TED Talk, The Danger of a Single Story: "The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story." She goes on to say, "The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult."

Let's get started. Stories help us connect with one another and build empathy. Today's tasks are focused on growing our set of stories by listening to people of color with a wide range of lived experiences.

1. Listen to Adiche's TED talk. (18:33 minutes) 

Please Note: After the Challenge ended, we learned that Chimimanda Ngozie Adichie had made comments that diminish and marginalize trans people, as discussed in this Vox article, this Time article, and in this journal article. Although Adichie's talk about the danger of a single story has important messages - with its focus on representation, diversity of experience, and perspective taking - Adichie's later comments do not afford trans people the same considerations that she advocates for in her original TED talk. The responses linked above add to the notion of how dangerous, and oppressive, a single story can be, especially when someone else is telling your story. Kat Blaque contextualizes the contradictions of Adichie's rhetoric, and addresses intersectionality within her own story, in this commentary. As you work through the original Challenge material below, we ask that you incorporate the stories described above in your reflection on how to move beyond a single story.

2. Actions You Can Take Today to Move Beyond a Single Story

• Listen to a podcast episode, from the podcast carousel on the left side of this page. 
• Choose something to read from the lists below.
  • If You Really Want to Unlearn Racism Read Black Sci-Fi Authors, and Don’t Just Read About Racism—Read Stories About Black People Living, and I Am a Book Critic. Here’s What Is Wrong With “Black Lists” — and What Is Good.
  • The Best Latino Books, According to Latinx Writers
  • Rachel Cargle's Community POC Reading Recommendations. You can make suggestions for this list.
  • Decolonize Your Bookshelf With These Books by Native American Writers
  • 25 Books by Asian-American and Pacific Islander Writers to Read Right Now
  • 56 Books By Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020
• Choose something to watch that “show[s] POC as lead characters and in their full humanity,” adapted from yesterday's action list: Queen Sugar, Insecure, Dear White People, The Carmichael Show, Blackish, Grownish, Abbott Elementary, Atlanta, 2 Dope Queens, Black Panther, A Wrinkle in Time, Get Out, Girls Trip, Mudbound, How to Get Away with Murder, Scandal, The Cloverfield Paradox, Sorry to Bother You, Blindspotting, BlacKkKlansman, Little, If Beale Street Could Talk, Queen and Slim, A Black Lady Sketch Show, PBS’ Great Performance of Much Ado about Nothing, YouTube videos of Amber Says What, Babysitters Club, One Day at a Time, Fresh off the Boat, Crazy Rich Asians, Jane the Virgin, Killing Eve, Nora from Queens, Sex Education, Superstore, Pose, Hamilton, The Lovebirds, Never Have I Ever, Dawnland, Smoke Signals, Skins, American Gods, and Crash, are a few.
• Follow people on social media with the intention of listening and learning (adapted from this list). For example: Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, Alicia Garzia, bell hooks, latinxreads, Tara Houska, Jillian Mercado, Rebecca Nagle, Luvvie Ajayi, Rachel Cargle, Ava DuVernay, Laverne Cox, thenewjimcrow, DeRay Mckesson, YoNasDa Lonewolf, Ibram X. Kendi, Layla F. Saad, Adrienne Keene, Killer Mike, and Reshma Saujani.

The suggestions above are a few of the approaches one might take. Below are other ideas that participants shared during the challenge week.

NOTE: This challenge originally took place August 3-7, 2020. Comments are now disabled, but please reflect on the question in the board and scroll through participants' responses.

3. BONUS Actions

• Go back to Day 2 and pick a new action to complete, either from the antiracism discussion board or from this list. 
• Follow people of color in your field or profession, invite them to speak at conferences in your field or profession, and cite their work. Citing people of color adds voices and stories to our work (and worldview) that have been historically missing or undervalued. 
  • For additional insight into racial disparities in the academic context of citation: See Cite Black Women, The Imperial Scholar: Reflections on a Review of Civil Rights Literature, and #CommunicationSoWhite.
  • For anyone on social media: Remember to credit ideas through links and direct quotes so that people reading your posts can follow up on topics that inspire or intrigue them.
• Recommend stories created by POC to people in your broader social circle/network.

Nice job! You have completed Day 3 of the Racial Justice Challenge. Take a few breaths, and join us tomorrow when we look at issues of race in the media.