As Black Americans’ righteous resistance to racism and police brutality fills social media and the streets, many white Americans are in a period of reevaluation. We may find ourselves wondering what our role is in perpetuating systemic, anti-Black racism, and how we can take action that is actively anti-racist.

This self-introspection is a fundamental starting point in the fight to build a more just society. It’s also an intense and deeply humbling process, at a time when a global pandemic has everyone stretched thin. It’s totally understandable to feel many conflicting emotions right now, including sadness, concern, confusion, guilt, or even a desire for things to return “back to normal.” At the same time, it’s important to remember that — as the brutal toll of thecoronavirus pandemicon communities of color, and the police killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others have especially highlighted — “normal” has never been safe for Black Americans.

The current moment, then, presents white Americans with the opportunity, and the obligation, to help create a new “normal” in which we no longer participate in, and benefit from, the oppression of Black people. It requires us to engage in a process of self-examination, education, and unlearning. Here are some ideas for white people engaging in this process.

Process Your Feelings Responsibly

It’s important to process whatever you are feeling responsibly, in a way that does not burden people of color or add to the harm and trauma they are experiencing. Take care not to use people of color as emotional sounding boards for your attitudes about race and racism. Unless you already have a close and trusting relationship with a specific loved one of color, and they have clearly indicated they are available for this kind of conversation with you, they’re not necessarily the person to have this conversation with right now.

Learn About Racism and White Supremacy

Educating ourselves about race, anti-Black racism, and white supremacy is also key to this process of unlearning. It’s important here to remember that educating ourselves about white supremacy — and particularly its role inthe historyofAmerican capitalism— isn’t a favor we do for anyone. It is, instead, the bare minimum white Americans owe to people whose historical and contemporaryexploitation has materially benefitted us.

There are numerous resources, reading lists, syllabi, discussion guides, and articles on anti-racism that you can begin to work through. Educator and advocate Rachel Ricketts’ anti-racism resources, which include a specific section for white people, area good place to start. You can also begin with this collection ofWriting Prompts About White Privilege, which are specifically designed to help you understand where you’re at, as well as thisAntiracist Checklist for Whites.

American racism is systemic and historical, with roots in the colonization of indigenous land and the enslavement of African people. Its branches span the U.S. political system, economy, andmilitary. But we’re often not taught much about the histories of people of color, or the histories of racist U.S. policy, in school. So theselists of longer readsare also agreat wayto continue digging into these histories in a comprehensive way.

Support Loved Ones of Color in a Thoughtful Way

With so much violence against Black Americans constantly on the news, it’s a natural and lovely impulse to want to support the people of color in your life. Remember, however, that it’s not just our intentions to provide support that matter; it’s alsohowwe enact support. If you’ve ever been the recipient of a half-baked apology or a self-serving gesture, you know that insincere acts of kindness can be worse than not reaching out at all.

That means, before impulsively reaching out, taking stock of the relationships you have with the people of color in your life. By and large, white Americans occupy vastly segregated neighborhoods, workplaces, and friend groups, with the average white American having only one Black friend out of every hundred. Partly because of this, after widely reported incidents of racist violence, it’s not uncommon for people of color toreceive unsolicited messagesoffering awkard condolences, uncomfortable confessions of past racism, racist apologia, or requests for anti-racist education from white people in their social networks. Often, these messages aren’t from close friends or loved ones with whom they have a history of intimate conversation about race, but from white acquaintances or strangers looking to offload feelings of guilt.

Before reaching out to people of color in your life to demonstrate concern or solidarity, ask yourself: is this person a genuine friend, or just an acquaintance? Am I reaching out with a real desire to be supportive toward them, or to clear my own conscience, assuage my own guilt, or gain reassurance that I’m “not racist?” Am I reaching out because they’re the only person of color I know, or because we are valued and active parts of each other’s lives? Have they clearly indicated that they are open to talking about race with me? If I reach out and I don’t like that person’s response, will I feel the need to defend myself?

If your answers to any of these questions give you pause, it’s probably better to work on yourself for now.

Take Collective Action

In order to create social change, it’s necessary for us to introspect. But that’s just a starting point. Change, ultimately, happens through collective action.

Protesting in the streets right now isn’t everyone’s jam for many reasons, including mobility limitations, susceptibility to COVID-19, or simply a lack of comfort in or ability to be in large crowds. That’s totally okay. There aremany ways to take collective actionthatdon’t involve taking to the streets, including amplifying the movement on social media, providing food and PPE for protestors and medics, signing petitions, and more. You can findmany suggestions for ways to get involved in collective actionhere,here, andhere.

Another great way to take action is, of course, to move money toward people and organizations doing good work. You can donate to some of themanygrassroots funds that have been doing this work for a long time, and follow them on social media. You can also consider donating to some of the many organizations that are providing free or reduced-cost mental health care for people of color, like theBorris Lawrence Henson Foundation, theSista Afya General Fund,theLoveland Therapy Fund for Black women and girls, and theBlack Journalists Therapy Relief Fund.

Take Care of Yourself

Finally, as always, remember to take care of yourself. The coronavirus pandemic has been difficult for all of us, and times of massive social upheaval are stressful even if they lead to positive change. Realizing that a movement isn’t primarily about you doesn’t mean that you stop grounding, caring for, and loving yourself.

In fact, caring for ourselves — keeping ourselves healthy, resting, processing our trauma, connecting with our loved ones, and working through our issues — is foundational to social transformation. When people with more privilege don’t keep our own emotional houses tidy, we outsource that grief, pain, and guilt onto those already more burdened than us. That’s unfair.

On the other hand, when we plug into our own power source and commit to doing hard, but ultimately valuable, work, we reduce that care burden. Ultimately, we help enable the conditions for a truly just and equal society.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

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