Racial Justice Resources

Our collective hearts are broken. Again. Our world is ravaged by COVID-19 and an upended economy, with many of the hardest hit being Black Americans. The horrific deaths of Mr. George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor, Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others leave us filled with emotions – grief, outrage, anguish, sadness, and more. As a group of mental health professionals and educators, we believe in our human capacity to change and be resilient. As humans, we also know that change and resilience can be damn hard work. Uncomfortable work. Gut-wrenching work. And while it can feel like lonely work, let’s not do this alone. As we address the ongoing problems of unequal justice and racism, we certainly don’t have all of the answers. But we do know we need to have difficult, intentional conversations. We need to work to change hearts, minds, systems, and policies. We need to hold space for ourselves and others for uncomfortable and overwhelming feelings. We need to have conversations with our children, listening to their spoken and unspoken thoughts and questions, again and again and again. Here at the Institute, we’ll continue to advocate for, stand in solidarity with, and learn from BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color), communities who’ve experienced disproportionate rates of incarceration, poverty, disease, and death at the hands of law enforcement. We all need to do more – and do better. And, in my opinion, we can only accomplish this big work together – honoring diversity, learning from each other, standing in solidarity for justice, and embracing human dignity. Our team would like to shine the light on some of the incredible organizations that have made it their mission to educate and equip people to act for systemic change. We are grateful to these organizations and resources.

LEARN FROM AND SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON RACIAL JUSTICE

• Black Lives Matter
• Campaign Zero
• Center for Policing Equity
• Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and Help Others – from Pepperdine University’s Online Master of Psychology Program
• 28 Organizations that Empower Black Communities
• Showing Up for Racial Justice
• Common Sense Media’s Resources on Social Justice and Equity
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack 

TAKE ACTION

• Obama Foundation Resources for Action and Engagement
• Sign Petitions at Change.org.
• Donate at Gofundme.
• 10 Ways Youth Can Engage in Activism
• The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund for Black Women and Girls
• Homeless Black Trans Women Fund
• 75 Things White People Can Do for Social Justice
• How to Build an Antiracist World by Ibram X. Kendi

RAISE ANTIRACIST KIDS AND TALK TO KIDS AND TEENS ABOUT RACE

• The National Museum of African American History and Culture—Talking About Race
• 10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids about Race
• How to Use Media to Raise Anti-Racist Kids
• Raising Race-Conscious Children
• Ways for Parents to Open Conversations About Racism from Age 2
• Teaching for Change
• How to Teach Kids and Teens about George Floyd’s Death and Police Violence Towards Black Americans – Designed for Teachers, could be used by Parents

ARTICLES FROM OUR TEAM

• The RESilience Initiative: A resource for parents, families and educators to lead healthy conversations about race By The Institute Team
• Using Stories in the Discussion of Race By Vicki Chiang