Me and White Supremacy / Women Don't Owe You Pretty

4 out of 5

Marion – Aug 13, 2020

As a foreigner in the US I am doing my level best to understand the past and present situation in the US regarding BIPOC. I am deeply grateful I was pointed to "Me and White Supremacy - Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor" by Layla Saad. (Note to Goodreads - consider using the full title of the book.) Saad provides a very well thought out and thorough blueprint for becoming an antiracist. The stated purpose of this book is to provide healing and to restore the dignity of As a foreigner in the US I am doing my level best to understand the past and present situation in the US regarding BIPOC. I am deeply grateful I was pointed to "Me and White Supremacy - Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor" by Layla Saad. (Note to Goodreads - consider using the full title of the book.) Saad provides a very well thought out and thorough blueprint for becoming an antiracist. The stated purpose of this book is to provide healing and to restore the dignity of BIPOC. Saad provides the tools and steps we can take. The reflective journaling and Circle format provides support and concrete steps to arrive at antiracism and to accept when we do not know what to do, or want to correct something we come to realize was less than helpful in any way. Kudos to Saad for writing this book, and to everyone who reads this book, completes all the reflective journaling, and commits to living moment to moment as an antiracist and ally. As a long time educator I would like to see this book in developmental appropriate versions in all schools in the US, and internationally. To further support my commitment, I am devouring every book I can find by black authors, watching movies covering this subject and following all of the steps Saad provided at the end of the book. Some excellent recent reads: Jason Diakite's "A Drop of Midnight," Laila Ibrahim's triology - "Yellow Crocus" "Mustard Seed" and "Golden Poppies," a collection of Toni Morrison, Maya Angelo, James Baldwin and many more. I searched for a list of influential black Americans and a list of 44 appeared - it stated that they were many more and the 44 was chosen because Barrack Obama was the first black and #44 president of the US. The heading on this list reads, "The Undefeated" and this they all are and it is how I think about BIPOC - and wish every person could open to recognize and celebrate the strength, the perseverance, tenacity and dignity of BIPOC and take the called for steps to heal the past. Per Sadd's suggestion, I have researched to find businesses run by black Americans and am happily supporting them. One last thing on the subject matter of Me and White Supremacy - I heard a podcast by NPR on "Redlining" and brought the subject up with many of my American friends and discovered to my surprise they did not know what I was talking about.