rp @wherechangestarted: Antiracism is lifetime work, but it doesn’t take a lifetime to become antiracist.

There is a process to this work. I’ve broken them down into four stages: 1. Awareness, 2. Education, 3. Self Interrogation, and 4. Community Action. To learn more about those, you can scroll through this IG page and read the caption under the various graphics that say “Four Stages of Becoming Antiracist.” You can also download the Antiracism Starter Kit for free or by donation via the link in my bio.

After years of studying the codification of white supremacy in America and being privy to the thoughts and practices of many well-meaning individuals who create or greatly influence present day policies and legislations, I’ve come to the conclusion that a systematic approach to becoming antiracist is necessary to dismantle the systemic nature of white supremacy within our society.

While I definitely don’t pretend to have all of the answers (and you should be weary of anyone who claims they do), I feel pretty strongly that one looking to become a change agent in their community and/or a leader by example in their influence and reach, those four stages are CRUCIAL to the success of that.

No amount of goodness in one’s heart can overshadow the impact their action have on the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color when it perpetuates white supremacy in the end. No one is the exception with this.

One *has* to be AWARE that white supremacist ideology is behind a disparity or wrong.

One *has* to EDUCATE themselves on, what I like to call the “sub-system of white supremacy,” and how that particular machine works to uphold white supremacy to maintain that disparity or wrong.

One *has* to then SELF INTERROGATE the ways in which their beliefs and practices within their communities and the marketplace assists that sub-system in maintaining white supremacy.

And one *has* to lead by example within their COMMUNITY, by realigning their beliefs and practices in ways that dismantle that sub-system of white supremacy in question AND by sharing their authentic growth story with others to encourage them to start their own journey of becoming antiracist. Thoughts? - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @blackhistory: On June 22, 1937, Jean-Joseph Rabéarivelo, one of the most important of African poets writing in French, considered to be the father of modern literature in his native land, died in Tananarive, Madagascar.

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @laylafsaad: To the Black community here, especially those of you in America, please be gentle with yourself. I am so sorry. You deserve better. Our lives DO matter.

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To the people with white privilege here, I am keeping the comments on this post off because this will not be a post where you center yourself through white tears, white exceptionalism, optical allyship, white saviourism, or any other white supremacist behaviour that takes the focus off of the fact that you are complicit in the harm and killing of Black people like #AhmaudArbery, and then the injustice that allows their killers to walk free. Your white apathy is deadly.

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How do you get out of white apathy? Go read about this case, and then go research the efforts being taken to hold these men to account, and then go take the actions that are being asked for to create justice, and then go talk to all your white friends, family members and followers and ask them to to do the same thing. And keep showing up like this for Black people everyday as part of your life-long anti-racism practice. Sadly #AhmaudArbery is not the first, and he will not be the last. Until Black men are safe to go jogging in predominantly white neighbourhoods without the threat or reality of being hunted down and shot, you must stay out of white apathy. - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @moemotivate: We don’t need allies or saviors.

We need y’all to do this work, no title needed.

So many people come into this work believing that the way to support Black lives is thru allyship.

They even self-identify as allies.

But allyship is not the goal of this work.

Not even close. But you would know that if you would commit to this work for more than the 3 mins that it was trendy.

But instead y’all are more committed to performative allyship than anti-racism & it shows.

Anti-racism is not a noun or an identity, but it is instead a daily & ongoing practice of identifying & eliminating racism from the “inside-out” so that we can live fully in our humanity.

Additionally, the goal is not allyship bc it comes with too many conditions (that you determine) & implies that this work for you is optional, aspirational, intellectual, for personal development; when it is actually ur responsibility & for Black liberation.

Allyship disconnects u from the humanity of this work & keeps u insulated & protected by the white privilege you wish to “use for good”.

But that’s also a myth...you can’t use your privilege for “good” bc that means there’s still an oppressive system that gives you that privilege.

The goal is to dismantle the system that gives you that privilege, & being an ally won’t cut it.

Allyship becomes performative far too easily bc not much is required to call oneself an ally—which means it becomes more about you, than Black lives.

This is work u should be doing bc it’s your work to do...u don’t need a title, u need to get to work.

When will the white collective take responsibility for the work that is urs to do & w/o needing a title or badge to do it?

We don’t need your self-proclaimed titles, we need your unrelenting commitment to ending the violence against us by doing the work to ensure we all can live freely in our humanity.

No titles needed. - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @teachfortheculture: Especially for our Black and Brown youth, for whom so much of their time is spent in schools where the majority of time educators are asking them to recall and comply, as opposed to CREATE and IMAGINE. —— We can’t prepare youth to RADICALLY REIMAGINE a NEW, if ALL we are asking them to do is recall, comply, and remember!! ✊ New freedoms require new thinking. --

• Oh .. and they come to us ready and wired to imagine, btw!!! — we just “school” it out of them somewhere along the way. ‍♀️ - Some of the most successful people and greatest disrupters of our time (in tech and other areas) all have a “healthy imagination” in common. — Nurture that gift in our youth and don’t let it fade. — #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @drcourtneyrose: We have to end the myth that there is a magical age where school-aged children become “ready” to talk about racial & social justice issues...especially since racial & social injustice have documented impacts on students’ realities before they set foot in a classroom. As the graphic implies, students’ recollection of these racialized or inequitable experiences, not in and out of school, stay with them LONG after graduation. The delivery might be a little different based on the age., but the conversations need to happen.

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @blairimani: Kindness won’t end racism. Antiracism will end racism.

You “choose kindness” people come across as SO incredibly indecisive (and even cowardly) about what kind of position to take.

Please do more than offering an empty “be nice” to your general audience, to your children, to the people around you.

They can handle it. The moment demands it.

I’ve met plenty of nice racists, you have too. They compliment your hairstyle before writing you up at work for looking “unprofessional”. They deny you a loan before telling you to have a nice day. They compliment your accent and eat your traditional food before voting for people intent on keeping your community out of the country.

Kindness does not undo racism. Systemic racism will not be undone with a hand shake, hug, or heartfelt apology. Systemic racism will be undone by the concerted and focused efforts of people who understand what white supremacy is, what it look like, and how it benefits them. Be prepared to get uncomfortable. #antiracism #blm #antiracisteveryday - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @woketeachers + @sylviaduckworth

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @woketeachers: Having conversations about race with students benefits EVERYONE. 🎨: @sylviaduckworth

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @blackhistory: Slaves on a South Carolina plantation planting sweet potatoes, circa 1862.

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Fast forward to, December 19, 1865. Following the Civil War and emancipation, many freed black people in the South remained beholden to their former white masters.

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In South Carolina and other former slaveholding states, many freed people continued to reside in the same communities, sometimes on the same land, working for whites who had previously purported to own the men, women, and children as property.

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Black stories have power. Repost @absorbedinpages.

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#UnitedStreetTours #blackhistory #Allyship #changingthenarrative #inclusion #love #antiracism #nashville #nashvillehistory #musiccity #united #nashvilleblackhistory #WhiteAllies #Racialjustice #blacklivesmatter #Racism #Antiracist #antiracism #whitewashing #chakitasharnise #Whitefragility #buyblack #WhiteAlly #reparations #blackowned #FemaleEntrepreneur #feminist #feminism #antiracisteveryday

rp @refinedtherapy: Pathologizing Black peoples attempts to be free dates to slavery. “Fugitive Slaves” were considered to be mentally ill. Yep! Drapetomania was a mental illness that a white physician, Samuel A. Cartwright theorized as the cause of enslaved Africans fleeing captivity.⠀

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This still shows up today. When Black people flee toxic/oppressive work environments, when we demand equitable pay, when we increase our boundaries and restrict white people’s access to us, when we advocate for basic HUMAN rights, we are viewed as being “abnormal, difficult, rageful, unsettled, ungrateful, the symptoms go on and on…..⠀

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The fact that someone seeking what is inalienably theirs leads to pathologizing should make us all really question who has been historically mentally ill.⠀

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Keep fighting for what’s yours despite how long you haven’t had access to it. Freedom is yours! ⠀

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Photo by @chocolatecitycomics. Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: A portrait of two different voices whose demands for black equality gave rise to gains in American civil rights.

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ACTION: What did you learn about these leaders in school?

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#antiracism #whitewashing #chakitasharnise #Whitefragility #buyblack #WhiteAlly #reparations #blackowned #FemaleEntrepreneur #feminist #feminism #antiracisteveryday

RP @blackhistory. Three women from Guadeloupe in 1911. Portraits from Ellis Island, photographed by Augustus Sherman.

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Ellis Island is a historical site that opened in 1892 as an immigration station, a purpose it served for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954. #blackowned #FemaleEntrepreneur #feminist - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Repost from @moemotivate. I can’t emphasize this enough. Anti-racism is a lifelong practice. It’s a daily quest to learn and unlearn. It’s a on-going commitment. It is not about being a good person or feeling good about yourself, it’s about doing the right thing.

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It’s about centering the pain and progress of Black people and people of color. It’s about identifying and eliminating racism from attitudes, beliefs, systems, structures and culture and redistributing resources equitably. It’s about humanity.

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And therefore it’s a life long commitment that has no destination, just on-going growth and progress. It’s not an identity or a achievement...it’s a daily practice of choosing to dismantle white supremacy, identifying and relinquishing white privilege and breaking down these structures that dehumanize us.

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It’s about coming to a place where we can all live freely in our full humanity. Thus it’s not something you are or become, but it’s something you actively choose to do—daily. So I ask you, what are you doing TODAY to prioritize anti-racism? Repost from @moemotivate.

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Comment ‘Amen’ if you agree.

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#UnitedStreetTours #blackhistory #Allyship #changingthenarrative #inclusion #love #antiracism #nashville #nashvillehistory #musiccity #united #nashvilleblackhistory #WhiteAllies #Racialjustice #blacklivesmatter #Racism #Antiracist #antiracism #whitewashing #chakitasharnise #Whitefragility #buyblack #WhiteAlly #reparations #blackowned #FemaleEntrepreneur #feminist #feminism #antiracisteveryday

rp @blairimani: That conversation NEEDS TO HAPPEN. And yes, it’s going to be uncomfortable. But who else is going to rise to the occasion and change Aunt Theresa’s harmful white supremacy beliefs?! Maybe Aunt Theresa won’t change, but you better know for sure.

Sometimes the best way to fight for justice is to stay in your lane. It’s much easier to tell someone else to clean their house instead of tidying your own. That’s what’s been going on for a while but enough is enough.

Recognize your sphere of influence:

Are you most helpful talking to strangers online? That’s what I do.

Or, are you most helpful talking to the people in your life? Maybe its both. Luckily, I don’t have racist relatives so I don’t have to pick.

If you can do something about this horrible racist world, why not give it your best try?! I believe in you.

Try. Exhaust ALL possible avenues and if your best doesn’t work, move on. But you MUST TRY! - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Calling out racial ignorance despite backlash

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Imagine you took a civil war tour.

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You’ve met a fantastic group of people, and they’ve invited you on a private tour. Turns out it’s at Fort Negley, the best and most historical place to learn about African Americans who built the fort. Could there be a better place?

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You’re excited about your evening so you arrive early. When the tour guide and the group arrive, you notice something different about the tour guide’s shirt. Your smile wavers slightly as you get close enough to see the little confederate flag images decorating it.

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You decide to give the guy a chance and not be too quick to judge. With a huge smile, you participate in introductions. But then you notice that the tour guide shakes all the white people’s hands but skips yours. Maybe he didn’t see it, cool. You let it go and look forward to enjoying the tour.

It turns out, he’s not too happy about the black history at Fort Negley and vocalizes it by degrading the black legacy.

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This is racism that I experienced. As antiracist allies, how would you have stood up for me if you where there when this happened? - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Get yours right here!

“Stop being strategically naive.” Stop excusing your racist uncles and cousins. Start making the energy around you so #antiracist that when your #racist family members and community members see you, they get shook. What’s the energy like around you? Are you an ally of convenience? Are you a vocal antiracist? Reevaluate your #vibe. #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Repost from @moemotivate. I can’t emphasize this enough. Anti-racism is a lifelong practice. It’s a daily quest to learn and unlearn. It’s a on-going commitment. It is not about being a good person or feeling good about yourself, it’s about doing the right thing.

...

It’s about centering the pain and progress of Black people and people of color. It’s about identifying and eliminating racism from attitudes, beliefs, systems, structures and culture and redistributing resources equitably. It’s about humanity.

...

And therefore it’s a life long commitment that has no destination, just on-going growth and progress. It’s not an identity or a achievement...it’s a daily practice of choosing to dismantle white supremacy, identifying and relinquishing white privilege and breaking down these structures that dehumanize us.

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It’s about coming to a place where we can all live freely in our full humanity. Thus it’s not something you are or become, but it’s something you actively choose to do—daily. So I ask you, what are you doing TODAY to prioritize anti-racism? Repost from @moemotivate.

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Comment ‘Amen’ if you agree.

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#UnitedStreetTours #blackhistory #Allyship #changingthenarrative #inclusion #love #antiracism #nashville #nashvillehistory #musiccity #united #nashvilleblackhistory #WhiteAllies #Racialjustice #blacklivesmatter #Racism #Antiracist #antiracism #whitewashing #chakitasharnise #Whitefragility #buyblack #WhiteAlly #reparations #blackowned #FemaleEntrepreneur #feminist #feminism #antiracisteveryday

rp @novareidofficial: If our work is not erased, it's undermined. Not seen as credible. Because we’re not seen as leaders, but submissive vessels in service of others. If you are inspired by black women’s work, GREAT - please credit it & that includes mine. When you erase my work & that of other black women in this sphere you are erasing history & us Brits have been erasing history for too long. But perhaps even more pertinent, by continuing to erase the contributions of black women you are participating in wh*te supremacy & it needs to stop.

Join the dots, understand the bigger picture. - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

rp @theveryblackproject: Thank you for living with courage and showing us how to really #WinBlack. You leave behind a legacy of excellence in the fight for racial justice. We can and will continue fighting for you and the fellow people you fought for and with. - #diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

Early this week our "let's talk" on instagram (@UnitedStreetTours) educated you on the dehumanizing power of the angry Black woman troupe.

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If you missed it, review our posts from this week to get educated. Now, it’s time to take a step in putting your antiracism learning in action to avoid being hungry consumers of knowledge from black women that you never apply to your life.

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Take a step towards implementing what you are learning from us by participating in our #AntiracismTrainingDrills, a tool for you to practice responding to racism. Antiracism Training Drills are an opportunity for you to try, get it wrong, and try again. Don’t let your nervousness of getting it wrong keep you from using your voice to #dismantleracism.

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How would you respond to this statement coming from someone a black woman has just CALLED OUT for saying something racist? Click the link in bio to ‘Become a Patreon’ to practice your response. Our patreon community is a self-priced, self-paced learning space that helps antiracist learners like you become more equipped at responding to everyday racism.

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#Dothework #domore #saysomething #speakup #antiracism #antiracist #diversity #allyship #whiteally #coconspirators #whitetears #inclusion #togetherwecan #7dayantiracismchallenge #whitefragility #blackintheivory

Why do I look so goddamn bug-eyed here?

rp @blackhistory: Linda Brown (front row, right) and her sister Terry Lynn (far left row, third from front) who, with their parents, initiated the landmark Civil Rights lawsuit ‘Brown V. Board of Education,’ photographed by Carl Iwasaki in their classroom in Topeka, Kansas, 1953.

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#diversityandinclusion #nashvilleteacher #antiracism #highereducation #blackhistory #ally #teachershare #blackintheivory #whitefragility #changingthenarrative #ushistory #socialstudies #historyteacher #teacherproblems

I am a black woman.

As stated by Desiree Adaway...

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Being a black woman can get me killed.

My identity can get me killed.

Can we just sit with that reality for a moment?

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My identity can get me killed.

But, I have known this my entire life.

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If you had any doubt about that I hope that has changed in light of what we saw happen in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month.

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Many Americans will tell you they know that racism exists, but they don’t know any racists personally.

I am here to tell you, that you do because racism is a system backed by violence.

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You know the systems:

-Housing

-Education

-Policing

-Health Care

-Criminal Justice System

-Economic System

This system is historic, normalized, taken for granted, deeply embedded, and works to the benefit of whites and to the disadvantage of people of color (Hilliard, 1992).

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These systems, just like white nationalists, are killing me and other black and brown folks every day.

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No permit to rally is needed.

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These systems kill us whether it is the face of a militia member carrying automatic weapons or politicians using pens as they draft legislation.

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Me and mine are in danger.

If I am in danger, then so are you.

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Let's go get free together. Antiracist Everyday, join us for topics on how to respond to everyday racism, happening on Patreon, a self-priced and self-paced platform for learners like you.

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#Dothework #domore #saysomething #speakup #antiracism #antiracist #diversity #allyship #whiteally #coconspirators #whitetears #inclusion #togetherwecan #7dayantiracismchallenge #whitefragility #blackintheivory