A Year of Learning- Beginning and Anti-Racist Journey written by the Elf on January 15th, 2022. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Yes we need it…
My daughter asked my husband when Kid’s Day was a while back.
Makes sense. We’ve had a Mom’s Day and a Dad’s day, so when is it my turn?
Husband: ‘Everyday is kids’ day. Like today, Daddy isn’t eating sugar right now but you wanted to get a snow cone at the park, so we did. You got a little gift from Mommy yesterday too.’
Daughter: ‘OK, wellllllll, Father’s Day is today… this next week can be my week.’
It’s a good analogy to complaining about new holidays or having months to commemorate and honor things. Mirrors people asking why we still need Black history month, or why we don’t have white history month.
We need more than just Black history month. We need to work on becoming anti-racist together. Throughout the year we have been trying our best to come up with a beginners guide. Sorting through SO MUCH material to try to pick out what will offend least but be the most moving and convincing. But here’s the thing… if you do not believe that racism is currently a problem in our world. That there are systemic issues. Then what you need is more relationships with people who can safely and honestly share with you about their experiences with racism and other systemic social injustices like poverty. Along with some personal reflection on your own biases. Because no list can do that for you.
My Own Journey…
I made a snarky comment about how we didn’t need Black history month and how the Black Lives Matter movement was too political back in 2017. My partner very gently told me I was wrong (hard for him) and not only that, but that we should get involved and so should the church. That I needed to really examine that. I scoffed. Excuse you- I’ve literally taken a diversity class, have a more diverse friend group, teach a diverse curriculum, and took the same diverse adoption classes you did. And I have literally the cutest and best MLK Jr lesson and craft ever. But sure- you go ahead on your high horse and tell me I’m wrong about this.
As per usual- I was wrong, he was right. It happens a lottttt.
And as I learned more and more about history I didn’t know and dived into the foster system it became a lot more clear.
Mention the foster system is broken and you hear things like… they’re lucky to be alive, or about that one kid adopted by a celebrity, or accepted into Harvard.
And the conversation tends to focus on the horror stories, your aunts friend’s friend, or the flashy happy news stories. Rarely, if ever, is the focus on fixing the systemic issues that are built against these children. That dehumanize them. That make foster parent and social worker burnout rates higher than dish washers in the service industry.
I have only met a small handful of people who don’t want money spent on foster care, or who actively don’t like foster care but even still- they’re the minority. But I do often meet people who work with the system and not against it without even realizing it. Who vote against reform. Who don’t care because it doesn’t impact them.
Please don’t misunderstand me. Systemic racism is not equivalent to the foster system but there is some overlap with both. Both have histories and systemic issues that need to be learned and addressed. In both cases a majority of people think that they are not biased, a part of the problem, or impacting the lives of others they don’t know by their lack of knowledge and concern.
Nathaniel (who writes as the Ent) has spent countless hours over the last few years learning about how to advocate against systemic racism. And it’s taken me longer, but I’ve jumped on board with acknowledging my own privilege, advocating for families and dismantling systemic oppression- which is about SO MUCH more than just history. It’s also about celebrating the successes and joys.
The conversations are not easy. Especially for people pleasing introverts. And we are by no means perfect or experts. But this is important and we’re excited to share about the experts we have learned from.
A Year of Anti-Racist Learning.
We introduced the idea for this over a year ago, here and here. This guide contains six to twelve months of material to go through to work on beginning an anti-racist journey. It focuses specifically on learning about Black experiences. We are working on adding more lists for other anti-racist learning subjects.
This is our beginner list, it’s not going to convince you that racism isn’t a problem if you do not believe it is but it also does not go over your head with an overwhelming amount of philosophy or sociology. It’s a good place to start if you know that racism is a problem but don’t necessarily understand how you can be a part of the solution or why it’s still so much of a concern today. And this particular list is full of fabulous authors and creators to help guide us.
We at Down the Hobbit Hole Blog believe strongly in the power of education. We agree that [a rare gem in of itself 
] now is a significant time in history. That you no longer need to wonder what you would have done if Martin Luther King Jr was alive in your day, if Dietrich Bonhoeffer asked you to aide in his fight. That you never really did need to wonder because systemic injustice never took a night off.
Education and power must be joined by proximity and action. Proximity being more than simply near or knowing people that are different than you but inviting them into your home. To share a meal or somehow stepping into their struggle. We are committed to learn and then take action. While most of our learning and action will take place off of this particular platform, we are also committing to posting one blog a month that has to do with education about social justice. Acknowledging that we no longer can call ourselves advocates for our loved ones if we do not take action. We believe that mature faith is one that prioritizes God. We believe that justice and the plight of the oppressed is significant to God and that it has always been a significant part of the history of believers.
The Anti-racist Action List:
Our Year of Learning: Anti-racist Action for Beginners is a free pdf. You’ll find a table with six different sections. Why six? Well, if you’re like me- it’s best to give yourself extra time. And it’s a lot of material to go through. I would take two months for each of these sections. If you want to go faster, you can do one a month and be done in half a year.
Our main goal with this is to point you toward resources from creators and authors who are experts in this area so you can support and engage with their work.
There are six rows.
-Books: 2 books that are similar in nature so you can pick one or read both
-6 movies that we believe are worth watching
-Other resources to check out, like podcasts and Youtube videos
-A checklist for supporting small minority owned businesses
-A checklist portion for signing petitions and/or supporting charities
-A checklist portion for personal evaluation and discussion with others
My goal is to check off something in each column every two months. You can self pace this and go through it however you want to. We are committed to self reflection. To supporting multiple minority owned small businesses with purchases and reviews. To make sure we are bringing up what we are learning in conversations.
Plans are vital. Our time is precious, we believe in the Biblical pursuit of justice as foundational. Just like we tithe our money we believe in tithing our time. To be able to be anti-racist by actively examining our own biases and beliefs requires consistent learning and examination.
Join us here.
*Don’t like the idea of downloading it directly from the website? You can also download it from our Teacher Pay Teachers storefront here, also for free.
And let us know what anti-racist resources you have found helpful!!
Thanks for checking out our year of anti-racist learning post!!
Before you go, check out these related posts…
-Stamped Youth Edition discussion questions
-Talking Your Teens Through Just Mercy
-The Hate U Give book and movie review
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