Do you feel sad, angry, afraid, exhausted, and guilty about racism? Well don’t feel that last one. Because it doesn’t help. Instead, make a plan. And we all know that the way to make a plan easy to do and successful is to make it a very specific plan with measurable outcomes and a schedule. And then to track your results.
Here’s one you can print out, fill in, and put on your fridge. It’s a quarterly plan.
Yes this method is DEEPLY PROBLEMATIC. First of all, it’s the epitome of privilege to be able to think you are able to draw out a plan to address racism and put it on your fridge rather than walk around every second dealing with the personal implications of racism. I’m white, and most of my readers are white, and we have the privilege of doing this. People of color don’t. It’s insulting to come up with a “quarterly action plan.” On the other hand, it’s more insulting not to do these things. It’s extra insulting to put it on the fridge with wedding invitations and soccer notices. But it’s worse not to think about these issues every single day and remember to do something and ACTUALLY do it and track it to keep yourself honest. I want to be sure I do these actions that matter, and I want to get other white people to do the same thing, so here is one way.
Draw your own copy of this, or if you prefer, to download a .pdf of the plan that you can print and use to formulate and follow through on your own BUDGETED COMMITMENT to promote racial justice, click here. The instructions are here.
As Tunde Oyeneyin says: “It’s a great day to go out and create great change.”
Betsy Pearson 