On microaggressions, privilege, and systemic racism: A resource for white people

Author

Kat C.
January 22, 2025

This collection is meant to be a study guide for my fellow white Americans. I started it not long after George Floyd was murdered, intending only to compile a list of articles about protesting safely and effectively.

From there, it grew into a slightly out-of-control research project about racism in America. My aim was personal. I had come to realize I knew almost nothing about it, and I wanted to change that. I decided to share this record of my studies — including personal reflections and an ever-growing sense of outrage — because sharing information is part of my learning process.

But by far my biggest reason has to do with the sentiment expressed in this quote:

“[People of color] are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world. The oppressors maintain their position and evade their responsibility for their own actions. There is a constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.” ~Audre Lorde

So, this is me, taking responsibility for my own education.

I urge you to do the same.

  • Experiencing racism in the day-to-day

  • 'Racial battle fatigue' and other stress-related issues

  • On being bi-racial and/or multi-racial

  • Growing up Black

  • Internalized racism

  • Misogynoir

  • White women's tears

  • On being a Black woman in America

  • Voices from the Civil Rights Era

  • Project 2025

  • DEI

  • Critical Race Theory

  • Intersectionality

  • Overviews of inequality in America

  • The demonization of Black men

  • On 'colorism' and racial discrimination

  • Racism and the beauty industry

  • Racism and technology

  • Racism and the net

  • Racism and the media

  • Racism and freedom of movement

  • The racist impact of eugenics

  • Racism and the justice system

  • Racism and law enforcement

  • Racism and elections

  • Racism and medical treatment

  • Racism and housing

  • The impact of gentrification and eminent domain on minority neighborhoods

  • Racism and education

  • Racism and education: How American history is taught

  • Racism and employment

  • Racism in the arts and entertainment industry

  • Racism and sports

  • Racism and trans people

  • Black feminism

  • The economic impact of racism

  • On "Black" vs. "African-American" vs. "POC" vs. "BIPOC"

  • Understanding so-called "Black-on-Black" crime (proximity crime)

  • Understanding Ferguson, Watts, etc.

  • Unacknowledged contributions of Black Americans

  • White fragility/ white privilege

  • Person-positivity bias (or "I have a Black friend, so I can't be racist!")

  • Not me! I'm not racist!

  • Implicit bias

  • Understanding Black Lives Matter vs. ALM (and all the other LMs....)

  • Why Black people can use the N-word and you can't

  • Reverse racism is not a thing

  • Anti-racism training

  • Why "colorblindness” isn't the answer

  • Talking to white children about racism

  • Understanding how children learn about race

  • The brown eyes/blue eyes experiment

  • How to be an ally

  • The history of white supremacist thought

  • The language and symbols of American hate groups

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  • Racism and microaggressions in the dating world

  • Race play, BBC, QoS, and racial tropes

  • No, you can't touch my hair!

  • What can we do to make Black people feel welcome at events?

  • On the need for Black-only spaces

  • Reading lists

  • Microaggressions and racial gaslighting

  • Festivals, monuments and the names of institutions: Why our choices matter

  • Cultural appropriation

    What is 'woke'? — the history of an appropriated concept

    Regarding Black hair
    Juneteenth

    AAVE
    Romani culture
    Asian culture, especially ahegao

    America's indigenous cultures
    Regarding 'two spirit'
    Hispanic culture

  • With regard to other minority groups
    Immigrants
    Romani culture, history, and issues
    Asian cultures and issues
    America's indigenous cultures: their histories and current issues
    Transgender issues
    Hispanic culture, history and current issues
    Muslims in America

  • Why we can't just 'forget' the past

  • Lynchings

  • Massacres

  • Slavery in American history

  • Forced reproduction (aka slave breeding)

  • Post-slavery repression

  • Forced sterilization and medical experiments

  • Jim Crow

  • Scientific racism

  • Historic incidents of the appropriation of Black-owned property

  • Why reparations?

  • The past is not over.... How historical events led us to the present

  • Miscegenation laws and the "one drop" rule

  • Black protests in American history

  • Racial tropes in history and the present

  • Racist symbols and hate codes

  • The role of white women in promoting white Supremacy

  • Thriving in spite of disenfranchisement

  • Videos and podcasts about racism, collected

  • White people are not superior. They're just white

  • Highly recommended books

  • How to make a difference

  • A selection of recommended sites

  • Travel destinations

  • Advice for protestors

  • How to help if you can't protest in the streets

  • Opportunities to contribute financially

  • The system CAN be changed