10 great resources on social media to educate about race, privilege and Black Lives Matter

To read, research and learn about the fight against racism

Over the past week, our social media timelines have been flooded with educational resources, links, quotes, book and documentary titles, and ideas to ensure that we can all better inform ourselves about racism and privilege. If you are a white person who has never delved into these issues before, the information is right at your fingertips.

While you shouldn’t rely on BIPOC to educate and inform you on race, many of the recent posts on Instagram and Twitter will remain relevant long after this week is over.

Many activists have invested time and energy into informing their followers about these issues, and the points are worth bookmarking. Save these posts, make sure to return to them when you have questions, and keep yourself informed.

Mireille Harper’s 10 steps to non-optical allyship

If you have posted a few links on Twitter and a black square to Instagram this week, and think your activism is done, read this post. Harper provides concise and clear steps that we can all take to better equip ourselves against racism, and ensure that the process doesn’t stop on social media.

Lettie Shumate’s Sincerely, Lettie podcast

Sincerely, Lettie is a podcast that deals with race, history, social justice and self-care, and its host Lettie Shumate deals with each episode with care, humour and sincerity. The above post lists the episodes to start with that specifically deal with racial issues that are especially relevant right now, including protests, diversity and inclusion and microaggressions.

Zoe Amira’s fundraising YouTube video

Make-up artist Zoe Amira’s YouTube channel is normally filled with tutorials and reviews, but her most recent video has been gaining traction for a different reason. If you want to donate money to the Black Lives Matter movement but aren’t in that position financially right now, switching on the above YouTube video is a great way to help. The video, which is an hour long, features lots of ads throughout. The ad revenue generated from watching the entire video will be split between various associated initiatives with Black Lives Matter, such as bail funds, funeral funds, and more.

Emma Dabiri’s history lesson on where whiteness comes from

Irish-Nigerian author Emma Dabiri consistently informs and educates her followers on social media about race, as well as in her book Don’t Touch My Hair. In the above post, Dabiri takes a look at the history behind ‘race’ as we’ve come to know it, in an effort to allow readers to unlearn what we think we know about whiteness.

Keane Ryan’s infographic on racism in Ireland

When we see the brutality of racism in the U.S, it can be easy to say that ‘Ireland isn’t a racist country’. Unfortunately, racism happens everywhere, and it is happening in this country too, so it’s important to recognise it. The above infographic is helpful in explaining the evidence around Ireland’s incidents in anti-black racism, and where things need to improve.

act.tv’s explainer on systemic racism

This very easy-to-follow video explains how systemic racism can put up barriers to education, opportunities and success at all stages of life for black and brown people. While where you go to school and where you grow up can either help or hinder your path in life, the video explains how generations before you, and the education and resources that were available to them, can also have a massive knock-on effect.

Florence Given’s call to action for white people

Artist and author Florence Given is one of the most consistently informative accounts I follow on white privilege, as well as feminism, rape culture and sexuality. Above, Given gives various points of information around racism, including talking to family and friends about race, an explainer of white privilege, white supremacy and different accounts to follow.

Deirdre Loughlin’s resource list for Irish supporters

If your feed has plenty of information about U.S and U.K resources, and you’re wondering how you as an Irish person can help, read through Deirdre Loughlin’s post. She explains how to have difficult conversations around race, informing yourself on Direct Provision and where you can donate and canvass to support anti-racism movements here at home.

Roohi Amber’s list of black-owned businesses that you can support from anywhere

If you do have some money to spend, and want to direct it towards black-owned businesses, this list from Instagram user @roohiamber is a fantastic place to find inspiration. From jewellery to homewares to art supplies to kids’ stuff, the list is still being added to, so there’s plenty of places to browse.

Rachel Cargle’s The Great Unlearn

The Great Unlearn is an online learning platform designed to address the things we think we know about race and deconstruct them. You can find tools on the Patreon-funded website like email templates for addressing racism at work to your boss, various pieces of research about incidents of police brutality, U.S racial history, and conversations around racism in 2020. I definitely advise following founder Rachel Cargle on Instagram too, where she posts often about these issues on her personal account.

Read more: 5 podcasts about black and POC experiences in Ireland

Read more: 6 things you can watch on Netflix to learn about racism and white privilege

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