Anti-Racism Resources

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General: 

 

Deaf Community Resources:

 

Family Resources: 

Talking with children about race/systemic racism/ police brutality

Biographies are also a good way of expanding on particular experiences

Protesting as a family

Acknowledging anxieties of deaf and BIPOC experiences- Talking with kids about violence/trauma

 

Postcard Campaign: 

It’s never too early to get your family involved in activities that support various causes directly affecting the deaf community! Your family can do this by organizing your own letter writing campaign. Invite friends over to create letters or postcards that summarize your message and send them together. Americans Of Conscience shares a weekly checklist of actions supporting democracy, voting access, equality for all Americans and basic respect for aspiring Americans. Another idea is reaching out to your local deaf club about specific needs or incidents that should be addressed such as initiating a conversation with your local law enforcement community, sharing NAD’s police and law enforcement resource to fight for equal treatment. Reach out to local deaf organizations to possibly host training opportunities, panels for deaf people of color and other minorities. 

Basic format

  • Introduce yourself- include your zip code
  • State your concerns: What issue you are for or against and why you are for or against that issue.
  • Include any personal experience or thoughts- Make it your own!
  • What action do you want to see? 

Example of Advocating for police reform. Email or call your two senators and one House rep (look up). Script: I’m writing from [ZIP] to support the police reform measures outlined by the Leadership Conference and their 430 partner organizations in a recent letter to Congress. We cannot wait for substantive solutions that end police brutality. I want you to take responsibility today for creating federal standards that limit the use of deadly force, eliminate no-knock warrants, and end distribution of military equipment to local police. Thank you.

Next- Contact local police/administrations – Ask what steps they are taking to end police brutality, ask what training efforts they have in place for de-escalation, communication with deaf/hard of hearing people.

Example of Advocating for addressing systemic racism in health care. Email: Your one House rep (look up). Script: I’m writing from [ZIP] because I’m concerned that health and life outcomes in this country are largely dictated by the color of one’s skin. As a result, Black and Brown people are nearly three times more likely than white people to contract COVID, and one to two times more likely to die from the disease. I’m asking [NAME] to co-sponsor H.R. 8178, the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2020, to address these and other health disparities. Thank you. 

For more examples- check out Americans of Conscience

 

Advocate for Anti-racism:

  • Research what issues deaf BIPOC community members face and work to advocate with them.
  • Contact local deaf clubs/organizations/deaf schools and ask what steps they are taking to support anti-racism, what long term plans do they plan to enforce. 
  • Question the leadership structure and investigate BIPOC representation in your community.
  • Encourage community members to represent deaf BIPOC experiences within broader movements. Ask organizers to engage qualified interpreters for public events. 
  • Share anti-racism resources with your child’s teacher to “build inclusive classrooms”

 

Deaf Access:

 

Interpreting services for Protests

  • Reach out to rally/protest organizers to see/request access to speakers/events.
  • Contact local sign language agencies, will they be donating services?
  • Stay in touch with other deaf protestors, share resources.

 

Black Deaf Community Literature/DVD  (find a local black owned bookstore to order books)

  • “Black and Deaf in America: Are We that Different” by Ernest Hairston & Linwood Smith
  • Still I Rise! The Enduring Legacy of Black Deaf Arkansans Before & After Integration 
  • Sound like home- Growing up black and deaf in the south by Mary Wright
  • God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24 by David Bakke
  • Deaf, Dumb, and Black: An Account of the Life of a Family by Mary Miller-Hall

Videos