Building Solidarity for a Racially Just Future

July 17, 2020

There’s no denying it. We’re in, what feels like, a moment of transformative change. More people have joined the global struggle for racial equity than ever before and the pressure to address and eradicate systemic racism in all its forms is now part of the mainstream discourse.

But, as the protests and calls for social transformation continue, more attention has focused on the ways white and non-Black people can exercise their voice and agency, alongside Black communities, to further our collective cause of racial equity and justice.

As 2019 Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity and former mayor of Minneapolis Betsy Hodges notes in her recent New York Times op-ed, As Mayor of Minneapolis, I Saw How White Liberals Block Change, the moment requires far deeper understandings of what it means to stand in solidarity.

She writes:

“As the mayor of Minneapolis from 2014 to 2018, as a Minneapolis City Council member from 2006 until 2014 and as a white Democrat, I can say this: White liberals, despite believing we are saying and doing the right things, have resisted the systemic changes our cities have needed for decades. We have mostly settled for illusions of change, like testing pilot programs and funding volunteer opportunities.

These efforts make us feel better about racism, but fundamentally change little for the communities of color whose disadvantages often come from the hoarding of advantage by mostly white neighborhoods….

White people, we are capable of accepting the invitation this moment has given us. If we find ways to make our actions match our beliefs this time around, the country will be far better off, and so will we.”

We encourage you to read and share Betsy’s deeply personal and reflective piece, and we invite you to share your thoughts with us.

Here at AFRE, we’ve issued a Call for Abstracts seeking contributions from scholars, activists, artists and practitioners on future trends to inform our work and the efforts of leaders across the US and South Africa. What threats and opportunities do you see for advancing racial equity and justice in the coming decades? And how can communities work together in solidarity across race, sector and geography to make lasting change?

Click here to share your thoughts and to reply to our Call for Abstracts.