Perspectives
Thank you for journeying with us in understanding and learning about systemic racism. We hope that you will commit yourself to this life-long journey through reflection about your own thoughts and actions. By confronting a more informed historical truth which has led to current realities that perpetuate injustice in America, we can shift those systems and rebuild them to be more equitable. Your commitment to this journey is an act of courage. It will challenge you in many ways, and it will be worth it as you join the movement for collective liberation.
For more information about why this is important to Together is Better Alliance (TiBA) and why we think others would want to embark and continue on this journey, we invite you to consider perspectives, opinions, and resources on this page. Updates will be made quarterly.
Disclaimer: Together is Better Alliance presents this page based on opinions, reflections, and varied resources, not as a scholarly site. We welcome your feedback and contributions. We reserve the right to select and publish written contributions which we deem consistent with our mission and vision. Feel free to email us at info@togetherisbetteralliance.org.
Click here for our current Resource Picks
An Interview with Civil Rights Champion Rev. Clyde H. Brooks
“Rev. Clyde H. Brooks has been a faithful fire for justice and promoter of racial justice and human dignity for over half a century," Rev. John Alan Boryk (retired United Methodist minister).
Rev. Brooks' work has largely been focused in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He piqued our curiosity by stating that "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream is dead" at the November ICDHR's annual Dr. King Remembrance and Commemoration Dinner in Schaumburg, IL. We recently sat down with him to learn more.
click here to read the interview
Unpacking CRT—What It Is and What It Isn’t
Critical Race Theory (CRT) has received a large amount of hostile attention this year and several states, including Texas, have passed legislation to ban its teaching in K - 12 public schools. Why all the fuss? "He [Governor Abbot] also discussed critical race theory, which he said 'seeks to criticize and condemn the history of the greatest country in the history of the world for the way that we founded our country and the way that we elevated our country.' ..... Even still, he said the teaching 'pits races against each other' and announced that Texas has the strongest laws in the nation against the teaching in Kindergarten through 12th Grade." (Beaumont Enterprise, Dec. 6, 2021)
To learn what CRT actually is, click here to read more.
Moving at the “Speed of Care”: Privilege, Energy and Action
TiBA volunteer, Andy Swindler, explores the relationship between privilege, energy and intersectionality. This piece provides a unique way for each of us to evaluate the privileges we have in our lives, and to consider how that may impact our lives and how we impact other people. The current design of our social systems creates more friction for some people (marginalization) and less for others (privilege). Those who experience less friction have more energy, and therefore have an opportunity—if not an obligation—to apply that energy to reduce the friction caused by our systems and attitudes. In other words, it’s a framework to help each of us move at the speed of care.
Click here to read more.
TiBA Top Resource Picks
October 2021
Our current top pick is a new website: Learnfromhistory.org.
Created earlier in September with 30 inaugural partners*, this effort is in response to the misinformation campaign demonizing “Critical Race Theory” to ban the teaching of aspects of racism.
LearnfromHistory states:
“A broad bipartisan majority of Americans agree:
for students to create a better society, schools need to provide a thorough, accurate, and fact-based history education and teach students to reject racism and respect the equal value of every person.
Unfortunately, rampant misinformation about what is taught in schools is forcing teachers to omit difficult parts of our history and not teach students that racism is wrong and is adding yet another stressor for teachers at the worst possible time.
That is why respected organizations collectively representing millions of parents, educators, students, and other Americans of goodwill have come together to form the Learn from History Coalition.”
Their site includes useful toolkits for parents, teachers, school board members and school system leaders. States including Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, Arizona, and South Carolina have passed restrictive legislation and others are considering doing so. These toolkits may be helpful to you and your family and friends in other states.
photo courtesy: LearnFromHistory.org
Partners include:
- American Association for State and Local History
- American Historical Association
- American Federation of Teachers
- Center for Anti-Racist Education
- The Education Trust
- National Council for the Social Studies
- National School Boards Association
- News Literacy Project
- Organization of American Historians
- Stand for Children
Stay tuned for our next Top Picks coming next time. Do you have a resource that you would like to share?
If so, please email us at info@togetherisbetteralliance.org