Ep 14: White Supremacy and the Power of Culture

April and Tracie take the time to unpack a phrase that often comes up when Jews Talk Racial Justice: "white supremacy." The phrase has entered the lexicon of individual antiracists and movements alike, but what exactly does it mean? April and Tracie define the term, investigate the discomfort it can generate, and riff on the ways in which discussing "white supremacy culture" may be a way to reclaim agency and power.

Resources:
Baratunde Thurston's TED Talk
Tracie's 18 Days Exploring Racial Justice
More about Critical Race Theory
Read more about bell hooks from the bell hooks institute
Explore the life and impact of Audre Lorde
Racial Equity Tools
Jane Elliot's famous question to white folks
Characteristics of white supremacy culture as defined by Jewish scholar Tema Okun and Kenneth Jones (again, in a more visual presentation).
Another clear explanation of white supremacy and its history of violence, by Betita Martinez.
Robin DiAngelo unpacks the good/bad binary in this article
Amadou Diallo was an unarmed 23-year-old Black man who was shot over 40 times (19 bullets struck him) by New York City police officers in February 1999.
Learn more about Leonard Peltier, the Native American activist who has spent 40 years in jail after a trial that supporters claim was shoddy at best and unconstitutional at worst.