Getting Involved in Racial Justice as a Family
By: Karen Caudillo Roman, Brown Hope
Racial justice requires a real commitment to show up for Black, Brown, and Indigenous people. It’s important to not just claim to be an ally, but to leverage your privilege and do the work that will build up the leadership and resilience of community members who are surviving systemic oppression daily. And YES, that means kids too! It can be challenging to balance your commitment to racial justice with young ones running around, but this work provides fulfillment and meaning that your kids and family will cherish for a lifetime.
Brown Hope is a Portland-based nonprofit that encourages everyone to find their role and purpose in the lifetime commitment to racial justice. With leadership grounded in the lived experiences of racism, we launch initiatives that create connections with Black, Brown, and Indigenous leaders through the heart, mind, and voice to inspire our collective healing. Our programs include Power Hour, Blackstreet Bakery, and Black Resilience Fund.
Ready take action for racial justice? Here are four suggestions for how to become and stay engaged as a family.
- Volunteer! Brown Hope has a wide range of volunteer opportunities.
- Help bake, sell, and deliver cookies with Blackstreet Bakery. Little ones with parent supervision are welcome to help with any part of the process.
- Distribute food boxes, household essentials, and other supplies through the Black Resilience Fund Mutual Aid Network and food box program. This makes a great activity as a family and much needed community support.
- Coordinate no-contact canvassing and/or social media outreach to build support for Brown Hope’s programs and advocacy priorities. Teens and older kids are an asset here: their social media prowess makes this a great opportunity for them to explore their voices.
- Looking for something that’s not too time consuming?
- Purchase vegan baked goods from Blackstreet Bakery at their pop-ups or by delivery on selective dates. Not only will you have yummy cookies to share, but you’ll contribute to an economic development effort led by and for Black Portlanders.
- Support the Black Resilience Fund by purchasing a t-shirt or button, all sales go to directly benefit Black Portlanders with emergency financial relief.
- Check out the initiatives Brown Hope has led this year and make a financial gift. For $35, you can sponsor an attendee for our weekly Power Hour or contribute $300 to the Black Resilience Fund to provide relief to a Black neighbor disproportionately impacted by the ongoing pandemic. You can choose how to support racial justice through Brown Hope and make an impact that creates meaning for your family.
3. Immerse your children with racially diverse children’s books and history at an early age. My little cousin received “happy to be nappy” by bell hooks last year for Christmas! We talked about different kinds of hair and the difference between appropriation and appreciation. Additional suggestions:
- Baby books
- Antiracist Baby Picture Book by Ibram X. Kendi
- Children’s books
- A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara
- Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You by Sonja Cherry-Paul (Adapter), Jason Reynolds (Author), Ibram X. Kendi (Author)
- This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by his Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work by Tiffany Jewell
- Young Adult
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds
- American Like Me by America Ferrera
- The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
4. Support other local organizations dedicated to racial justice and healing. Some suggestions:
- Radical Rest
- PDX Alliance for Self-Care
- Equitable Giving Circle