(1) I'm hoping that this Black History Month, folks make a commitment to invest long term in learning Black History from a multitude of sources.

This means not just reading that book that everyone's reading, or looking for a shortcut guide or training on understanding race.

(2) It takes time to understand race + antiblackness and how it works when you don't experience it. In addition to the lack of perspective + experience, our society sets us up to believe that many of the norms, attitudes, and structures that maintain racism are normal and/or ok.

(3) One of the best guides we have is history, and unfortunately it's been distorted. Beyond being taught false narratives, authentic narratives are diluted or dismissed. We are taught the "importance" of words + deeds of Churchill, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt, Lincoln, etc. when these

(4) men were complicit in maintaining a racialized hierarchy where white people are advantaged. To move on in society we are forced to study, memorize, and analyze the "righteousness" of these figures. It's indoctrinated over years of instruction, hundreds of hours of narrative.

(5) Given the magnitude of this indoctrination, we are fools to think a few books can right these wrongs. I'm focusing on history here, but these dynamics exist in other domains. Narratives in music, sports, movies, employment, and all areas of life reinforce this doctrination.

(6) To undo it requires long term investment. For every hour we are indoctrinated with falsehood, we require AT LEAST an equal amount of truth to undo it. You can't expect a few books or trainings to make you anti-racist when you've been trained since birth to be racist.

(7) So when I say a long term investment, I'm talking about EVERY DAY. Every day you need to learn about the ways society has subjugated Black people in America. Counter program your mind by listening to and reading hundreds of hours of Malcolm X and Angela Davis to reverse the

(8) indoctrination that has calcified in your mind. Watch documentaries that teach authentic history. But more than that, listen to our music. Watch our movies and cartoons. The lessons are all there. Whatever you do in life, examine the ways you've been indoctrinated.

(9) Did you study political science? Study Black politicians and campaigns for at least as long as you studied white politicians and campaigns. Are you a researcher? Study community centered, qualitative methods to the same extent you studied traditional research methodology.

(10) I say all of this, because for the last few years I've spent time recognizing the ways society has attempted to indoctrinated me and those around me into internalizing racist and anti-Black messaging. The most effective way to counter it has been to immerse

(11) myself into Black thought, history and culture. I watch videos of civil rights leaders (and not just the ones you were told about), listen to Black music, read about Black history and it provides far more perspective than any of these books do. Don't get me wrong, I've read

(12) them. I've been to the trainings and I've facilitated the trainings. They can be a great starting point. But there is no shortcut. Just like we can't learn Black history in a month, we can't undo anti-Black racism in a book or workshop. So anyways, this is my call to invest.

(13) Invest time and energy towards countering your indoctrination. Don't take shortcuts. This is urgent. People are dying, and folks are calling themselves allies while they continue to reinforce the same norms and systems that are killing us.

(14) I'm prompted to post this because the worst racism I've experienced has come from people who read the book. I've experienced escalated racism during Black History Month. I've seen the ways that conventional approaches to addressing racism, shortcuts that are palatable to

(15) white people had led to increased racism and anti-Blackness. During MLK day a week ago, we witnessed people approaching racism in this conventional way & I'm certain it did more harm than good. This month, try something different & invest long term in undoing indoctrination.