10 Anti-Racist Podcasts and Talks That Are Helping Me Become a Better Ally

In light of the Black Lives Matter protests happening around the country right now, I’ve been turning to anti-racist podcasts and videos for more information, context, and clarity. What I haven’t been doing is asking my Black friends and coworkers to help me on this quest for knowledge, because it’s not on them to educate me. That is solely my responsibility—and others with white privilege have to do the same. The killing of George Floyd and so many other Black people at the hands of police officers is a tragedy rooted in history. Racism is as much a part of this country as fast-food restaurants, baseball, and beer. It will take a long time to untangle, and we all can play a role in that process. If you’re white, like me, the first step is admitting you don’t have all the answers—and that you may have some unconscious biases you need to check. The second step is finding resources that will help you better understand racism and how to fight against it—resources with explicitly anti-racist rhetoric.

Start with these 10 podcasts and videos, below.

Sip on This With Ashley Nicole Black

Comedy writer Ashley Nicole Black (you may know her from Full Frontal With Samantha Bee) has transformed her Dame magazine advice column “Sip on This”* into a podcast that covers dating, career advice, and social issues. One particular episode, from Thanksgiving 2018, features Black’s mom discussing how to talk about race with your white children and how to raise confident Black children. It’s an essential resource for parents. Listen here.

What Next (by Slate)

If you have questions about the violent protests happening across the country right now, turn to this episode of the What Next podcast by Slate. It offers an overview of similar situations that have happened in history, and explains why protests were effective. Listen here.

NPR’s Code Switch

An informative podcast about how racism seeps into social norms and the workplace. If you’ve ever heard the term microaggression and wanted learn to more about what it means, listen to this and learn how bias occurs even when it’s thinly veiled. Listen here.

All My Relations

This podcast isn’t about racism as it pertains to Black people. Rather, it examines race relations through the indigenous lens. Native peoples were hunted by white colonialists long before this country was founded, and knowing that part of history will help you better understand what happened after it. Listen here.

An interview with the Black Lives Matter founders

This TED Talk with Black Lives Matter founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi about how they founded the organization, what they’ve learned in their leadership roles, and what everyone can do to fight for freedom is necessary listening.

The New York Times’s video, A Conversation With Black Women on Race

It’s a simple concept but an effective message: The New York Times spoke to several Black women about…well, what it’s like to be Black women. Their answers are poignant and will open your eyes to the microaggressions that happen daily to people of color.

The Groundings

Before you figure out where you’re going, it’s important to know where you’ve been. This podcast offers a look at crucial moments in social justice history that have helped shape the world today. Listen here.

Tarana Burke on #MeToo and women of color

The #MeToo conversation exploded into public consciousness following the 2017 New Yorker and New York Times articles about Harvey Weinstein. But the conversations largely surrounded white, affluent women. Burke was instrumental in directing the dialogue toward women of color who’ve experienced sexual assault. She talks about this in the video clip, below.

Intersectionality Matters with Kimberlé Crenshaw

If you’re tuned into Twitter speak, you’ve no doubt heard the term intersectionality. But what does it mean? This podcast does a great job of explaining how a combination of identity traits⁠—race, age, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc.⁠—work together to form a person’s lived experience. Listen here.

Turning performative wokeness into genuine ally-ship, Jezebel

I’ve seen several people accuse their followers of being “performatively woke” right now, i.e., doing the external bare minimum to make it seem as if they’re down for the cause without doing any meaningful work. This may not even be intentional or malicious, but Jezebel has a video that explains how to turn, say, just posting a black square into something that actually helps move the needle forward.

Christopher Rosa is the entertainment writer at Glamour.

Originally Appeared on Glamour