Dialogues on Ethnicity, Race, Racism and White Privilege

Below are a list of resources, websites, articles, videos, and papers that are helpful in beginning dialogues on ethnicity, race, racism, and white privilege. Often times it is useful to have an article or film from which to begin a dialogue with others on these issues. All the listed sources are linked to the internet.

• Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care – an Institute of Medicine study that assesses the extent of disparities in the types and quality of health services received by U.S. racial and ethnic minorities and non-minorities; explores factors that may contribute to inequities in care; and recommends policies and practices to eliminate these inequities.
• Unequal Treatment, Unequal Health: What Data Tell Us About the Health Gaps in California,
  a joint report by the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine, Cause Communications
  and The California Endowment. Highlights findings from the IOM report listed above with a particular
  focus on California.
• Ten Things Everyone Should Know about Race – list provides 10 quick facts undoing the biological
  myth of race and explaining its history and social construction.
• Levels of Racism: a Theoretic Framework and a Gardener’s Tale (PDF) — an article from the American Journal of Public Health, by Camara Phyllis Jones, that describes in detail three levels
  of racism and how they inform and support one another.
• Race: the Power of an Illusion – this three-part film documentary series demonstrates
  how race is both a biological myth and a social invention. It uncovers the history of race, including
  the ‘science’ that justified it, and traces how these beliefs became engrained in people’s minds.
  The series shows that while race may be a biological fiction, the consequences of racism are very real.
• The Way Home – this educational video produced by Dr. Shakti Butler is an appropriate tool for diversity training, professional development, organizational retreats and educational seminars. It features voices of sixty-four women from a cross-section of cultures who share their experiences
  of systematic oppression through the lens of racism in the United States. Information on organizational/professional trainings is also available on World Trust website.
• Viewing Race Project– Viewing Race is a project of National Video Resources (NVR) that gives grassroots
  organizations, libraries, and other nonprofits access to independent films and other resources on the subjects of race, racism and diversity. Their website is designed both for organizations involved in or wanting to create programs/trainings on race, and as a forum for video users to share their experiences, critiques, and comments on the films.
• Undoing Racism in Public Health: a Blueprint for Action in Urban MCH – this guide provides an overview of racism and institutional racism and offers tools for health departments and organizations in the areas of anti-racism education, awareness and change.
• The People’s Institute – this organization is recognized as one of the foremost anti-racism training and organizing institutions in the nation. It was created in 1980 to develop more analytical, culturally-rooted and effective community organizers. The website contains information on their trainings and staff and has an excellent list of recommended readings on the topics of race and white privilege.
• What is White Privilege? – This links you to the Challenging White Supremacy Workshop webpage on white privilege and has numerous articles/materials on the subject. Below are two such articles:
  • Cynthia Kaufman, ‘A User’s Guide to White Privilege’
  • Sharon Martinas, ‘Shinin’ the Lite on White’(also contains cartoon by Bennet on Affirmative Action)
  • Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack