Welcome to Litsy!

Looks like a cat had lunch while I had lunch!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Essential reading for people who hold white privilege and live in cultures of white supremacy. I will be returning to this book and using the journaling prompts in the future. Thankful for Layla F. Saad and her work.

I got this on audio not realizing it is actually a workbook, so a paperback would be better. There are 28 days of topics on racism that are briefly discussed, followed by questions for personal reflection and journaling. The material includes nuanced discussions of everything from white fragility to white centering to cultural appropriation. It is great for someone who is committed to examining their own participation in white supremacy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This workbook is helpful in looking at all different aspects of racism, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness in your life. The journaling aspect is valuable and challenging as it forces you to think through what you're reading and how it impacts *you* ¬ just "white people in general," which is easier. I recommend it for anyone trying to figure out how to grow in antiracism work&beyond. Saad is accessible& understanding but unyielding.

This book should be paired with other resources. This is a work book with several journal prompts. I feel that the sections didnt have enough information to make the prompts truly beneficial.
Sociological essays and other booms can be used to build around the topics in the book for better understanding and the ability to truly look within a peraon's self

I was off Litsy for a few months. I fished this during that time. Below is my write up from my “Top 10(ish) Favorite Books of 2020. TLDR: It changed my life. 👇

Today has a real feel of -11 so I'm daydreaming about my garden and juggling two reads: ME AND WHITE SUPREMACY and THE HEIRESS GETS A DUKE. I plan to start seedlings this weekend and I cannot wait. What are you reading this weekend?

I learned many new concepts from this audiobook, including white apathy, white exceptionalism, tokenism, white saviorism, and optical allyship as well as the harm of color blindness and perfectionism. It was a lot of “don‘t do this” and very little “do this.” I want to do better, and while there is a lot of good self-reflection here, there isn‘t a lot of help on how to be better to combat the problems presented here.

I have done a lot of reading and work around anti-racism over the years, but doing all of the writing prompts in this book really helped me clarify the work I still have to do and gave me my next steps.

If you don't feel called out by this book you're reading it wrong. This isn't just a book though, there is homework. And it is uncomfortable. I think this is another important book for any antiracist library.

"...from exhaustion and heartbreak to inspiration, determination, and more."
So necessary even if you think you've read enough. I found so many things to work on and think about in these pages. Outstanding. A vital part for every #antiracism reading list.

An excellent book geared to help others develop cultural sensitivity, a critical consciousness, and deeper, emotional understanding of how they have contributed to an unjust system which can be dismantled with appropriate action. I am part of a group that has met on a weekly basis to discuss our answers to the reading prompts. I love the simplicity and richness of the readings which can clearly reach many audiences.

The intellectual and emotional work of anti-racism isn't new to me, but the daily approach of this book helped reveal connections and ways of thinking that I hadn't been as conscious of before. I appreciate that Saad ended by having readers commit to completing three anti-racism goals in the next two weeks. I already have more books lined up, but this step has helped me think of concrete, doable, outside-my-own-mind actions.

5/5

This book is 28 days of prompts to consider your role in perpetuating white supremacy. It is not an easy book. It took me 83 days of intense reflection, but of all the books I've read this summer to better educate myself, this was the most critical to stop viewing the problem as other people and start doing the actual work of antiracism myself. If you only read one book about antiracism, make it this one.

This was my sixth non-fiction (authors male, female, gay, straight, American, non-American) focused on BLM since June, and I‘ll continue learning. I‘ve been reading this slowly all month, as instructed, and was at times conflicted which I recognize as my own white fragility. I am different on the other side of these books, and I didn‘t know I needed to be different.

#integrateyourshelf #donutandcoffee #coffeeandbooks
#school equity
I just finished 16 hours of training on equity in our district along with 14 other district teachers. The first issue we decided to tackle is food equity. We do not have cafeterias in our 3 buildings (2 elementary,one for both MS & HS- we are that small!) We are quite fortunate in this predominantly white town as both our Superintendent & our school board support the initiate.

I'm on Day 16 of working through this book, and I'm finding my reactions interesting. I tend to read books as fast as I can, and it's been instructive to take this one bit by bit, as it's designed to be read. By Day 19, I should have a better idea of whether posting about reading this book is performative or not.

1. Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad, My Life in Plants by Katie Vaz, 10 Things I Hate About Pinky by Sandhya Menon

2. We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates (original quote by Thomas Miller, a South Carolina congressman post Reconstruction)

3. "You cannot dismantle what you cannot see. You cannot challenge what you do not understand." Me and White Supremacy by Layla F Saad

#weekendreads @rachelsbrittain

Picked up my next social justice book club read today.

I took so many notes during this one. I‘m still learning. Her explanation of white exceptionalism and prejudice vs. racism (the difference is who‘s in a position of power & can use their racism to hurt or take advantage of the other racial group) were important take aways.

“In essence white fragility looks like a white person taking the position of victim when it is in fact that white person has commited or participated in acts of racial harm.”

Two new checkouts from the digital library. Several of my digi holds came through. What to read first.....

I have so much more to learn but this book will be an important part of my journey. It is written to be interactive. Short chapters with journal prompts for 28 days. Can not recommend this enough.

One of many well-said, but awful, truths in this book.

I should probably be writing a nice sanitized review for this book. Along the lines of, no matter how much you think you know, there is always so much more work to be done....and it‘s an ongoing process, that you need to keep chipping away at... which is true, but seems like a disservice to this book‘s intent. So I‘ll add, personally I have a lot of work to do, and already know what some of my harder obstacles will be.... apathy, in these ⤵️

The boy statistic I‘m not surprised by, because of cases like Tamir Rice & Trayvon Martin, but I am surprised by girls by the age of 5! I shouldn‘t be since there is currently a girl in jail for not keeping up on cyber schooling during the pandemic while convicted white guys get out because of Covid.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.propublica.org/article/a-teenager-didnt-do-her-...

This is enlightening, honest, and insightful book and it requires participation and ongoing hard work from the reader. The author knows that because I am white, I am complicit in some form of racism. So we can get the guilt out of the way, because I am not unique, and do something constructive to deal with it. These journal entries were grueling for me, but I feel like I learned important and continuing lessons if I want to be an ally.⬇

I tried to read this long ago and quickly gave up. A 28-day journaling commitment? Yuck, I thought - I‘m not a journaler, and there are plenty of other books about racism calling to me from my TBR. But when a colleague set up a reading group w/weekly Zoom chats, I went for it. So glad I did. The work of this book is hugely worthwhile (no matter your background with the topics) if you‘re committed to antiracism and dismantling white supremacy. ⬇️

I would recommend this for beginners looking to do anti-racist work and for people who need reminders. Each day she quotes some amazing texts, and ideally, I think it would be best to read those works in their entirety.

I was trying to read this as an ebook from the library, but I just feel like this is more of a “in print” book for me so I picked up a copy. I think this will be easier for me to do the journaling.

For many years, I worked with exchange students and idioms were their favorite part of the English language so I would share the origins of many but I‘ve never heard of these until today. Have You?

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/625916/racist-origins-common-phrases

#readblackauthors

RE: white feminism

⬆️ from Layla Saad‘s Instagram.

What 👏🏼 a 👏🏼 book👏🏼!!! I am so grateful for the work Ms. Saad has done/does in creating this workbook. This is one to revisit, and often. Her Instagram is also an excellent resource to follow for continued discourse and reminders to check in with the antiracist work we all need to keep doing.

So I didn't realise this before starting but this book is actually a 28 day workbook that looks at several topics surrounding white privilege, giving the reader reflective questions at the end of each chapter/day which they should use in order to examine how they personally interact with white privilege and racism.

An interesting read and a unique and involving way to approach white privilege/racism.

#IntegrateYourShelf I listened to the tagged book on audio, and now I'm reading the physical book and doing the journaling. I love that it's not just something to read- Saad makes you do the work to confront your own complency. It's tough but necessary. For YA readers, totally recommending The Hate U Give and I'm Not Dying With You Tonight.

Here are some TBR books I already own/bought/ordered to continue doing the work of anit-racism:

These are all books that I‘ve either bought or finally picked up to read over the past month in order to educate myself more on anti-racism and how I can be an ally/co-conspirator. #IntegrateYourShelf

The tagged book has been on backorder this whole time, but I‘m not complaining because I think it‘s an important one for folx to be working with right now!

I am not much of a non fiction reader, so this is a challenge for me. I am currently working through Me and White Supremacy, which is a book that has journaling questions to help me take a better look at my own complicity. It is not easy. I also want to read How to Be An Antiracist and White Fragility.

#Integrateyourshelf @ChasingOm @Emilymdxn

To listen to #LaylafSaad on this Fourth of July and read some #EdmundMorris too, wincing.

Ps it is hot in Sacramento! 🥵

#rainbows

On being an introvert and not partaking in white silence. #blacklivesmatter

I listened to and finished this amazing auidobook in June, but I'm re-reading the physical book more slowly, taking time to do the journal prompts and really work on becoming a good ancestor. Definitely recommending this to readers looking to do more than just read- to really dig into the work we all must do if we ever want to make this world of ours better.

Book #22: Another great recommendation from BLM to make me examine my own role in a society built on white supremacy.

Important reading and work that will challenge your internal sense of who you are.

We must call a thing a thing.

My favorite antiracism literature so far. Extremely readable. Each chapter has journaling questions for self education. I believe everyone should read this.

This is a deep dive into self reflection. Layla Saad raises really strong emotions.
This is not a personal growth book to make you feel better about yourself, it‘s about EDUCATING yourself.
If I‘m being 100% honest not everything she said “SPOKE” to me nor did I find all of her revelations to be the uncontested truth, but I think this was a good place to start. Im grateful to the author for challenging me to do better.

Know better, do better (Maya Angelou)
At the beginning of the year I aimed to read a certain # of books about Asia (can‘t remember the #). My reading is so focused on the West.
I didn‘t think 🤦‍♀️ about LGBTQ+ or BIPOC authors or experiences—like Asia, I‘ve inadvertently neglected them.
Thanks to #integrateyourshelf I‘m adding other reading goals. Progress (61 books read):
5 BIPOC author or MC; 1 LGBTQ
Goals to come.
@Emilymdxn

This is a book I will read over and over again. It asks you to try for 28 days to address your own internalized racism. I dropped in and out of this library audiobook over the course of a week and I‘m going to have to buy it for myself and keep working on myself

Today‘s #audiowalk & working in the garden.

“If you are a person who believes in love, justice, integrity, and equity for all people then you know that this work is nonnegotiable.”