For many white people, racism is the elephant in the room. Â It’s there even if we ignore it.
Today in downtown Seattle I came across an action by participants in an activism camp called Localize This!.  They had a great flyer of commitments for white allies. I’ve remixed and reproduced it below.  Their original list is here.
- I commit to reflect on topics that may be uncomfortable.
- I commit to promote cooperation over self-interest.
- I commit to recognize the concerns of people different from me.
- I commit to educate myself on issues that contribute to oppression.
- Even though I may unintentionally say or do something racist, I commit to view mistakes as opportunities for learning.
- When challenged on racism, I commit to working on my own defensiveness by calmly listening even if that is not my first reaction.
- I commit to including the interests of oppressed groups while making decisions that affect them.
- I commit to disrupt the status quo in order to share power and privilege with all people.