SOUTH AFRICA
These are some of the recent posts that i and others have made to hopefully challenge and encourage and educate you as you try and figure out how to do life better in South Africa. Please feel free to share any of these posts that are helpful with people you think it might help to take one more step towards…
All Lives Smatter – a collection of thoughts about race, painting all people with the same brush and the need for whites to engage with whites
All White Lives Matter – a “Black Lives Matter for Dummies” kind of post
Ask before you leap [to conclusions] – a post looking at how we engage when we engage with others on race
8 Steps to help me become a better ally of my friends of colour – a short but helpful reminder
But pity the mutants – a painful look at how white people are able to feel more empathy for fictional characters and pets than black people
But What Can I Do? – 40 Tips for white South Africans genuinely asking this question
Entitlement with an “i” – a brief glimpse into the problem of entitlement in our country
If I were white, I’d have been able to breathe – guest post by Thandi Nkomo
Race with me – short video clips explaining race issues simply to white people
She turned to me and asked me if being an Umlungu was something i enjoyed.
The Better Black/Coloured/Indian – some friends share stories about the standard of whiteness that has been pressured on them
The queen, my dad, and Sarafina – guest post by Thandi Nkomo
Ways in which white people are better than black people [part I] – a very short post.
Ways in which white people aren’t better than black people [part II] – a more wordier post.
When someone with an African name gives you their “easier” English name.
When the offence is that you’re offended – looking a little deeper into entitlement in South Africa.
Teaching during a pandemic: An Open Letter to Cyril Ramaphosa
What is it like to be teaching during a pandemic? As we close in on a year-and-a-half of what has been a world-shaking pandemic, everyone has paid a cost. Whether it has been personal [...]
Confronting Whiteness with Asanda, Hani and Megan
Anti-racism work with friends beats anti-racism work by yourself. Since returning from America with the absolute determination to confront my own racism and try to make a difference in South Africa this work really [...]
Black people can – and cannot – be racist!
i have found that racism definitions can often create a bit of a problem... Can a black person be racist? Yes, absolutely. And also, no, not at all! This question comes up a lot [...]
Losing someone to Covid-19: Meet Nicky Vigeland
We are listening to the stories of people who have lost someone [or more than one] to Covid-19 and today my friend Nicky Vigeland shares some of her story with us:Life in the midst of [...]
Ten starters for white people asking, ‘But what can I do?’
Lockdown seems to have been a good time for many white people who have recognised that they have work to do in terms of personal anti-racism. There have been a lot of conversations online [...]
Poem: Words from Different Mouths
i wrote a poem this morning considering how the same words coming out of different mouths can mean a variety of things. Different worlds, even. [For another [...]
re: Move One Million
The Move One Million Facebook group has organised a nationwide march today, on the 5th of September 2020. Why is the 2020 significant, you may ask? Well, South Africa and the world happens to [...]
Blogger’s Block Part III: White guilt and other things that are thrown.
Is white guilt a thing and should we have more of it? The third part of my Blogger's Block series prompt came courtesy of a Twitterer friend, Keri Stroebel who asked this: Why do [...]
While waiting on the government [corruption]…
It is hard to be a South African sometimes. As a white South African, i sit with the heavy injustices of colonialism and apartheid in my rear view mirror all the time. As a [...]
The City of Cape Town and the DA that works for no, not you…
It's the end of the DA as we know it [or is it a realisation of the DA as they have always been?] i don't tend to write overtly political posts on here. Well, [...]
Race with Me: Some ideas in response to white people’s “But what can I do?”
i would like to invite you to Race with Me. i am on a journey of anti-racism which begins in the mirror. Working on myself, checking for blind spots, looking to make sure that [...]
The Myth of White Privilege
People seem to be jumping into race conversations more than ever. Which is great. With that comes a phrase that has the power to kickstart defensiveness for so many people: White Privilege "How dare [...]