Racism and racial justice at and beyond the crag
By David Carter, Salt Lake Climbers Alliance Board of Directors and Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Utah
When the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance issued a statement regarding the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, we received a range of responses from community members. Among these were questions from white climbers looking for guidance on where to go from here: How can white climbers become effective allies for our community members of color? How do we collectively advocate for a more just society at the crag and beyond?
As a white climber, I’ve found myself asking these questions in recent weeks. And, I want to share some of the resources that I’ve found helpful in trying to answer them.
First, there are many existing resources from advocates who have been working on this project for years (and decades). Some climbing-oriented advocate resources include Melanin Base Camp’s Guide to Outdoor Allyship and Access Fund’s JEDI 101 for Climbers. Eye-opening accounts can be found in the writings of Black and Brown athlete advocates, such as the featured bloggers of Diversify Outdoors and Melanin Base Camp. Recognizing that relying on the unpaid labor of Black advocates contributes to the problem, I’ve become an ally-member of Brown Girls Climb.
Second, addressing systemic racism means venturing beyond the realm of climbing. It requires recognizing my privilege and the ways I can leverage my voice, resources, and actions. Brené Brown’s explanation of white privilege is helpful for grasping the concept, Courtney Ariel’s writing describes the role of white allies, and Ibram X. Kendi explains how to be an antiracist. This list of 75 things white people can do for racial justice is an extensive catalog of concrete actions.
Third, we need to recognize that systemic racism is not a matter of “bad apples” or implicit bias. Systemic racism is discrimination, inequity, and violence infused in virtually every aspect of society, from infant mortality rates to inter-generational wealth; by definition, it is grounded in the structures through which governments, business, and communities are organized. Below is a list of resources (including writings, podcasts, and videos), which explain some of the origins and impacts of systemic racism in the U.S.
Resources for Understanding Systemic Racism in the U.S.
Race & Criminal Justice
Race and the Criminal Justice System: Where Do We Go From Here? A recorded (video) conversation with leading scholars of race, policing, punishment, and the American criminal justice system.
American Police. This Throughline podcast episode describes the racist origins of American policing as a mechanism of white control over Black slaves and traces how those origins put violent control of Black Americans at the heart of the system.
Running from Cops. This episode of the Reveal podcast explores the consequences for Black men who flee from the police through two stories, both set in Baltimore.
Eliminating Racial Inequity in the Criminal Justice System. This Sentencing Project report identifies four key features of the criminal justice system that produce racially unequal outcomes and initiatives to abate these sources of inequity in adult and juvenile justice systems around the country.
The Color of Justice: Racial and Ethnic Disparity in State Prisons. This Sentencing Project report documents the rates of incarceration for whites, Blacks, and Hispanics in each state, identifies three contributors to racial and ethnic disparities in imprisonment, and provides recommendations for reform.
Addressing Racial Disparities in Incarceration. In a special issue of The Prison Journal, Marc Mauer examines the causes and consequences of the extreme racial disparities in incarceration in the U.S. and offers recommendations for reform in policy and practice.
Race & Economic Inequality
Race & Economics. A podcast episode of The Indicator on why Black Americans are being harder hit by the pandemic than other racial groups, and how the novel coronavirus is in no way, as some have called it, "the great equalizer."
About that Hazard Pay. A Planet Money podcast episode on the disparities experienced by “essential workers” of color during the coronavirus pandemic.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Receipt of Unemployment Insurance Benefits During the Great Recession. This Urban Institute report documents how although Black and Hispanic workers were more likely to be unemployed during the Great Recession, they were less likely to receive unemployment benefits.
Racial Economic Inequality. An interactive online report from The Institute for Policy Studies that looks at the widening of U.S. racial wealth gaps. The starkest divides are in measures of household wealth, reflecting centuries of white privilege that have made it particularly difficult for people of color to achieve economic security.
Racial Disparities in Employment Outcomes. This interactive online report from The Institute for Policy Studies outlines how disproportionately high Black unemployment and underemployment rates suggest that racial discrimination remains a failure of an otherwise (pre-pandemic) tight labor market.
When Companies Hire Temp Workers by Race, Black Applicants Lose Out. This article from Reveal examines how although hiring workers based on race or sex is illegal, some companies skirt the law by contracting out their discriminatory practices to temp agencies.
Race & Housing
Why Cities Are Still So Segregated. A 7 min video from NPR on how the 1968 Fair Housing Act failed to overcome racial homeownership disparities and why neighborhoods are still so segregated today.
The Red Line: Racial Disparities in Lending. It’s been 10 years since the great housing bust and lending is back for some Americans, but not for others. In dozens of cities across the country, lenders are more likely to deny loans to applicants of color than white ones. This episode of the Reveal podcast digs into the new redlining.
Kept Out. In-depth investigative article from Reveal on how banks are shutting the door to homeownership for people of color.
Mapping Inequality. An interactive online redlining map from the University of Richmond's Digital Scholarship Lab. Redlining directed both public and private capital to native-born white families and away from Black and immigrant families. As homeownership was arguably the most significant means of intergenerational wealth building in the U.S. in the twentieth century, these redlining practices from eight decades ago had long-term effects in creating wealth inequalities that we still see today.
Race & Environmental Justice
Read Up on the Links Between Racism and the Environment. An interactive reading list about climate change and social inequities from The New York Times.
The Environmental Justice Movement. A Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explainer on environmental justice as an important part of the struggle to improve and maintain a clean and healthful environment for those who have traditionally lived, worked and played closest to the sources of pollution.
Environmental Racism Persists, and the EPA is One Reason Why. The Center on Public Integrity reports on how the office tasked with policing civil rights abuses is chronically unresponsive to complaints and has never made a formal finding of discrimination.
Trump's EPA Concludes Environmental Racism Is Real. The Atlantic article on how an EPA report finds that people of color are much more likely to live near polluters and breathe polluted air—even as the agency seeks to roll back regulations on pollution.
Race & Health Inequities
The COVID Racial Data Tracker. COVID-19 is affecting people of color the most. The COVID Racial Data Tracker is a collaboration between the COVID Tracking Project and the Antiracist Research & Policy Center, presenting the most complete race and ethnicity data on COVID-19 in the U.S.
Race, Health, and the Pandemic. A frank conversation (video; 18 min) with leading scholars by the American Black Journal about the connection between race, health and the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 May Not Discriminate Based on Race — But U.S. Health Care Does. A 6 min video from the PBS NewsHour on how disparities long present in the U.S. medical system are now driving what some call a crisis within a crisis: Black and Brown communities across the country are being hit harder, and with fewer resources to save them.
Race and Medicine: The Harm That Comes From Mistrust. New York Times article on how racial bias affects many (all) aspects of health care.
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Thumbnail image by Joan Villalon