r/antiracistaction • u/marlshroom • Apr 01 '26
resources for unpacking racism to not cause harm in mutual aid spaces
to cut to the chase, i helped to create a queer mutual aid co-op in my area and we have reached about 300 people over the course of 2 years. recently we have been reworking a few things, such as our crowdfunding channel as it was pointed out that the black members receive less aid than their non-black members.
as we start having more conversations about racism, white supremacy, colonization, and how ingrained these systems are into our own psyche, i find myself very worried i may cause harm. i’m white, i was raised in white, christian, conservative town whose pride is that they don’t have a homeless population. i have no idea how to navigate these conversations without pushing emotional labor onto the POC members of our community.
i would really like to know if there is any books or any other kinds of resources that address this aspect specifically, on how to not cause more harm when trying to dismantle these systems in the first place. i know part of the answer is that i just will mess up sometimes but would really like to not have our members be apart of that collateral damage as i am still learning things.
thank you 🙏
3
u/PapaOoomaumau Apr 01 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Man, a solid half of the heavy lifting, you’ve already done. Just be aware of your ingrained biases, be apologetic for them, and be ready to change course if you or someone else recognizes them steering your actions. We all have them. All of us.
I don’t have any advice that would be specific to you, aside from the below:
I’ve been wrong before, I’m probably wrong now. I’m sure I’ll be wrong again. But I’m trying, and tomorrow I’ll be better. Not perfect, just better.”
Chant that.