At The Good Project, we seek to help people engage in important but difficult conversations, to enhance their self-awareness, and to reflect on our obligations to one another. For two decades, we have encouraged the idea that good work must be ethical, excellent, and engaging.
While we know that our words and tools are not adequate, we cannot be silent in response to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We believe, without qualification, that Black lives matter. Systemic racism has been and continues to be a reality in the United States. For us to do good work, we must all engage in the hard work of reflecting on our relationships with systemic racism.
We know this work can be challenging; good work is often challenging. And we want to help.
First, we encourage you to use the tools we have developed to aid in these conversations. As examples, our ethics of roles and neighborly morality may provide a useful framing for thinking about the current situation; the value sort tool can prompt conversations about your own action or inaction during this time; and our ethical dilemmas can help you think through the ways racism shows up in our schools and local communities.
We have also put together a list of resources for talking about racism and resistance, found below.
Finally, we want to share a thought-provoking excerpt from a message released by Dean Bridget Terry Long of the Harvard Graduate School of Education in response to the recent events:
So much of the discussion related to these recent events is tied up in this notion of what America is. Simply put, America—or any society or community—is what individuals make it. Yes, this country was founded on the important ideals of liberty, but we know those rights were narrowly defined by our founders to include only a subset of human beings. And though we have taken steps forward through laws and policies, it’s crucial to question whether we, as a country, have really interrogated what equality and respect for all means in practice.
Resources (links in titles):
7 Virtual Mental Health Resources Supporting Black People Right Now
31 Children's books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance
A Parent’s Guide to Discussing Racism
Do the work: an anti-racist reading list
How to Be an Antiracist Educator
Reflecting on George Floyd’s Death and Police Violence Towards Black Americans
Beyond the Hashtag: How to Take Anti-Racist Action in Your Life