12 THINGS YOU CAN DO
TO HELP REDUCE RACISM IN YOUR COMMUNITY

1. INVITE THE JAMES BYRD PROJECT INTO YOUR ORGANIZATION

   Invite us to your place of work or community group to provide a training and presentation on the ways to prevent and treat racism. Decrease racism and hate-crimes in your community by increasing the public’s knowledge of racism, diversity and genocide. Specifically, this work entails collaborative strategies to expand the community’s knowledge of racism by speaking with at-risk youth and juvenile offenders.

2. PROVIDE US WITH YOUR ORAL HISTORY

   Provide us with your oral history on how racism has affected your everyday life. We are currently archiving these important stories to share with race scholars and the general public.

3. EXPAND BYRD CURRICULUM TO SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THE U.S.

   The curriculum is age appropriate, sensitive and timely for American youth. These classroom discussions and the experience of recording oral histories provides youth with a greater sense of self and improved skills for dealing with racism and preventing their own participation in racism. Our curriculum has been implemented in classroom presentations and community workshops with the input of students, teachers, school administrators and consultants. Thus far, schools in San Francisco, CA, Harrisonburg, VA, Houston, TX, Cleveland Heights, OH and Jasper, TX have participated with our Project.

4. INCLUDE AN ORAL HISTORY SESSION AT YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC LIBRARY

   Ask your local library to have a special event so that members of your community can record their oral histories on how racism has affected their lives. This body of interviews is not merely an archival resource, but a living testament to an important history of the United States, one which we are all still understanding how to heal.

5. TOWN HALL MEETINGS

Create regular meetings in your community in conjunction with your local neighborhood association or district. At the meetings, invite all ideas and opinions to be shared in order to reduce racism and violence in your neighborhood.

6. HOLD A CONFERENCE ON RACISM IN AMERICA

Work with your local government officials, businesses and community organizations to create a space where the community can come together and initiate the discussion of the prevention and treatment of racism in our society.

7. CREATE A MULTI-LINGUALPUBLICITY CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE RACISM AWARENESS

Efforts to decrease racism in our society are extremely important in building a more equitable and just society for all persons. We hope that an advertising campaign consisting of billboards, public service announcements, ads and poster distribution will spark a renewed interest in anti-racism campaigns & educational programs.

8. PRODUCE AN ART PIECE DEDICATED TO THE PREVENTION OF RACISM

Whether it is at your school or local playhouse, work to produce a play, a song or sculpture dedicated to the prevention or treatment of racism. A reminder that racism is alive and that there can be a solution.

9. WRITE A LETTER OF SUPPORT TO THE JAMES BYRD FAMILY

Take a minute to write a letter of condolence to the Byrd Family in Jasper, Texas. Let them know that his murder has not been forgotten and that activism against racism continues.

10. DONATE TO THE JAMES BYRD JR. FOUNDATION FOR RACIAL HEALING

Donate your tax-deductible contribution or gift-in-kind to support our work. Your contribution helps us to maintain the continuation of programs in public schools.

11. VOLUNTEER WITH THE JAMES BYRD JR. ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Volunteers are currently needed to work with the James Byrd Jr. Racism Oral History Project. Opportunities are available to help conduct interviews on racism, perform community outreach, fundraise, conduct workshops, transcribe oral histories and conduct research on hate crimes committed throughout the United States. 

12.  SPEAK UP AGAINST RACISM 

If someone says something racist or makes a racist joke, say something.  Let people know that you don’t approve of racism in any form. You can say it nicely, but say it. You will be happy you did.

For more information contact us at:

The James Byrd Jr. Racism Oral History Project
P.O. Box 27333, San Francisco, CA 94127
Tel. (415) 485-4208 • Email: Byrdproject@aol.com 

The Byrd Foundation for Racial Healing
Tel. (888) 656-6414 • Email: Byrdfound@juno.com www.byrdfoundationforracialhealing.org