work in progress is a newsletter about antiracism and other things, delivered twice a month to your inbox. Every other week, you’ll receive a combination of personal essays, advice columns, action items, reflection questions, and recommendations from a biracial and Black Zillennial antiracist educator. I hope reading this newsletter feels like meeting up for Sunday coffee with a friend who talks a lot about antiracism but also has some other interesting things to say. 🌱
I’m Nora, Director of Growth and Co-Lead of Antiracism & Equity at Rivet School. Since May of 2020, I’ve also been moonlighting as an antiracist educator on Instagram, using long-form Instagram stories to teach white folks and NBPOC how to be better allies and antiracists. I live in Oakland, and yes, I’ve recently claimed the title of Zillennial (‘95-’98 babies, where ya at 🤠). Clearly, I love talking and teaching about anything related to antiracism and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); I’m also wildly into personal finance (if I haven’t talked to you about YNAB yet, remind me to), backpacking (the poop-in-the-woods kind, not the hosteling-around-Europe kind), and highly curated and facilitated social events (more on that later).
What is work in progress?
My dad is Black, my mom is white. I identify as biracial and Black. I’m light-skinned and grew up around a lot of white people. The way I look and sound means I’m allowed into spaces of whiteness (both literal and proverbial) I otherwise wouldn’t be allowed into as a Black person. I’ve heard white people’s stories relayed, opinions defended, jokes told, and accents imitated that I wasn’t intended to hear. I’ve heard it all — and from every type of white person you can imagine.
I’ve been subjected to racism myself, yes. But more often than not, I’ve observed it. I’m given front-row, unquestioned access to how white people think about and talk about non-white people when they don’t think any non-white person is present (surprise, bitch! 🤡). Unfortunately (for them), there was a spy in their midst. I’m here to report back from the field everything I’ve seen and heard.
I teach and talk about antiracism + DEI professionally — so I won’t only share what I’ve witnessed, I’ll interpret the experience through the lens of an antiracist educator to teach you broader lessons on antiracism + DEI. If you’re white, I’ll use these stories and my takeaways to show you how to do better. If you’re Black or a person of color, I hope these stories and lessons will feel validating or enlightening on your own path to antiracism and navigating the whiteness around you.
Along with these essays, you can also expect:
💭 A monthly advice column re: navigating real-life racism
📋 A monthly focus area with action items and reflection questions for your antiracist work
🥳 Community discussion threads
📱 Links to new Instagram stories as I create them for folks who are trying to spend less time on social media
🔥 Hot and lukewarm takes on pop culture
🗣 Lots of requests for feedback
🌝 Whatever else I feel like including that week, since I’m no longer catering to the unpredictable whims of the Instagram algorithm :’)
Why work in progress?
This title is a triple meaning, and yes, I’m really proud of it, so let me fill you in on how I got here:
This newsletter is about “The Work” — that shorthand phrase that’s come to mean “anything related to antiracism or allyship.” If there’s one thing I want to communicate to folks who are trying to be better allies or antiracists, it’s to focus more on the doing than the learning. work in progress is an ode to the doing.
We are all works in progress in our commitment to allyship and antiracism. While I play the role of “educator” in a lot of spaces, I want to create room to exist as a student, too. Just like you, I’m learning as I go.
This newsletter itself is a work in progress, and I’m trying to leave space for imperfection and evolution. I have a long ass Notes page on my phone filling up with ideas for things to write about and formats to try. I also created the work in progress logo in Canva and honestly don’t #loveit…but that’s kind of the point. As a feedback fiend, I’m going to ask for your help along the way in making this newsletter feel meaningful to you and anyone who wants to read it.
If this sounds interesting, I hope you’ll consider subscribing. You will always be able to read one free edition of the newsletter per month, but you can also support work in progress and access each edition and all features for $6/month.
xo,
Nora
