I'm Committed To Reading About Injustice: That's Why I Clicked One-Day Shipping To Get My Anti-Racism Books From Amazon

After the personal embarrassment of posting a black square to Instagram, I independently had an epiphany: There are better ways to perform allyship. And maybe, just maybe, those acts of allyship require forethought. I decided that learning about the intricate machine of systemic racism is an urgent matter. That’s why I clicked one-day shipping on my Amazon reading list so that those anti-racist books can magically end up on my doorstep as soon as fucking possible. 

Every day we’re faced with seemingly simple decisions that actually have a complex array of harmful consequences (Um, yeah, I watched The Good Place). Should I drink almond milk? Should I wear sneakers that were made by children? Is it okay to break into my neighbor’s apartment and let their dog out when it won’t stop fucking barking? There is literally no way to know the answers to these questions that all of us confront every day. 

So what does modern-day slavery look like? Well, I don’t know, because my books haven’t arrived yet. I opted for one-day shipping, so what’s the hold-up? It’s like, come on, Amazon, I’ve gotta learn about injustice and exploitation and the deterioration of the freedom in this country--tell your warehouse people to get their shit together. After discovering the complexities of racism recently, sitting with that knowledge has been crazy uncomfy, so I’m ready to let the racism fade away with every turn of the page. 

Because I didn’t want to bother my Black friend (or as she calls me, “coworker”), and because a private Google search lets no one know the work I’m putting in, my white friends and I scraped together a reading list. And I'm a serious quarantiner so will I be visiting my neighborhood's independent bookstore? Hell no! Like Maya Angelou once said: “Hurry up and bring me my fucking books.” 

Unlearning racism is hard work, sure, I’m just grateful to live in a world where fighting racism is one click and one credit card input away.