The murders of George Floyd (opens in new tab), Ahmoud Arberry (opens in new tab), Breanna Taylor (opens in new tab), Tony McDade (opens in new tab), and many others have triggered a national reckoning: a furious The attacks, rampant injustice, police brutality, and systemic racism in our country must be stopped. (Opens in new tab) It needed to be stopped days, weeks, months, years, decades, even centuries ago. (Opens in new tab) As more and more people join social media and the streets (opens in new tab) in solidarity with this mission, it becomes increasingly clear that there is still much work to be done. Even after the protesters have gone off the streets and selfies have once again filled our Instagram feeds in place of black squares, (opens in new tab) we must not allow ourselves to return to the routines that have abused so many people. [It is not the job of blacks to teach whites about racism, injustice, and bigotry. It is the responsibility of whites to strive and learn to be better allies and anti-racists. There are many ways to do this: read more works by black writers. (opens in new tab) Listen to Black voices and stories. (Open in new tab)Shop at stores owned by black people. (opens in new tab)This needs to be a conscious effort, not just today, but every day. When members of the Black community choose to share their stories and give their voices to others, everyone needs to listen. Here is a collection of some of those moments: from TED talks to college lectures to interviews with activists, these are informative videos you can watch to become a better, stronger, more educated, and more active ally.

Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, founders of Black Lives Matter, a movement that has sparked a global debate about challenging systemic racism in America, and activist and advocate Mia Birdsong in a candid dialogue. In this conversation, they share how we can take our activism offline and spread that enthusiasm around the world. A must-see for anyone, or really everyone, who wants to learn more about the evolution of the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

Diversity advocate, Verner Myers, examines and unpacks the unconscious biases and unspoken stereotypes we hold; in her TED talk, she explains how we can "stop trying to be nice" and become "real people" who don't reject implicit social and racial biases. She says that by focusing on becoming, we can more effectively uproot prejudice and focus on promoting change. To become a better, more aware ally, please see.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer whose books include "Americana" after growing up reading novels by white British authors, talks about how she developed an authentic voice as a black woman writer. If you haven't read "Americana," you should (it dexterously describes the composition of race in America and blacks in other countries): she warns that reading only one book by a writer of color or from another country risks distorting your perceptions and perpetuating cultural misunderstandings, broadening your perspective, how important it is to absorb literature from a variety of writers of all races and ethnicities.

In this New York Times op-ed video, black women speak candidly about their existence as black women. Hearing their stories and learning about their experiences with microaggressions and overt racism helps to illustrate the injustices Black people experience on all levels every day. It is also helpful to hear from women who are not necessarily academics or activists, as they demonstrate that these issues are indeed pervasive.

In an informative segment on PBS, Tarana Burke, civil rights activist and founder of the #MeToo movement, explains how marginalized communities experience the effects of sexual violence in different ways. Prioritizing the pain of women of color is critical, especially when it intersects with sexual and domestic violence.

Tricia Rose, Professor of Africana Studies and Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University, presents a thought-provoking lecture on Black feminism and respectability politics. This is one to watch for those who want to challenge high-level discourse. [Melody Hobson, co-CEO of Ariel Investments, says in the opening two minutes of her TED talk, "Race is one of the topics that makes people very uncomfortable in America right now." She then explains how important it is to engage in conversations about race and racial disparities in order to actually create change.

Kimbale Crenshaw, a pioneer in racial theory and a law professor (and opinion leader in the #SayHerName campaign), discusses the conflict between race and gender. In this Ted Talk, she describes the double bias that women of color face. She uses the relatively unknown story of a black woman murdered by police to argue that intersectionality is often an invisible issue in the media, but it should not be.

In this video for Jezebel, Leila Saad, best-selling author of the book Me and White Supremacy, explains what performance and optical allyship mean. She explains why white saviorist narratives matter and why it is important that allyship exist outside of social media. (Opens in a new tab)