To incorporate the Clemson Area Pledge to End Racism into your life takes commitment and intention. Signing the pledge is the first step. Here are some suggestions to begin to incorporate the Pledge into your daily life.
- Print out the Pledge and tape it to your mirror or the back of your phone. Make it visible to you in some way so you read it every day.
- Commit to reading one book, seeing one film, or attending one workshop/talk that addresses race and racism every month.
- Participate in a Greater Clemson area Living the Pledge workshop.
- Start a journal to reflect on situations you encounter in your day to day life where race is central to the situation– at work, in your family, with your friends. What were the circumstances? Who was present? What was your involvement? How were your words or actions perceived? How do you respond to them? Consider how your own actions and behaviors may be perceived, even if unintentional. If you are not happy with your behaviors or response to a situation, reflect on ways you might respond differently in the future.
- Identify one issue that disproportionately affects people of color in the Greater Clemson area you’d like to learn more about. Examples might be the gentrification of the historically African American neighborhoods in Clemson, Seneca or elsewhere, visit the Soapstone Church to learn about the historic Liberia community, support the Clemson African American museum or Seneca’s Bertha Lee Strickland Museum, or learn about the history of Clemson as a slave plantation. Take time to understand the current issues around and impact on immigration, incarceration, and police relations in the Clemson area. Attend community forums, read newspaper accounts, talk with people in your neighborhood or religious community, then get involved.