Justice Begins with Imagination (Ruha Benjamin)

<p>According to Ruha Benjamin, we’re living inside someone else’s imagination. An imagination that  limits our ability to build a more just, liberated world. So, how do we take back our agency and begin to seed something different? Baratunde talks with Princeton professor and founding director of the <a href="https://www.thejustdatalab.com/">Just Data Lab</a>, <a href="https://www.ruhabenjamin.com/about">Ruha Benjamin</a> to find out.</p> <p> </p> <p>SHOW ACTIONS</p> <p><strong>Internally Reflect - </strong><strong>Bear witness and create a ripple</strong></p> <p>This one is inspired from Ruha’s book <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/14797/9780691222882">Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want</a> which says: “…bear witness to the weight of individual and communal protective acts and consider how all of us can be involved in sheltering one another from the rain and sun by cultivating relationships, skills, accountability, and healing.”</p> <p>Think about when you witnessed someone near you perform an act of justice or kindness or protection for another. Was it a big or small act? Did it require courage? How did witnessing that make you feel about the world? Is it something you could repeat and further the impact?</p> <p><strong>Become More Informed - </strong><strong>Learn about racial justice </strong></p> <p>Ruha recommends Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey and The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander both of which you can find <a href="https://bookshop.org/shop/howtocitizen">on our Bookshop page</a>.  </p> <p><strong>Publicly Participate - </strong><strong>Invest in your community using your time &amp; skills</strong></p> <p>Check out ways to invest and get to know your community using your existing skills and experience.  If you’re 60+ check out <a href="https://thirdact.org/">Thirdact.org</a> and <a href="https://cogenerate.org/">Cogenerate.org</a>. If you’re 25-59 check out <a href="http://volunteermatch.org">Volunteermatch.org</a> an