for concrete action white people can join SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). if you have a local chapter near you, great. if not, create one. where there is colonization and capitalism, there is no shortage of oppression and where there is oppression there is always organizing happening. i bet it's right under your nose if you look for it. join the work already happening. don't duplicate. amplify.
I appreciate your writings. Sometimes they are hard to read but that is the point. One important awareness I have from this and other pieces of your writing is that people of color are not my automatic sounding blocks. I am very thankful for this awakening so I can tread intentionally.
Folks can direct people to me. I am a Buddhist chaplain who specifically works with other white people waking up to the reality of oppressive systems and their positions within them.
Thank you for this. I certainly identify as a privileged person with a budding awareness about colonialist, white supremacy and the violence it causes. Still very much in the process of unlearning. This post really resonates because the unlearning is critical but too often becomes a harmful process to others in itself, so I really appreciate the way you outline these steps with compassion and rightful caution and boundaries.
One thing that stuck out in particular was ensuring that, when learning from BIPOC folks, they should be compensated and willing to offer guidance prior to assuming that it’s their job. Sometimes learning from those like myself who continue to benefit from white supremacy feels inadequate. Yet you made some really great points about the benefits of learning from people on the same journey. I do really like the point though about consent and compensation as a way of combatting the continuance of harm while unlearning because this is necessary for creating/participating in right and meaningful action.
It’s easy to become complacent and silent out of fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. This fear comes nowhere near the fear that oppressed folks experience. However, it does in turn lead to privileged folks causing more oppression and harm towards others, so talking about it and addressing it is important. I really like the way you’ve done that here. Sometimes I think cancel culture, while it has its benefits, plays a role in this. Cancel culture seems to move us away from learning about and practicing accountability, even though (I think) it’s intended (at least in theory) to emphasize accountability
Knowledge, while necessary as a first step, too often becomes a “safe” and unproductive space for people like me when it doesn’t turn into action. Another reason while these steps are so helpful. Thanks also to those who’ve shared additional guidance and resources in the comments. Going to look into the SURJ in Toronto.
I agree and wish this was easier to find. I think there are also people who might know about some issues but be unable to get plugged into community until later. I’ll give two examples from my own life. I was in survival mode during an abusive relationship after I graduated college. That would have been a great time age-wise to get plugged in but I was just trying to get through that experience. By the time I got out, I was a more disabled person in my 30s and the organizations I contacted were not interested in accessibility for people to participate. I tried several. I am still working on finding ways to work on the issues I care about with other people and organizations that won’t just give lip service to accessibility and disability justice. I’m willing to help make things accessible but they have to be interested in that too.
White folks - may I suggest Garrett Bucks’ newsletter here, called The White Pages? Also, a Black organizer friend suggested to me about five years ago that I find a white accountability partner to process a lot of the things that Ijeoma and our Black friends are being asked to respond to. They are TIRED, folks. And they are still doing some very heavy lifting. So let’s not add to the burden, but let’s be in true conversation when we’re called to.
I recommend finding a white friend who is close to where you are on your whiteness-awareness journey. And if no one fits the bill, find an eager friend and take a course together. Try the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. There are others too. And if you can’t find a course, do a (gasp!) book club. But just START. It will not be perfect, because it’s inherently messy.
Yes! And for detailed suggestions about messaging for people in various stages of awakening/accepting/coming to terms with existing oppression, Being White Today by Shelly Tochluk and Christine Saxman is incredibly helpful. It goes into the messaging of the alt right “welcoming committee” and how to help people think critically about it, in addition to clarifying what we say that inadvertently pushes people out of movement spaces. Also, who actually needs a book club, and how to move people beyond the thinking space. It has completely rocked my practice.
The Education Deans for Justice & Equity: A Framework for Assessment and Transformation (“The EDJE Framework”), was created for college/university administration settings, but I find it really provides excellent, easily adaptable, questions any group or organization can use to guide them through transformation. I think it would pair well with the Antiracism/Multicultural Continuum assessment tool. Here's a link to the Framework:
This was SUCH a good read. I do a free weekly activism newsletter (link in my @wendybrandes Instagram bio) that gives people actions to do every day. The in-person actions tend to be in NYC where I am, but I also include virtual actions that can be taken anywhere in the country. I am always happy to answer the “but what should I do” question because that’s what I do!
I went to a lot of grieving groups in the earlier parts of my learning - I still go to a few. Some of the first places I found to do this were substance use recovery groups (careful with 12-step), mental health support groups (careful with diagnosis-based), and affinity/identity based gatherings. Now the grieving groups I attend are pretty explicitly identified as such and are organized around liberatory political praxis. Vigils and community care groups are a couple examples of this. I found that engaging with grief collectively, even if it wasn't in a group where I was also receiving political education, went a long way in orienting me toward liberatory movement/action.
for concrete action white people can join SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice). if you have a local chapter near you, great. if not, create one. where there is colonization and capitalism, there is no shortage of oppression and where there is oppression there is always organizing happening. i bet it's right under your nose if you look for it. join the work already happening. don't duplicate. amplify.
https://surj.org/ (american)
https://www.surjtoronto.com/ (toronto)
I appreciate your writings. Sometimes they are hard to read but that is the point. One important awareness I have from this and other pieces of your writing is that people of color are not my automatic sounding blocks. I am very thankful for this awakening so I can tread intentionally.
Folks can direct people to me. I am a Buddhist chaplain who specifically works with other white people waking up to the reality of oppressive systems and their positions within them.
https://www.kaitlynschatch.com/buddhist-chaplaincy.html
Thank you for this. I certainly identify as a privileged person with a budding awareness about colonialist, white supremacy and the violence it causes. Still very much in the process of unlearning. This post really resonates because the unlearning is critical but too often becomes a harmful process to others in itself, so I really appreciate the way you outline these steps with compassion and rightful caution and boundaries.
One thing that stuck out in particular was ensuring that, when learning from BIPOC folks, they should be compensated and willing to offer guidance prior to assuming that it’s their job. Sometimes learning from those like myself who continue to benefit from white supremacy feels inadequate. Yet you made some really great points about the benefits of learning from people on the same journey. I do really like the point though about consent and compensation as a way of combatting the continuance of harm while unlearning because this is necessary for creating/participating in right and meaningful action.
It’s easy to become complacent and silent out of fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. This fear comes nowhere near the fear that oppressed folks experience. However, it does in turn lead to privileged folks causing more oppression and harm towards others, so talking about it and addressing it is important. I really like the way you’ve done that here. Sometimes I think cancel culture, while it has its benefits, plays a role in this. Cancel culture seems to move us away from learning about and practicing accountability, even though (I think) it’s intended (at least in theory) to emphasize accountability
Knowledge, while necessary as a first step, too often becomes a “safe” and unproductive space for people like me when it doesn’t turn into action. Another reason while these steps are so helpful. Thanks also to those who’ve shared additional guidance and resources in the comments. Going to look into the SURJ in Toronto.
Thanks again everyone
I agree and wish this was easier to find. I think there are also people who might know about some issues but be unable to get plugged into community until later. I’ll give two examples from my own life. I was in survival mode during an abusive relationship after I graduated college. That would have been a great time age-wise to get plugged in but I was just trying to get through that experience. By the time I got out, I was a more disabled person in my 30s and the organizations I contacted were not interested in accessibility for people to participate. I tried several. I am still working on finding ways to work on the issues I care about with other people and organizations that won’t just give lip service to accessibility and disability justice. I’m willing to help make things accessible but they have to be interested in that too.
Taking responsibility for harm caused by my abelism and privilege.
Well said.
I'm ready.
It's a tall order.
I'm going to get my head out of the sand.
Put on some high heels so I can reach.
And get going.
Thank you for that gentle slap.
I think I'm waking up......
White folks - may I suggest Garrett Bucks’ newsletter here, called The White Pages? Also, a Black organizer friend suggested to me about five years ago that I find a white accountability partner to process a lot of the things that Ijeoma and our Black friends are being asked to respond to. They are TIRED, folks. And they are still doing some very heavy lifting. So let’s not add to the burden, but let’s be in true conversation when we’re called to.
I recommend finding a white friend who is close to where you are on your whiteness-awareness journey. And if no one fits the bill, find an eager friend and take a course together. Try the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond. There are others too. And if you can’t find a course, do a (gasp!) book club. But just START. It will not be perfect, because it’s inherently messy.
Yes! And for detailed suggestions about messaging for people in various stages of awakening/accepting/coming to terms with existing oppression, Being White Today by Shelly Tochluk and Christine Saxman is incredibly helpful. It goes into the messaging of the alt right “welcoming committee” and how to help people think critically about it, in addition to clarifying what we say that inadvertently pushes people out of movement spaces. Also, who actually needs a book club, and how to move people beyond the thinking space. It has completely rocked my practice.
Hi Ijeoma,
The Education Deans for Justice & Equity: A Framework for Assessment and Transformation (“The EDJE Framework”), was created for college/university administration settings, but I find it really provides excellent, easily adaptable, questions any group or organization can use to guide them through transformation. I think it would pair well with the Antiracism/Multicultural Continuum assessment tool. Here's a link to the Framework:
https://educationdeans.org/publications/
This was SUCH a good read. I do a free weekly activism newsletter (link in my @wendybrandes Instagram bio) that gives people actions to do every day. The in-person actions tend to be in NYC where I am, but I also include virtual actions that can be taken anywhere in the country. I am always happy to answer the “but what should I do” question because that’s what I do!
I went to a lot of grieving groups in the earlier parts of my learning - I still go to a few. Some of the first places I found to do this were substance use recovery groups (careful with 12-step), mental health support groups (careful with diagnosis-based), and affinity/identity based gatherings. Now the grieving groups I attend are pretty explicitly identified as such and are organized around liberatory political praxis. Vigils and community care groups are a couple examples of this. I found that engaging with grief collectively, even if it wasn't in a group where I was also receiving political education, went a long way in orienting me toward liberatory movement/action.
Another good resource is "Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book" by W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz.
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/w-kamau-bell/do-the-work/9781523514281/
SURJ is a great place to start. Within the Substack universe, folks can also check out Garrett Bucks' newsletter, The White Pages.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Perfectly and beautifully written (as always). Thank you.
Thank you.