Good-hearted White People, Privilege, and Damage

What follows is a short essay written recently by one of my former students and current AWARE-LA allies. It's a great example of the critical thinking required when good hearted white people decide to offer ourselves to support young people living in inner cities. Let me know what you think...

White Privilege and Security

Recently I attended a brainstorming session for a proposed teen center for at-risk youth in inner-city Los Angeles. The adults present were part of a youth mentoring program and with one exception (a Latino), all were white. The kids were in their late teens. Two African-American guys, one African-American girl, and one Latino. We were talking about the ideal things they'd find at such a center - a safe place to hang out, art and music classes, basketball court, swimming pool, job training, resume help, etc. The safety issue kept coming up and it was clear that these kids had few if any places to go where they felt really safe. So we asked what kind of security they'd want the center to have; what would we need to do to make them feel comfortable? Their answers: a security guard - a big strong one. Cameras, especially in the hallways. A metal detector at the main entrance.

In light of what they'd said so far, their answers probably shouldn't have surprised us, but they did. And that's what this is about - not their answers, which when you think about it are perfectly reasonable and understandable - but our response. We were surprised and dismayed. And I believe that our dismay is rooted, at least in part, in white privilege. Why? Because not only are our day-to-day lives different when it comes to crime and safety, our entire outlook is different. When we have to go through security we tend to be offended, put out. We view security cameras as an invasion of our privacy and find being eyeballed by a security guard heavy-handed and oppressive. We're able to do this because we take our security for granted, and that security is a part of our privileged, white world. Our homes and workplaces are relatively safe. Sure, we take reasonable precautions, but we don't go through our days constantly on alert for attack, always fearing for our safety and the safety of our loved ones. Our neighborhoods aren't gang territory and crime is under control. When we have a problem we call the police and we trust them to believe us and act accordingly. Thus our ability to be surprised when people whom we are well aware don't share our privilege also don't share our view on what constitutes adequate security.

To take this full circle we need to look at how white privilege might play into the final decision about security at the center. On the one hand, we have the desire to remove what we as white people see as symbols of oppression (overt security). We want to promote an open door policy while teaching these kids new ways of addressing potential conflict. But we need to be aware that if, in the process of seeking to further these noble gals, we completely ignore the voices of the very people we are seeking to support, that we are engaging in a blatant act of white privilege. These kids, speaking through their experiences of lives we can't begin to imagine, are telling us what it will take to make them feel safe. We cannot then turn around and insist that they be satisfied for what passes for safe in the world of white, middle-class privilege. Unless we honor their truths we fall into the "white savior" trap. We might not come right out and say "yes, that is your experience, but our experience has more value" but the effect is the same. We got into their world with the idea that we will save them - but on our terms, not theirs.

As a white woman involved in anti-racist work, including mentoring and education, I am all too aware of how easy it is to fall into the role of savior. And I know I am not alone. This tendency is, I believe, and inherent part of white privilege intertwined with the inner racism we constantly fight to overcome. For me, recognizing the part privilege played in the above incident is a big step forward on what is a long road full of hazards.

NOTE: This is not to deny that age and class status also play a role here, but to highlight that these situations all too often play out with adult, white, middle class people making decisions for youth of color.

What do you think?

Unmasking Whiteness - A Summer Institute by AWARE-LA

I'd appreciate your help getting the word out about this event.

AWARE-LA is offering its workshop series on building white anti-racist practice and community in an intensive, 4-day institute 
for white people.

The institute invites white people to deepen their self-awareness and build community with other white people taking 
up work for racial justice. Through personal reflection, small and large group dialogue, and experiential activities, this
institute offers an opportunity for white people to explore the meanings of whiteness, white privilege and multiple
 identities, how to resolve guilt and shame, systemic white supremacy, and building an anti-racist identity and practice.

WHEN: July 22-25, 2010

WHERE: Los Angeles, CA

COST: $200 if registered before April 30th, $225 after April 30

What does this institute involve?

This four-day experiential workshop series invites participants to explore seven distinct topic areas:

The Meanings of Whiteness - Many people struggle to grasp what it means to be white in today’s society. How do

we create a positive, anti-racist white identity? An important issue is figuring out how we relate to dominant white culture while simultaneously supporting the movement toward a culture dedicated to social justice.

Historical Assimilation into Whiteness - Becoming “white” didn’t happen the same way for all European groups. How did the experiences differ? What impact does this have on different groups? Understanding how our assimilation history affects how we view race can help us when in conversations in diverse groups.

The White Supremacist System - Racism is not just about individuals’ ideas and actions. White supremacy is a systematic way of organizing the world that privileges one group at the expense of others. How do we participate in the maintenance of this system unknowingly? What can we do about it once we become aware?

White Privilege - U.S. society does not usually ask white people to explore how race affects our lives. Without honestly grappling with this question we often fail to recognize the various ways we receive social and economic benefits based on being seen as part of the white group.

The Many Aspects of Ourselves - We are more than just our race, our class, our gender, our sexual orientation, etc. We are an interrelated mix of our multiple social identities and each has an impact on how we experience the world. An essential step, however, is attending to both the areas where we may feel oppressed and also staying responsible for areas where we experience privilege.

Guilt and Shame - Two common emotions that arise when we learn about our history of racism and privilege are guilt and shame. These emotions often lead to paralysis and an inability to effectively participate in movements for change. Working through negative emotions is essential to building a solid anti-racist practice.

Building an Anti-Racist Practice - A key to creating a viable and sustainable anti-racist practice is forming a community that is similarly striving. Within a community we can develop and practice skills, hone our analysis, be challenged, and find support. This institute invites the creation of this type of community.

Who should come to this institute? All self-identifying white people interested in contributing positively to race relations in the U.S. - This experience is essential for educators, students, school administrators, social workers, community organizers, social justice activists, and all those invested in building equitable multiracial communities.

How will participants benefit? Increased knowledge and skills to: recognize racism in interpersonal interactions and institutions, engage in constructive dialogue about race, build an anti-racist community, and build confidence to disrupt racism in action.

Email stochluk@msmc.la.edu if you'd like to register.

Overt Racism on UCSD's Campus - Fallout from a Culture of Colorblindness

In case you haven't heard, the University of California at San Diego has been the location of some extremely overt racially motivated and hateful events in the last couple of weeks. Although many may say that "it all started when...", that would be in error. A hostile environment has existed for far too long (and this is also likely true in many other places), but the overt and "in-your-face" nature of this has garnered national attention recently.

In "honor" (yeah, right) of Black History Month, a group of students at UCSD hosted a party called the "Compton Cookout". It pretty much denigrated African-American students in a host of horrible ways. In response to protests about the party, a noose was then found hanging in the campus library. The unidentified student who admitted to placing it there apparently said that is wasn't racially motivated (yeah, ok, really?) and then just a few days later a "KKK style hood" was placed on the head of a statue standing outside the library (not racially motivated either, right?)

From my vantage point, this is what happens when colorblindness rules our culture. We act as though racism goes away if we simply don't talk about it. It gives us (white people especially) free reign to claim that nothing we do is about race and that it's all in the past. And, the saddest part about it is that a bunch of people actually believe that b.s. We stay ignorant of our country's history of racism...so we then can claim that our actions have no link to it. Then we blame the very people who have been injured by it for years and act like they are the ones creating the issue.

It's like a wound being taped over so tight that no air or light can help it heal. Our racism has been festering underneath the cover of colorblindness (sometimes unconsciously) for years and it should be no surprise that it erupts full force once the surface is scratched.

It's the reason the witnessing whiteness idea is so important (my bias, of course) because until we can actually recognize the deep history underlying our ideas and actions, we will continue to create and support the development of environments hostile to people of color and underrepresented groups.

Creating a teach-in to talk about "tolerance", which is part of how UCSD responded, is pretty much in line with a colorblind approach. Without naming power and privilege, there is really nothing productive being accomplished.

If you'd like more info about this event, Democracy Now has a clip discussing the recent issues on the UCSD campus. "Following String of Racist Incidents, UC San Diego Students Occupy Chancellor's Office."

And yet, there are moments where I find hope. Just this last week I had the privilege of sitting at a dinner table with a phenomenal young white woman in Tulsa, OK who had just come home for spring break from a university in the midwest. She spoke of a recent outbreak of racism on her campus wherein a bunch of cotton was spread out on the lawn in front of the African American cultural center (if I remember correctly) and she had gone to her campus Town Hall to hear from their Chancellor. The good part is not how this Chancellor handled the situation. In fact, it is just as unhelpful as how UCSD is responding. It's what this young white woman said to her Chancellor that I find encouraging.

As the Chancellor essentially ignored questions from students asking what the administration was going to do in response --- this young woman, a freshman, took the microphone a second time, after her first effort was dismissed, and told her Chancellor in front of all that far more disturbing to her than the cotton balls is the way the administration was handling everything.

It's not just her courage that touches me. In fact, at this point, perhaps that's a minor point. Being a person of color on these campuses apparently takes far more courage. But, it's her ability to perceive that injustice is truly being done that, sadly, appears rare. I applaud her and those around her (big shout out to the YWCA-Tulsa) for helping to create the awarenes that allowed her to stand up and be a witness for racial justice.

There are simply not enough white people standing up against these overt displays of racism and working to root out the underlying causes...yet! For those of us working toward that, let's keep passing on these messages to build community and get the word out re: how much work we really need to do.

Haiti womens micro-lending bank - spread the word!

This is the type of thing that too few of us know about because too few of our media outlets pay attention to truly supportive and community based projects.

Please take a moment to learn about how a network of women in Haiti have been able to mobilize quickly to distribute funds to get the economy moving again.

A branch of the Grameen bank of Bangladesh (specializing in micro-lending), Fonkoze, was able to work with high level officials within 24 hrs to get money to people in need.

Most essentially, read this and pass it along so that we can spread the word about some really important avenues for reducing dependence on commercial banking (which cannot easily respond in crisis).

Even the U.S. State Department understands how important this is --- saying that this alternative operation "may well have stabilized the banking system for the country's most vulnerable population."

Haiti womens micro-lending bank brings cash to the rescue

Understandably this was not the lead story during the first two days of the crisis. But, I would love to see us challenge more of the mainstream media to shine some light on these smaller, unconventional approaches to banking that really work to support people in challenging circumstances.

Yes, it would mean accepting that not all great ideas come from the U.S., and it would also mean accepting that the most powerful (by which I mean essentially contributing to society's well being) and important operations are NOT run by U.S. non-profits and/or government aid entities. Self-determination and grassroots organizing in action would need to be valued.

But, wouldn't this be a much better use of time than talking ad nauseum about fears of violence from those in desperate circumstances? The stench of racism in that conversation is so strong that it diverts attention from the remarkable work being done by many within third world countries today. Truly, this type of micro-lending is something that we could use more of here in the U.S. too. Read and feed your imagination. Then, pass it on to someone else.

Re: James Arthur Ray charged with manslaughter, guilty of cultural appropriation

Glad to see the news this morning. It looks like James Arthur Ray will be facing charges stemming from the $9,695-a-person "spiritual warrior" workshop he led last October which included a sweat lodge as a final activity...and the death of three of the participants.

Let's be aware, though, that although these serious charges are significant and justifiable (from what I know), they do not capture the foundation of what led to the deaths of the three individuals who lost their lives in this tragedy. (For more thoughts on that...see my earlier blog posting.)

As the conversation moves forward, take note as to whether or not James Arthur Ray is held accountable for his cultural appropriation, his use of white privilege, his wanton use of a sacred healing and purification ceremony that HE turned into a profane trial of will.

Saying that he "researched" these practices in Peru hardly absolves him...In fact, it just makes it worse, as far as I see it. I've not heard him speak of elders who passed down their practices to him. I've not heard him name how he came to see himself as sufficiently trained in the tradition to become a water pourer. I've not heard him speak humbly in any way, shape or form around this issue. The question becomes, I suppose, do I think this misuse of a culture's traditional practices in this way constitutes, in and of itself, a criminal act?

Yes, cultural appropriation used in this fashion SHOULD be considered criminal. This is not to shift the attention away from those who lost their lives. But, instead, my hope is that we would draw the line about what is acceptable well before someone has to lose their life.

But, what do you think?

Do you see the privilege in this, as I do?

Do you recognize the difference between being influenced by other cultures vs. using them in an exploitative fashion?

Profit in anti-racism, and why the workshop series is free

The question arose the minute the Witnessing Whiteness Workshop Series was posted and people started receiving the announcement. Why are you giving it away? You should be charging for this!

Not everyone responds in this fashion. Friends in racial justice work are far more surprised than opposed. They recognize that all-too-often important resources are priced out of reach of many of the grassroots or community groups who would really like to use them.

For me it is largely a matter of wanting the resources to be used. I want people to really dig in to the ideas in the book and get as much out of the reading as possible. In an economy such as ours, starting with a relatively pricey book but then adding a really rich companion resource for no charge makes the book purchase a lot more rational.

Admittedly, if I were trying to make my living from this work, this approach would likely be more challenging. But, I work a full time job in addition to my anti-racism efforts. This allows me to make the choice more easily.

This is also not without context. There are many that rightly question how white people doing anti-racism benefit markedly from the work. How many of us are called to speak more often because of the very privilege that we're trying to dismantle? I think it happens a lot. I recognize it in the reasons people give when they call me to invite me to give a talk. We talk about it.

Let's be honest. For those who know me, they know I have a nice enough quality of life and I receive compensation when I travel to offer presentations. Making this workshop series accessible and free to anyone wishing to use it is simply the right thing to do. No self-righteousness involved. It just makes sense.

My only hope is that people don't imagine that the series is less valuable because they didn't need to pay for it. (You know, that does happen sometimes.) That is truly my deepest concern.

Mama's Tamales - Beautiful Community Support

When we think about how businesses can really serve people, this is what should come to mind. What a beautiful example of people supporting one another. 3 minute video. Watch it and be inspired! Then, pass it on to others.

Mama's Tamales helps homeless people start their own businesses.

I should also disclose that I am proud to know the mother who developed Gorilla Life, the product highlighted in this video!