Identity, Race + Whiteness: How Racism Lives in Us
“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
– Aboriginal activists group, Queensland, 1970s
Our collective human identity is experiencing a seismic shift as more people of white heritage recognize the horrendous effects of centuries of racism in America. Accountability, equity and justice are imperative – and hinge as much on systemic structural change within our social institutions as they do on transformational change within our psyches.
To initiate our program on Identity, Race and Whiteness, PeoplesLab offered a series guiding participants through Past/History of Racism, Present/Current Racism, and Future/Action Steps for Antiracism. Sessions were inflected with a rigorous and reflexive somatic process to build insight into personal and social bias and to set a foundation of intentional action towards solidarity with the Black community and alignment with values of social equity and co-liberation.
People who have lived with the privilege of whiteness must catch up and consciously understand its adversarial construction. Accountability, equity and justice are imperative and hinge as much on systemic structural change within our social institutions as they do on transformational change within our psyches. What will it take to turn this tanker?
Core questions:
What is “whiteness?”
How does it live within us?
How does white privilege perpetuate systemic racism?
What is our responsibility in dismantling racism?
How do we move towards co-liberation for all people?
Key tools:
Somatic awareness to experience vulnerability and develop resiliency
Reflexive skills to recognize identity, difference and bias awareness
Conflict communication skills to build generative engagement
PeoplesLab is rooted in the belief that we must challenge systemic oppression while resisting the narrow identity silos that keep us from being our full selves and knowing one another. Difference is core to our respective identities, yet nuances between us are often ignored in favor of cultural categories that flatten our personal experiences and histories – limiting our empathetic capacities, inviting misunderstanding and rendering us ineffective in creating social change. As we stay ensnared in persistent psychological and social conflict, we remain unable to build equitable and generative relations.
10% of proceeds were donated to Youth Justice Coalition, combatting incarceration and discrimination in the nation’s justice system.
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