White Privilege and Accountability in Social Justice Workshop ~ Article by Kat Haines; Photo by EJCooley

"Healing Ourselves, Healing Our World:  White Privilege and Accountability in Social Justice"

In many places of worship across the U.S. you will find that white members share space with black and brown congregants and yet they have little understanding of the different experiences with and around racism.  The description of last Wednesday's workshop, led by VCU professor Dr. Archana Pathak, was simple:  "This workshop explores privilege, particularly in terms of race and also as it intersects with other social identities such as nationality, religion, gender, sexuality, class, ability status, etc.; explains how examining privilege is a necessary first step in dismantling oppression, explores the ways in which whiteness, white privilege and white supremacy function in our world; engages in critical self-reflexivity and facilitates the creation of commitments/practices that vision a just world."

The workshop's impact, however, was deeply profound.  

Father opened the evening with the St. Francis Prayer for Peace.  This beautiful prayer was a foreshadowing for how the evening would end.  There were many uncomfortable moments to the night but as Dr. Archana Pathak taught us, using stories, to better understand how white, class and gender privilege function, we were able to do some of the self-reflection she called us to do and that led to a palpable shift that seemed to bring more peace to our little corner of Richmond.

As one congregant said: "Archana Pathak, you led me to really touch, taste, see and feel a perspective I had never in a billion years considered. While I try to live my life and teach my children to live their lives in such a way that prioritizes that which is just for all, I hadn't considered the ways in which our experience on every level is inherently different from that of our brothers and sisters of color... and it pointed me towards the ways in which I personally, albeit unintentionally, contribute to the problem through both action and inaction."

Thank you, Archana Pathak and God Bless!  Please use the attached resource list created by Archana Pathak to deepen your understanding of white privilege and racism and let's keep the conversation going!

~ Article by Kat Haines

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Anti-Racism Internet Resources Compiled by Dr. Archana Pathak:

“The Day I discovered I was a Racist,” published by Daily Kos on July 10^th, 2016.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/7/10/1546934/-The-Day-I-Discovered-I-Was-A-Racist?detail=emailcommunity&link_id=3&can_id=f4da415cc1b1c27c26488ef30b8cf8ae&source=email-the-day-i-discovered-i-was-a-racist-3&email_referrer=the-day-i-discovered-i-was-a-racist-3&email_subject=the-day-i-discovered-i-was-a-racist

“Another Day, Another Hashtag. White People, You Gotta Get to Work NOW,” published by Awesomely Luvvie on September 21, 2016.

http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2016/09/white-people-anti-racism.html

“Why I’m Prejudiced & So Are You,” published by Momastery on October 28^th, 2015.

http://momastery.com/blog/2015/10/28/why-prejudiced/

“It’s Time to Get Over Your White Feelings and Start Taking Action for Black Lives,” published by NY Mag on August 3, 2016.

http://nymag.com/thecut/2016/08/showing-up-for-racial-justice-white-feelings-black-lives.html

“Why I’m a Racist,” published by Huffington Post on July 15, 2016.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-im-a-racist_us_57893b9ee4b0e7c873500382

http://www.timwise.org/reading-list/

“Peggy McIntosh: The Invisible Knapsack: Male Privilege, White Privilege.” http://www.collegeart.org/pdf/diversity/white-privilege-and-male-privilege.pdf

“To My White Friends Who See Tragedy in the Black Community and Say Nothing, Make it Personal,” published by Huffington Post on June 26, 2015:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kiara-imani-williams/to-my-white-friends-who-see-tragedy-in-the-black-community-and-say-nothing-make-it-personal_b_7666594.html

‘We need co-conspirators, not allies’: how white Americans can fight racism,” published by The Guardian on June 26, 2015.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/26/how-white-americans-can-fight-racism

“Be Less Racist: 12 Tips for White Dudes, by A White Dude, published by Mash-up Americans.” http://www.mashupamericans.com/issues/be-less-racist-12-tips-for-white-dudes-by-a-white-dude/

“7 Ways To Be A White Ally For Charleston And The Black Community,” published by Huffington Post on June 19, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/white-ally-charleston-black_n_7623758.html

“My Take: Why is Blackface Back Again” published by Richmond Magazine on October 31, 2016.

http://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/why-is-blackface-back-again/

“6 things I wish people understood about being biracial,” published by Vox on March 11, 2015: http://www.vox.com/2015/3/11/8182263/biracial-identity

“What white people need to know, and do, after Ferguson,” published by The Washington Post on November 28, 2014. https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/28/what-white-people-need-to-know-and-do-after-ferguson/?utm_term=.eec60e4caba2

“12 Things White People Can Actually Do After the Ferguson Decision,” published by Huffington Post on November 26, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-david-j-leonard/12-things-white-people-ca_b_6222784.html

“7 Ways To Be A White Ally For Charleston And The Black Community,” published by Huffington Post on June 19, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/19/white-ally-charleston-black_n_7623758.html

“10 Things All White Folks Need to Consider about the #BaltimoreUprising,” published by Everyday Feminism on April 29, 2015. http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/04/what-white-folks-need-to-know-about-baltimoreuprising/

“It’s Incredibly Scary to Be a Transgender Woman of Color Right Now,” published by Mother Jones on June 26, 2015.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/06/transgender-women-disproportionately-targeted-violent-hate-crimes

“Black Women Are Getting Killed by Police Too — So Why Aren’t More People Discussing It?,” published by Mic on May 11, 2015. https://mic.com/articles/117228/black-women-continue-getting-killed-by-police-why-aren-t-more-people-discussing-it#.u2ylAdb6e

“From White Racist to White Anti-Racist, the life long journey,” by Tema Okun, dRworks, 2006. http://www.dismantlingracism.org/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/white_identity_ladder_2013.pdf

“white supremacy culture” by Tema Okun, dRworks. http://www.dismantlingracism.org/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/whitesupcul13.pdf

“Detour Spotting for white anti-racists” by joan olsson, 1997. http://www.racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/olson.pdf

A list of resources from the organization Dismantling Racism Works http://www.dismantlingracism.org/links-to-resources.html

Books:

Eduardo Bonilla-Silva: “Racism without Racists” published 2003.

Howard Zinn: “A People's History of the U.S” published 1980.

Michelle Alexander: “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” published 2010.

James Baldwin: “The Fire Next Time” published 1963.

TA-Nehisi Coates: “Between the World and Me” published 2015.

bell hooks: “Ain't I a Woman: Black women and feminism” 1981.

Claudia Rankine: “Citizen: An American Lyric” published 2014.

Beverly Daniel Tatum: “Why are all the Black kids sitting together in the cafeteria” published 1997.

Mab Segrest: “Memoir of a Race Traitor” published 1999.

Paul Kivel: “Uprooting Racism: How white people can work for racial justice” published 1996.

Paulo Freire, “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” originally published1968.

Films:

The Color of Fear (1994)  

~ Photo by EJCooley