The media site "Everyday Feminism" has brought us many thought-provoking articles and opinion pieces that delve into the inner workings of prejudice, discrimination in U.S. and global societies. By intentionally focusing on the voices of women scholars, artists, writers, activists, academics and social researchers, "Everyday Feminism" has created vibrant dialogue about the intersections of classism, sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia and other forms of hate. Its influence and impact was much needed in the resistance against the resurgence of divisive rhetoric that pits communities against each other
As a diversity and inclusion practitioner and emerging equity scholar, my work requires me to broker difficult conversations with white colleagues about race. In my previous stints at community mental health organizations, I've had these conversations with social workers and psychologists who've had exposure to social issues in their academic and professional training. Most are well-educated and well-meaning people who have chosen the helping and healing profession as the focus of their life's work. Yet,conversations about privilege, power and the perpetuation of racial inequities continue to be challenging.
I was delighted to see an invitation to an "Everyday Feminism" webinar that provides new strategies for inviting White people into authentic and meaningful racial justice work for their own healing and liberation. The webinar is a 90-minute introduction to a three-day workshop on "Healing from Internalized Whiteness," being offered in Oakland and in New York this spring.
Most white people who are newly coming into racial justice work are still very unconscious of how unconscious they are about it. White people often become emotionally resistant to seeing how they’re expressing white supremacy - and get mad when it’s pointed out or beat themselves up for it. Too often that can mean them giving up on the work, continuing to beat themselves up, or insisting their racist actions aren’t racist.
According to Everyday Feminism, the training is designed for those who want to keep trying often struggle with questions like:
Excerpted from "How I’ve Learned To Hold White People’s Feelings with Ease and Compassion"
by Sandra Kim, Founder of Everyday Feminism and Re-Becoming Human
As a diversity and inclusion practitioner and emerging equity scholar, my work requires me to broker difficult conversations with white colleagues about race. In my previous stints at community mental health organizations, I've had these conversations with social workers and psychologists who've had exposure to social issues in their academic and professional training. Most are well-educated and well-meaning people who have chosen the helping and healing profession as the focus of their life's work. Yet,conversations about privilege, power and the perpetuation of racial inequities continue to be challenging.
I was delighted to see an invitation to an "Everyday Feminism" webinar that provides new strategies for inviting White people into authentic and meaningful racial justice work for their own healing and liberation. The webinar is a 90-minute introduction to a three-day workshop on "Healing from Internalized Whiteness," being offered in Oakland and in New York this spring.
Most white people who are newly coming into racial justice work are still very unconscious of how unconscious they are about it. White people often become emotionally resistant to seeing how they’re expressing white supremacy - and get mad when it’s pointed out or beat themselves up for it. Too often that can mean them giving up on the work, continuing to beat themselves up, or insisting their racist actions aren’t racist.
According to Everyday Feminism, the training is designed for those who want to keep trying often struggle with questions like:
- How can I make sure I don't accidentally say something racist - when I don't know what's racist and what's not?
- How can I know what to do without burdening a person of color to educate me - but still somehow follow their leadership?
- How do I know when speaking up against racism ends up speaking over people of color?
- What do I do when I realize I've been unconsciously stereotyping and judging people of color?
- What do I do with my guilt around having white privilege?
- What do I do with my fear around talking to other white people about racism when they get so angry with me?
- What do I do with my fear that I'll never get it right and that I'll always just mess it up as a white person?
Excerpted from "How I’ve Learned To Hold White People’s Feelings with Ease and Compassion"
by Sandra Kim, Founder of Everyday Feminism and Re-Becoming Human
Many people of color who work on racial justice find it emotionally difficult to hold space for the emotional rollercoaster white people often go through when realizing that white supremacy is real and inside of them too.
Sandra Kim
That’s understandable since we’ve been dealing with both its existence and denial from white people for most of our lives. That denial impacts our lives in painful and concrete ways.
This is also often painful for white folks working on racial justice too, because it reminds them of when they were less conscious and had more unintentionally racist beliefs.
So it’s understandable that people working on racial justice may feel overwhelmed or ill-equipped to hold that work with the increased interest.
But I believe this struggle is more because we too often lack a trauma-informed approach to working with white people for racial justice. And that’s something we can learn.
Here’s how I did. Based on my own healing journey from internalized oppression and work in social justice, I realized there’s an unnamed trauma present that’s driving white fragility and white guilt.
It’s the trauma of people of European descent being turned into white people by white supremacy — and then being taught that whiteness is good, but doesn’t exist.
So whiteness is like the air that you breathe when you live in a polluted city — where you get taught that pollution has no negative impact.
You don't notice that it’s toxic or pervasive — even when it's making you feel sick.
And like pollution, whiteness is treated like it’s healthy, normal, and comes with no consequences.
