Brief Report Back 11/21 Saturday zoom "ThanksTaking on the screen: What Will White Womyn Do To End Racism?"

Tis the Season For ThanksTaking on the screen!

Sharing our recent challenges and successes confronting racism and increasing our effectiveness as anti-racists, some of our encounters included:

·         A new dentist taking over the practice of the former white dentist in an almost 100% conservative and lilly white town: how white womyn can acknowledge pleasure for a dentist of color and express willingness to and support of the ‘token’ Black or brown person

·         A young white male college student feeling comfortable to approach the “peaceful” BLM protest while complaining re: the “violence” of BLM protests, the “we” vs “them”, and other racist assumptions, opening up the dialogue for confronting his racism at the same time wanting him not to close down

·         Continuing to listen to the voices of Black and brown people and intently figuring out wtf Black and brown people are talking about

All the tricks white people use to shutting down the racism/anti-racism conversation let alone action, and how to circumvent those tricks, keep the door open. Who has responsibility for maintaining openness to dialogue and action re:racism with white people? Is there a “right” way to open that door and keep it open, or a more effective way? How to not allow white folks to slam that door shut.

Although white people want to believe things have “changed”, the only thing that has changed is the method of systemic racism. Today we discuss the continuation of “segregated by design”: fewer Black people own homes today than in 1960 when discrimination in housing was legal; Black farmers and the intentional stealing of their land over the past decades – how 1 million Black famers have been reduced to 50,000 only.

Two acts presently in Congress we need to support: The Breathe Act and The Justice For Black Farmers Act.

ThanksTaking and/or Day of Mourning: identifying the myths and lies of this “celebration”, spreading the truth about what white people really did to the Indigenous population upon arriving here and continuing to colonize the entire land. Being conscious and aware of the things we are “thankful” for that come from white privilege beginning with the mere framing of “thanksgiving” day.

Discussion of using “people of color” and/or Black people when talking about racism. Racism effects and impacts ALL Black and brown people, although in varying ways and degrees. There can be more “comfort” for white people to embrace “people of color” as opposed to Black people. Also more specific is “anti-Black” racism but not “inclusive”. “People of color” is an umbrella maybe diluting anti-Black racism, maybe recognizing racism impacting all people of color. Extrapolating from Black people to all people of color.

Class and racism on the screen again: recognition there are Black people with wealth and white poor people. Percentage of population though, larger percent of Black and brown people poorer than whites, and larger percentage of white people wealthier than Black and brown people. Race and class inseparably linked like salt in tears. Haves and have nots: bottom line, white people always have whiteness; Black and brown people always have Black and brownness. White people may be poor but not poor because they’re white; Black people may be rich but wealth is not seen nor guaranteed protection when confronted by personal and/or systemic racism.

Impact of discrimination on “newly arrived” white skinned immigrants not yet assimilated into white amerikkkan culture: for example Irish immigrants facing discrimination in the north and having to compete with free Black people for jobs, etc., therefore choosing to “settle” in south because of “step-up” from enslaved people and treated better by white southerners.

Readings/resources:

Bend The Arc https://www.bendthearc.us/

How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X Kendi

This Land Was Our Land

https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2019/08/atlantics-september-issue-mass-dispossession/595891/

Justice For Black Farmers Act

 https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/-booker-warren-gillibrand-announce-comprehensive-bill-to-address-the-history-of-discrimination-in-federal-agricultural-policy

The Breathe Act – Movement For Black Lives M4BL

https://breatheact.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/The-BREATHE-Act-PDF_FINAL3-1.pdf