Brief Report Back Saturday 1/30 zoom gathering “What Will White Womyn Do To End Racism?”

After checking in and sharing our most recent challenges and successes addressing racism and honing anti-racism skills, we mostly discussed reparations and redressing white privilege through anti-racist filters. The anti-racist ethics of making money off teaching whites through books, seminars, events, etc. about racism and anti-racism, as in DiAngelo and “White Fragility”. 

Acknowledging and honoring the huge impact on white awareness or at least forcing white people to engage in the discussion of racism as an important vital work; and yet a work that ‘exploits’ the painful knowledge and knowing passed on to whites by Black and brown wombn. 

After expenses or not, whites could/should turn over profits to Black and/or brown wombn/organizations as well as directing white participants to contribute without strings attached to Black and brown wombn. 

We talked about “No White Saviors”, the 'traditional liberal white stance' in the 'helping' role, how that impacts our 'savior complex. And embracing the different role of the recognition that a redistribution of all our wealth that has been obtained through white privilege is primary. 

Whites have to be conscious of how we are contributing to that redistribution, not just through sharing resources but also in being 100% aware of every penny we spend, whose pockets we are filling daily by where we spend our money, ending blind practices of convenience and cheap. 

How effective it is to call white people racist. Do we need alternatives to calling white people racists, pointing out systemic racism that not only favors whites while targeting Black and brown people, but operates regularly with or without white awareness. 

Sharing our own personal stories, benefits and costs of putting on anti-racist glasses or keeping the same old white views. 

Again what are the ‘best’ ways of reaching white people – the ‘all white people are racists’ or removing it from the personal into the systemic. The maybe last choice of calling someone a fuckin racist. But which approach we take depends on the person we’re trying to influence and what our goals are: do we want them to shut up, to have an ‘ah ha’ moment, to change their behavior, their feelings, how they spend their money? 

All contribute to our approach. 

Is avoiding pointing out to a white person that they indeed are racist part of white fragility: we can’t STAND to be called a racist, yet we continue to participate in and benefit from the very thing we can’t stand? 

Yet white people only have two choices: either we are racist or we are anti-racist (and then we’re still racist but working against racism and toward justice) 

We talked again about biological relatives or close (or not so close) white friends that are overt racists, tRumpers, blatant ignorant unconscious (maybe) hatred that spews forth and how to have the conversations – without killing them… especially when those relatives and friends could easily participate in the redistribution of wealth. 

Making it personal, sharing common teachings as children, how to examine and grow past those teachings. Giving up on some, knowing that is also part of white privilege for that white person will most likely go out in the world and commit violence against someone if we don’t stand strong to stop them. 

The role of science as a model for addressing problems without the incorporation off racism – looking clearly at whether or not science has accomplished this. Some feel science should be free of racism and sexism and all the isms – more on this next week. 

On an institutional/systemic level, finding and supporting Black organizations/community groups that are working on reparations; and bills in Congress as the Black Farmers Restitution act, the Breathe Act.

And on a personal level sharing resources with individual Black and brown wombn and families – even anonymously wherever possible, without strings attached or coming from the white savior model. 

 Many resources recommended: 

"Cosecha Triste - Harvest of Loneliness" https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1658805/

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

"No White Saviors" www.nowhitesaviors.org 

“My Grandmother’s Hands” by Resmaa Menakem 

"The Breathe Act" https://breatheact.org/

“I’m not a racist… you are” webinar 

Justice for Black Farmers Act 2020 https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/4929 

"13th" documentary Ava DuVernay

"Contagion" movie