SACRED ACTIVISM {embracing radical hope}

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This is Part Four of a Series on Sacred Activism.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three

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Vocabulary

BIPOC

Black Indigenous People Of Colour

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WHITE PRIVILIGE | WHITE SUPREMACY

These are my own definitions and subject to change as I learn.

white privilige is something white-skinned people inherently have in a culture and society that is built in ways that favour white voices, and actively promotes, sustains and trusts them over others. It includes things such as not being rejected from housing based on your skin colour.

white supremacy is when people (and dominant groups of people within organizations/systems) make the conscious choice / decision that because they are white-skinned, they are inherently better than BIPOC AND/OR they like the way this inherited privilige benefits them and they will do anything within their power to actively enforce and maintain their privilige.

As black educators point out (like janayathefuture here), privilige may trigger an immediate defensive response within you, as you may not at all think of your own life experiences and circumstances as priviliged. I find it helpful to say “finances, housing, education, employment, medical care, justice – white privilige means I will never be disadvantaged EXCLUSIVELY because of my skin colour”. I may still not get the job, but it will be for other reasons.

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ALLY / ACCOMPLICE / CO-CONSPIRATOR

source: brittany packnett cunningham | this post.

ALLIES care but act when convenient. Allies take little risk to their comfort & seek personal recognition for momentary action.
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ACCOMPLICES take on more risks & more often get in the way of oppression. They disrupt, but engagement may vary with privilege.
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CO-CONSPIRATORS know they are not free until everyone is free & act like it. They don’t just disrupt, they build. Not episodic actions, but ever-evolving mindsets and lifestyles. They seek permission from the most oppressed & listen more than they speak. Risk is how they spend their privilege best. They don’t set the agenda, they follow the marginalized. They don’t want cookies-they want justice.

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COOKIES

When you’re showing up as a white ally and want to be recognized for your efforts by the Black people and people of colour in your community.

Resources – Systemic Racism & White Privilege

An invitation to remain grounded within your own experience, even whilst reading/listening to the stories and analysis of BIPOC and those of white people. None of this work is perfect. For most of the books listed here, there will be counterarguments and articles describing where the work is lacking or even harmful (some of the work addressing race may still be harmful and non-inclusive towards trans-people).

Be curious, engage with the materials you feel drawn to, and stay centered in the awareness that this is an ongoing conversation that will continue to grow in inclusivity.

Bigger Resource Lists – Start Here & Bookmark These

resources on who to support, parent resources, more literature, podcasts, books, TV/media, organizations to follow & support

Anti-Racism Resources | by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein

“This document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work. If you haven’t engaged in anti-racism work in the past, start now. Feel free to circulate this document on social media and with your friends, family, and colleagues”. Includes a section on resources for white parents to raise anti-racist children.

Anti-Racism Resources for White People: “Conscious/Spiritual/Leader” Edition | by Melanie Rose Prince

Inspired by the comprehensive list above. “This document is intended to serve as an introductory self-educational resource to white people to deepen our anti-racism work while adding nuance and humility to concepts largely held in personal development, conscious, spiritual, coaching and thought leader type communities”.

Scaffolded Anti-Racism Resources | by Anna Stamborski, M. Div Candidate (2022) Nikki Zimmermann, M. Div candidate (2021) Bailie Gregory, M. Div, M.S. Ed.

I love this resource because it accompanies the process from ‘new and uncomfortable and willing’ to knowledgeable and uncomfortable and fully empowered in the doing’

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Black People & People Of Colour Offering Education

Kristle Cobran | Free audio training – How to create authentic connection (even if you’re afraid) – and learn three (3) stress-relieving tips to help you create real connection in conversations about race

Rachel Elizabeth Cargle | on IG | The Great Unlearn Community (Patreon) | Free 30 Day course Do The Work | Unpacking White Feminism

Desiree Lynn Adaway | If you want to bring this conversation into your Company, Organization or Team: Whiteness At Work – Inequity Amplified | on IG

Andréa Ranae Johnson | on IG | Coaching As Activism

Thérèse Cator | on IG | Becoming Human (on IG “throughout the month of June, I’ll be offering reflections on becoming human for white people and white-passing people who want to commit to devotional, radical and true allyship”)

Haile Thomas | on IG | What To Say When You Don’t Know What To Say

Resmaa Menakem | free 5-Day Racialized Trauma Home Study Course | I’ve been learning and reading about somatics and in-bodied trauma and love this opportunity to extend this work into race-informed territory. “Learn the basics of Racialized Trauma, what you can do about it for yourself and your communities”. I believe this will be a huge part of our collective human work going forward (alongside actual on-the-ground practical changes + powerful and enpowered envisioning work): to acknowledge and become more informed about all the ways our bodies carry trauma (in this podcast episode Resmaa talks about the imprint of the middle ages and societal structures on the white bodies that crossed into the Americas + the compounded trauma for black bodies of enforced slavery and the pervasive ‘less than’ messaging).

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To Read – Books

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower | by Dr. Brittney Cooper

How To Be An Antiracist | by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

So You Want to Talk About Race | by Ijeoma Oluo

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism | by Robin DiAngelo, PhD

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies | Resmaa

An Essential Reading Guide For Fighting Racism | by Arianna Rebolini

31 Children’s books to support conversations on race, racism and resistance | by EmbraceRace

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To Read – Online Articles & Guides

75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice | by Corinne Shutack | this list is truly such a gift. US-based AND worth browsing to spark ideas for otehr continents too.

4 Ways White People Can Process Their Emotions Without Hijacking the Conversation on Racial Justice | by Jennifer Loubriel

5 Racist Anti-Racism Responses “Good” White Women Give to Viral Posts & The Only Kind of Response That’s Acceptable | by Katie Anthony

HOW TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CHANGE: Save the Tears: White Woman’s Guide | by Tatiana Mac

HOW TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CHANGE: White Guyde To The Galaxy
If you are a white guy and you don’t know what to do beyond donate and being quiet, I made you a list | by Tatiana Mac

My White Friend Asked Me on Facebook to Explain White Privilege. I Decided to Be Honest | by Lori Lakin Hutcherson

Hey, White People! If You Really Want to Help End Racism, You Need to Invest in Other White People (Yeah, We Know It Sounds Counterintuitive) | by Jamie Utt

“When a Black person says to a White person who demands to be educated about race and racism that “Google is your friend – I am not your teacher,” it’s a radical act of self preservation in a society where White folks constantly demand emotional labor from people of Color. When White folks do that, we’re dismissing our role as those who must take up that emotional labor. We must recognize that when we choose to ignore racism or write off well meaning (if ignorant) White people, it’s not the same act of self preservation that people of Color choose; to walk away as White folks is an act of privilege”.

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To Listen & Watch

FB Live – Why Your Thoughts Are Biased To Be Racist | by Kara Loewentheil

UFYB 102: Internal Bias & Being A Better Ally | Podcast | by Kara Loewentheil

That’s Not How That Works |Podcast | by Trudi Lebron & Louisa Doran

IG Live – To My White Friends: Guilt, Shame, Embarrassment | by Brandon Kyle Goodman

Resmaa Menakem “Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence” on the On Being Podcast | Krista Tippett in conversation with Resmaa Menakem – this podcast episode is just so rich in contextualizing trauma within bodies of culture and white bodies.

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