White Supremacist/Dominant Culture (Part 1): How does this show up, prevail upon and impact our work and our lives??
Work for racial justice in our food and other systems must include naming and de-centering whiteness, white privilege, and white superiority/supremacy. As various historians have pointed out, the invention of the concept of whiteness in our country has been used to divide groups (including poor white working class people and people of color) and to justify inhumane acts, unearned privilege, and oppressive power structures. Ultimately this dehumanizes everyone (including white people) and erodes our social fabric.
It is important not just to name white privilege, but also the power that is used to preserve white privilege – white superiority/supremacy. One way to do this is to understand that there is a continuum of white superiority that is not simply about what may come to our minds as the most extreme forms. We suggest looking at this framework to get a better idea of the continuum.
What comes up for you as you review this framework – thoughts, feelings, ideas, images?
For more about whiteness, see these additional resources:
SHORT ARTICLE: Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person
SHORT VIDEO: Making Whiteness Visible
VIDEO: Birth of a White Nation
PODCAST: “Seeing White” Series on Scene On Radio (episodes 31-45)
BRIEF ARTICLE: About Whiteness
Can you point me to some resources to learn more about “Power Two” and “Power Three” analyses as referenced in the continuum in today’s exercise?
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Chris, check out these resources on power analysis through Race Equity Tools – https://www.racialequitytools.org/module/power-analysis. And thanks for both your participation and your request!
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Today’s lesson is packed full and hits home to me, as it is where I am in my journey. As cisgender white, I have been educating myself on white privilege, white fragility, systemic racism, institutional racism–finding who I am in it, and what I can do to change the status quo. What I keep coming back to and what is stressed in today’s lesson is that white privilege is generally unrecognized by white people, but clearly seen by people of color. And since white dominance is what has determined the structure of the systems in which we operate, I think it is not possible to change anything until white people are willing to do the work on themselves and stop running away in fear. I think it is fear–fear of the unknown, fear of losing one’s identity, fear of losing one’s status–all of these fears conveniently prevent us from doing the hard work of stripping away the blinders and seeing the reality that so many people of color face day in and day out. And yet, this essential work is the LEAST talked about, and the least pursued. When I have brought up white privilege in meetings with colleagues, the room (mixed races) will suddenly go silent, as if all the air has been sucked out. And no one wants to talk about it. This is why this equity challenge is important, because at least it is a structured way for me to educate myself and continue my journey, whether or not my colleagues want to participate. I work in an institution where many reports and statements have been made by colleagues but that’s where it seems to end–reports and statements. I keep asking myself why is this true? And I believe it is because we white people refuse to do the hard work of recognizing the built-in structures that benefit us and the implicit bias that we learned from the time we were born. How do we create a community effort, in which everyone is involved, which will address this? We will only make change when we all agree to do the work involved. When I look at the categories that we have been presented with over the past 11 days, what I see in myself is how I am on a journey–how I have pieces of one category that I am working on, but have progressed in others. I am encouraged by that, and I celebrate it. But confronting racism is a lifetime of work, and I don’t see the majority of white people understanding that.
If you have read this far, thank you.
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Deborah,
I have read thus far and very much appreciate your thoughts, and indeed as a white woman as well, I have grown increasingly aware that racism is our collective problem, Given the power dynamics across racial divides, those who have been born white truly need to embrace how we can be actively dismantling the long entrenched divides in power, policy and practice that continue to diminish our collective welfare.
Not sure if the word “privilege” conjurs up he one % of high income earners. Many of my white friends will acknowledge there are some “advantages” to being white–, and then, when that mind-set door opens, they seem more open to move along into considering the privileges afforded to us who happen to be born white. This is not moving away from the reality of white privilege, or minimizing it, but sometimes I find the “advantage” word seems a way to open the door to the fuller concept.
Thanks for sharing and as you say we need to confront and commitment to creating a more just country, and that starts with us and changing the structures that allow racism to persist.
Continue to celebrate this journey-and thanks for calling us all to continued action. Onward together.
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So far, I have found a lot to work within this initiative but today I am very disappointed. I find this continuum to be shockingly myopic and glib.
The views among the base of the white supremacist movement are prime examples of ‘white fragility’ (DiAngelo, White Fragility, International Journal of Critical Pedagogy. 2011). They cannot be characterized as ‘Happy’ in any real context. Regardless of how destructive their point of view is and how we feel about it, it doesn’t serve any purpose to make fun of them. Cynicism only saps our strength. It does not serve any purpose or prove any points.
I didn’t expect to have to respond to this here but I guess I have to say it again. Ageism and its cohort ableism are just as vile as racism. Those born between 1980 and 2002 do not have a rarified superior vision over others. These are the generations that brought us Dylan Roof and James Alex Fields, Jr. The assignment of generational enlightenment on this grid insults the remaining 100 million or so people in the country who are not all ignorant of our racist legacy.
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Barbara, thank you for your response. I appreciate you sharing your reactions to the continuum. We are certainly not in favor of mockery. Perhaps in the place of “happy” it should say “staunch” or “isolated” or something like that. Let’s make it better. And I see your point about the generational suggestion and what that might provoke. That is not meant to apply to ALL people in any generation, and I think it is fair to say that overall there is much more consciousness among up and coming generations than there has been in the past. Not to make this a “one generation is better than the next” kind of thing. We stand on the shoulders and shoulder-to-shoulder with those who have been at this much longer. And I am curious to know what if anything you find useful about the continuum beyond and incorporating your critiques.
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Here are some of my thoughts from the last twenty-four hours. More questions than answers.
How do we know that those who embrace white supremacy are happy? Have we asked them? Empirically speaking, do people who march and threaten with violent motivation, who beat and kill those that are different from them, who conceal their identities with hoods – do they seem like happy people? “Shameless ignorance” seems an oxymoron to me. Not-knowing isn’t a crime. Not-knowing puts one at a disadvantage when everyone around you seems to understand better than you do and that’s where the shame comes in. Shame followed by anger. Will name-calling people help this?
But, I think I get some of it. Perhaps ‘Happy’ wasn’t exactly what was meant in this context in which case I have refer back to cynicism. If we want to talk about those who live isolated from those different from themselves and who seem to live in a passive contentment with the state of the world, how can we refer to them? I guess we would have to ask them to know.
Does my pride in my children or my estimation of the attitudes of my parents and grandparents count as data points? Does my subjective experience of our young people qualify me to generalize? Just like whiteness, youth is not an accomplishment. If today’s young people seem more tolerant, it is because of their mothers and grandmothers who quietly and not-so-quietly provided them with models for tolerance in their personal lives. Civil rights activism did not begin with Martin Luther King, Jr.
In answer to your question about whether I can find anything in the grid that I like, I find I cannot because of the premise. It seems to me that the continuum attempts a linear evaluation of human value which is a way of thinking that exactly corresponds to the basis of racism.
Human beings are not built that way. This language in this grid and in other places objectifies human beings that don’t agree with us. This can only fail the way generalizations often do. Stick to data.
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Barbara, I appreciate what I am reading as your point about the need to approach people to understand where they are coming from, as opposed to the objectifying them. Who does the approaching is another question – the point being made in this Challenge is that more white people need to approach other white people around their ignorance as opposed to waiting for or expecting people of color to do so. I also appreciate your comment about “not knowing’ not being a crime. And it would seem that there are those who take advantage of that not-knowing or who fein not-knowing – big oil companies, sub-prime mortgage lenders – for political and financial gain. Calling that “fragility” to me dangerously reframes the overt use of power (see the book White Rage) to cause harm to others. And yes, I would agree that generalization can be dangerous. I guess what I’m left with is a few questions: Do you find legitimacy in naming “whiteness” and its associated privileges and ideology? Do you find any of the other resources on whiteness useful and if so, how? And what “data” are you are referencing in your last line? Thank you for your continued engagement.
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Barbara I hear you yet I’m not so sure Happy Racists is meant mockingly.The way I see it they ARE happy to be racist.Feeling sadness for their shameless ignorance is in my view a waste of time.Since we sare talking about Racism I just wanted to point out that you can be non able bodied and older and still be a virulent racist.Not trying to diminish Ableism or Ageism but my daughters who are millenials have a much better grasp of race and its many tentacles than I do or my parents who were MLK and Malcolm X loving liberal White folks.I love Dr. Di angelo and her fire.
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Thanks, Gaelen. Hearing your anger about the “shameless ignorance” of those in that category (noting that no one necessarily falls squarely in a column or category), I wanted to raise comment on something you wrote about people at that end of the spectrum being “a waste of time” for one’s (your) sadness. Speaking personally, I am trying to cultivate greater understanding of where people are, including any fear, trauma or ignorance (unknowing) that may explain that stance. At the Othering and Belonging conference happening in Oakland right now, they are preaching “bridging not breaking” as a key to moving forward. See john a. powell on this – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGcbFj4J_gc&feature=youtu.be. Of course we all need to be where we are in our readiness to reach out, and I’m challenging myself to reach out across greater perceived boundaries and breaches, without the illusion that this will necessarily change things, but to at least challenge my own assumptions. Who knows what might happen. For what it’s worth.
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Thanks Barbara and Gaelan- Again- thanks to you both for sharing your thoughts and perspectives regarding the readings and framings. Indeed words matter and how we interpret them differs, Having a chance to voice those interpretations and reactions provides a time and place to explore racism in a space that acknowledges that language has limits-Indeed a framework that has lines suggests minimizes the the reality that the world is far more fluid, weblike and dynamic, defying edges as boxes and lines and categories may suggest. Onward
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I’m late in responding to this, took a day or two off (from paid work). Glad to see the article about unpacking the back pack was picked up elsewhere, shared and read (hopefully) by the group.
How does “it” show up in work or life… since time and space are limited, this is my “brief” response.
Dominating culture shows up in the form of (from the article):
“Class: Being born into a financially stable family can help guarantee your health, happiness, safety, education, intelligence, and future opportunities. ”
As we know and has been documented (and yet knowing and documentation means very little in the USA if you’re a person of Color- ask any relative of the many Blacks murdered while running away, standing still, sitting in a car- all without weapons or those who were murdered while walking down the street in their neighborhood because they didn’t “look like they belonged there” or those going into or sitting in their own apartment who are fatally shot by plain clothed police officers making senseless demands…but then, I digress…). Many Women of Color die everyday in hospitals from child birth. Many of us ( Women of Color), no matter our economic backgrounds, are poorly treated in the healthcare industry- because hospital staff see our skin before they see what type of insurance we have, or hear our accent….bias is everywhere, and it’s especially harmful, when it comes from those who profess to have no bias at all.
We see it in the “#metoo movement”, a movement started over ten years ago by a Black woman who wanted to give voice to the many Black women who were raped and silenced every day.
How her hashtag and its meaning was “noticed” by a white actress (much like Columbus “Discovering” a populated country); and then co-opted to address white women of privilege who have experienced injustices (no changes for us, but you’re welcome for the platform).
I saw the topic and wanted to stay away, but then…..
For the person who said when they bring up the conversation about racism in a mixed room that it’s like all of the air gets sucked out of the room…let me try to help- it does get sucked out. The People of Color in that room most likely ‘know the time’, and are well aware of the consequence of calling out what’s happening or likely to happen, once the conversation gets started. They’ll be honest, and for the most part whites will want to be liked and ‘not offend’, or could be honest in their feelings and that’s another type of outcome…and in the end, when it’s all said and done, the whites in the room will as has historically happened, be forgiven any comment or action, where the Blacks in particular, will be held accountable for responses/actions as a group, regardless that one person did or said or didn’t do or didn’t say, something. Let’s further play this out- when the person of color speaks, are you hearing “that individuals” response to your question, or are you listening and or expecting that they are speaking for and on behalf of the ENTIRE ETHNIC body of Black people? Be honest. We don’t all look alike, we don’t all know one another, and we don’t all think the same- fact: we’re more likely to ALL be MISTREATED though- because people see my skin before you hear me ( IF they hear me).
In response to the statement that civil rights didn’t begin with MLK Jr.; ( that sounded kinda angry…) the writer is correct, civil rights began LONG before MLK Jr. was invited to be the voice that called out injustices…. it was happening from Frederick Douglass, Nat Turner, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B DuBois, Madam C.J Walker, Ida B. Wells and Fannie Lou Hammer just to name a few of the voices who gave name to injustice and who spoke, acted and created the change they wanted to see.
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