A New Awakening: A Journey to Change

This week, we surpass 120 days since quarantine and social distancing guidelines were put in place in the United States. A lot has happened in the past 120 days so, let’s do a quick well-being check-in:

1. Where are you at?

2. What do you need right now?

3. What needs to be released?

4. What can you let in?

5. What is bringing you joy?

6. What do you want to celebrate?

7. On scale of 1-5 (5=amazing), how would you rate each element of your well-being? (Purpose, financial, physical, community, and social).

8. Which element do you want to put a bit more focus and energy into?

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Privilege

I first learned about the many layers of privilege in graduate school. To better understand the associated power that comes with unearned privilege, we participated in the Privilege Walk Exercise as a cohort:

• All participants line up in a horizontal line. The facilitator reads out statements and people move according to whether the statement is true for them or not.

• The statements may be something like: “if either of your parents graduated from college, take one step forward; if you studied the history of your ancestors in school, take one step forward; if you were raised by two parents, take one step forward; if you’ve wondered where your next meal was coming from, take one step back; if you’re comfortable holding your partners hand in public, take one step forward; if people accuse you of using the wrong bathroom, take one step back; if you came from a supportive family environment, take one step forward; if you ever felt unsafe walking home at night, take one step back” Etc.

• At the end of the activity, the facilitator will debrief the activity asking how people felt, what the activity was like, and what it’s meant to represent.

At the end of the activity, I realized I was one of the individuals who took more (a majority) steps forward than backwards. At this point in my journey, I recognized privilege as a concept, but I did not fully understand it's power and impact on humanity (specifically, white privilege) until May 25, when George Floyd was killed.

After the murder of George Floyd, I felt heavy with emotion: sadness, anxiety, guilt, and shame. Sadness for George, his family, the Black community, and for all humanity. Anxiety: What do people think about me? Am I a racist? Guilt: I made a mistake, I have not been doing enough, I should be doing more to help. I grew up in an urban area, however, I didn't truly see color. I thought being kind and nice to people was enough, but it's not. Shame: I am a bad person, I am apart of the problem...Have I been relying on my white privilege to not step into the tough, necessary conversations and ignoring what I see happening around me? However, during this process, I realized my mistake. Yet again, I let my privilege blind me from the REAL issue: I was focused on ME and how I felt, rather than recognizing the deeper issue of racial inequity in our world. My emotions than shifted from sadness, anxiety, guilt, and shame to hope, which has charged my internal motivation for action and change.

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White Privilege

Peggy McInstosh first coined white privilege in 1988:

I have come to see white privilege as an invisible package of unearned assets that I can count on cashing in each day, but about which I was meant to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible, weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, emergency gear, and blank checks.

White privilege describes the unearned advantages that are granted because of one's whiteness or ability to "pass" as white. It is very important to note that white privilege is not a concept that is part of the natural order of life; white privilege has gained it's power from systems and policies created 100s of years ago on the basis that the white identity is the dominate identity. For sustainable change, these systems and policies need to be reviewed, dismantled, and created anew to benefit all humans.

Examples of White Privilege by Peggy McInstosh:

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.

3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

7. When I am told about our national heritage or about “civilization,” I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

8. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

9. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.

10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.

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Learning and Growing

To transition my thought/emotional processing from "I am not doing enough; I am the problem" to "how can I change my thoughts and behaviors and be apart of the solution?" I turned my attention to what is in my control and focused my energy on listening, learning, and reflecting. I realized I needed to shift my perspective and first, look inward, to be vulnerable and step into the discomfort to grow with and through these emotions in order to be an effective advocate. This is not a moment, it is a movement; it is a journey. It is about everyday moments and experiences that accumulate overtime that shape our perceptions and beliefs. This journey starts with each of us, as individuals, reflecting on past experiences, beliefs, and behaviors and making a conscious choice to grow and be apart of the change moving forward. In this learning and growing process, we will make mistakes, it will be hard, and it will take an immense amount of courage, strength, and resiliency. We, as humans, are imperfect, we are beautiful, and we have the opportunity, right now, to grow and evolve, it is NEVER too late.

Reflection prompts: (NOTE: Me and White Supremacy is a great book to start with that includes journaling and reflection prompts, such as the ones below, within each chapter):

1. What are my unconscious biases around race, around identifies similar and different from my own?

2. In what ways do I hold white privilege? What experiences has my white privilege granted me throughout my life? What have I learned about my white privilege that makes me uncomfortable?

3. Where did these beliefs come from?

4. What can I do to be apart of the solution, the change moving forward?

5. What is my role at work, with family and friends, and in my community?

6. What influence and positive impact could I have within my community/network of people to create sustainable change?

7. How can I use my privilege to be an advocate, to raise the voices of those who are marginalized?

When engaging in this movement, how can we see it as an opportunity to

embrace curiosity, growth, and transformation to rewrite the narrative to help us write the next chapter?

Let's begin the journey together.

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Resources (these are resources I have collected, please share more in the comments below)

The Black Lives Matter Movement

• #BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.

• "Black Lives Matter does not mean that other lives do not matter, it signifies the basic human right for Black people to not be an afterthought, especially when they are dying, assaulted or prosecuted at an alarming rate due to the color of their skin. The statement is not political or controversial. It’s an expression that calls out for justice, respect and empathy for every life that has been affected by discrimination, prejudice and misrepresentation for centuries. All lives should matter. But when we say ‘Black Lives Matter’, we are stating that their lives need to matter just as much as yours. As much as we wished the American Dream to be true, not everyone gets the same opportunities, resources, respect and overall privilege, especially when it comes to color of their skin."- Chelsea Candelario

Blog Posts

• How to Respond When Someone Says All Lives Matter

Books:

• 20 Best Books About Anti-Racism to Education Yourself

• I am currently reading: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi (Dr. Kendi provides specific definitions, a historical background around racial inequity, as well as his own journey towards becoming an antiracist) and Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad (each chapter ends with journal prompts and provides guidelines and discussion points for a group conversation).

Donating

• Where to Donate in Support of Black Lives and Communities of Color

Google Doc

• Justice in June Google Doc created by best friends Autumn Gupta and Bryanna Wallace.

Podcasts-Black Lives Matter Category now available on the podcast app

• 1619 podcast: The history and impact of slavery within the U.S.

• Brené Brown Podcast with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

• Brené Brown's podcast episode on Shame and Accountability

• Dax Sheppard's Armchair Podcast with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

• NPR: Code Switch

Netflix- Black Lives Matter Category now available

• Mercy (Movie)

• 13th (documentary) 

• American Son

PDF Articles

• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsackby Peggy McInstoch

Promoting productive conversations

1. First, take a deep breath.

2. Lead with empathy and curiosity.

3. Focus on active listening.

4. Be patient- with yourself and others.

5. Be present- mentally, emotionally, and physically.

6. Ask yourself: What is the purpose of this conversation? What do I hope we gain from this conversation? (knowledge, empathy, listening, persuasion).

7. Questions to promote discovery, empathy, and understanding:

• Tell me more.

• Where does that belief come from for you?

• What are you curious about?

• How can I support you?

Responses for growing (Attn: White People on Instagram)

• Thank you for correcting me, I didn't realize that.

• I hadn't thought of it like that. I understand now.

• I was wrong about that, and I have changed my mind.

• I need to do some more research before I can productively respond to this point

YouTube

• Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man

• Lets Get to the Root of Racial Injustice

Vocabulary

• Words to remove from your vocabulary to be a better ally

If you are on Instagram, there are amazing activists to follow to stay informed on recent events- happy to share more!

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Activism

So, what's next? Where do we go from here? What do we do?

Some of us might feel anxiety or frozen by fear in this stage of the process. Afraid of saying or doing the "wrong" thing because we (privileged identifies) do not know enough, we have not experienced racial injustice to be able play an active role or perhaps we are thinking we can't make a difference; believing that this is so much bigger than us, as individuals. But it's not. This is a human movement and it involves all of us. This movement for equity is like a ripple effect: when we share and engage in conversations with those in our community/ internal network, we are encouraging them to listen, learn, reflect and grow alongside us.

This is not a moment, it is a movement; it is a journey and you get to decide the role you play that is authentic and aligns with who YOU are. First ask yourself, What I am passionate about? Where do I want to invest my energy? Where do I want to make a difference? This could be with your inner circle, your community, at work, with your children, with your family, in politics, financially supporting Black owned businesses and organizations, sharing resources, etc. There are so many ways you can you be involved that is authentic to you. Personally, I love learning and sharing what I learn with others so here are some ways that have felt authentic to me and my role in the movement (NOTE: I continue to remind myself that it is a privilege to be able to learn about racism, rather than living and experiencing it my whole life. I share this list as a way to provide encouragement, support, and some ideas that may help you along your journey):

1. Reflecting on my initial thoughts and reactions in various situations: How did my unconscious biases play a role in that interaction? What can I do differently next time?

2. Continuing to educate myself by listening to and sharing Black voices through social media and incorporating learning into my daily routine.

3. Reading Me and White Supremacy with friends to reflect on beliefs and behaviors related to race and privilege to help shape future interactions.

4. Participating in a How to Be An Antiracist reading group with faculty and staff.

5. Having conversations with family and friends where we can learn from one another and identifying racist ideas and beliefs.

6. Connecting with campus and educational leaders to earn how best to incorporate anti-racist and racial equity conversations with faculty, staff, and students into our curriculum and trainings.

7. Signing petitions to advocate for those who had their voices taken from them.

8. Donating to organizations that support equity and anti-racist efforts.

9. Sharing resources to help others along the journey.

10. Continuing my daily well-being practices of yoga, journaling, walking, sleeping, reading, etc. to take care of my emotional and mental well-being.

Wherever you are on this journey is exactly where you need to be. Be patient and kind to yourself throughout the process and remember to take care of you. Thank you for doing the work, we need you and we are with you.

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"Showing up imperfectly is better than not showing up at all."- Attn: White People

1. What emotions are coming up for you lately?

2. What do you want your role to look like in this movement? What is authentic to you?

3. What other resources would you recommend to support Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)?

4. What are you still curious about?