Programs

Overview

This course is geared to white women and white-presenting women and open to all who are committed to undoing internalized racism within themselves and to taking impactful actions in their circles of influence to advance human rights, justice and equity. 

In this course, we will:

• Gain understanding of the patriarchal and white dominant cultural systems we’re socialized in, and ways we unconsciously support these systems so we can disrupt it
• Learn how our gendered and racial identities intersect and show up, and identify the six stages of development of white women working to be antiracist
• Use mindfulness, compassionate inquiry, and somatic (body) practices to grow our self-awareness and stamina
• Build courage to intervene and develop skills to talk about racism and racial equity
• Take practical antiracist actions in our lives and hold ourselves accountable.

We’ll learn through readings, video, reflective writing, guided exercises, presentation and small group conversations. There is no blaming or shaming – we facilitate a compassionate and non-judgmental space as we do this work together.  

The experiences of Black, brown, Indigenous and other racialized groups are centered in readings and videos. Faculty colleagues with equity expertise as well as lived experience expertise as members of racialized groups act as partner consultants and presenters with me, a white woman. I recognize that it would be incomplete and potentially harmful to do this work in a silo. And, every time I do paid justice work, I commit to collaborate with, share/pay justly, and amplify the work of racialized colleagues (historically disenfranchised from, underpaid or not paid for this work).

What is white supremacy culture?

White supremacy culture is the visible and invisible cultural norms that support an unethical system of valuing, prioritizing, elevating, including and supporting white-presenting bodies over Black, brown and racialized bodies. The foundation of the U.S., it operates in personal, institutional, and structural ways. Elements of white supremacy culture include gaslighting, power hoarding, control through violence/policing/policies, perfectionism, urgency, quantity over quality, defensiveness and denial. While anyone can collude with this culture, it is often middle and upper class white people who have the most societal privilege and power to address and dismantle it.

Why have a group geared to white women/unpacking the racial & gender identity of white women?

White women have been conditioned to be complicit with, and uphold, patriarchal white supremacist cultural norms in specific, gendered ways. Women of color have shared how white women often act as a “wedge” that blocks their progress. White women’s history of white supremacy in enabling white male patriarchy, centering our comfort, maintaining innocence, foregoing our agency, and prioritizing white feminism are aspects of that wedge. We can take responsibility for our position – and act as a bridge instead of a wedge.*

Disclaimer: while this course is geared to white women, we welcome others who may want to join. We believe white women have our own work to do, and don’t expect others to do our work. We acknowledge that white woman processing their identity experiences and attempting to disrupt internalized patterns of dominance may be activating to others. We appreciate that others still may want to join. Doing our personal work as white woman can be very helpful in showing up in mixed groups in more accountable and less harmful ways. 

Read here and here to understand more about the importance of accountability groups.

Critical personal qualities required for this work include, but are not limited to the following:

• Courage
• Self-reflective awareness
• Humility
• Sincerity
• Openness and a growth mindset
• Ability to self-regulate 
• Capacity to change harmful habits when notice them
• Care deeply about justice, equity and humanity
• Loving-kindness and compassion to self and others
• Willingness to take anti-racist actions

If you are interested in starting with yourself to make a meaningful difference, please join us and other committed individuals. We look forward to meeting and working with you!

Course details: 8 weekly 2-hour virtual Zoom sessions with up to 15 participants. A sliding scale is offered below, to ensure equitable & accessible pricing.