6.21.2020

finished reading

An important and difficult read.  I know I have LOTS of work to do and it isn't easy to admit that I live a very privileged life.  Some of it is unavoidable--living in the whitest state in the union and the oldest per capita population in the union.  But some of it is avoidable and I'm going to challenge myself to change my thoughts, beliefs, and actions.

From the publisher:
Me and White Supremacy teaches readers how to dismantle the privilege within themselves so that they can stop (often unconsciously) inflicting damage on people of colour, and in turn, help other white people do better, too.
When Layla Saad began an Instagram challenge called #MeAndWhiteSupremacy, she never predicted it would spread as widely as it did. She encouraged people to own up and share their racist behaviors, big and small. She was looking for truth, and she got it. Thousands of people participated in the challenge, and over 90,000 people downloaded the Me and White Supremacy Workbook.
The updated and expanded Me and White Supremacy takes the work deeper by adding more historical and cultural contexts, sharing moving stories and anecdotes, and including expanded definitions, examples, and further resources.
Awareness leads to action, and action leads to change. The numbers show that readers are ready to do this work - let's give it to them.

1 comment:

The Gal Herself said...

I started to comment on this Tuesday when the phone rang ... This past month has been such an intense and important time, hasn't it? I've long been cognizant of my white privilege in my personal life, but it's only recently that I've become aware of how easily and heedlessly I've wielded it in my professional life.

EXAMPLE: I help choose photos for the marketing pieces I work. My work, while not remotely high art, is seen by millions of people and reflects/contributes to/cements the way we view our society. Advertising does that. Anyway, last Friday we had a guest lecturer address the impact of our choices. "Stop being so damn cheap!" she said in reference to the uptick in biracial families and couples.

When I do this, I am not reflecting a rise in interracial relationships. I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone by appearing inclusive with one photo instead of two and saving the client money. I am being "so damn cheap," I admit it. Until last Friday, I thought it was a prudent way to spend my client's money.

I didn't think of the message it sends -- that black families are more likely to become middle/upper middle class and move closer to the American dream if they not only assimilate but integrate their households.

I have the power to make a statement, and unconsciously I was making one.

I wish someone had pointed this out to me in the mid 1990s instead of now. But at the very least I can change now.

So I applaud your openness and I'm with you on this journey.