DEEPEN YOUR JOURNEY DEVELOPING AN ANTI-RACIST IDENTITY with these anti-racism resources for groups and teams
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Anti-Racism Starts With Systemic Change
The United States was founded on white supremacy which is a system (political, economical, legal, and cultural) rather than just individuals from extremist groups, that assumes that white people are superior. In this system whites overwhelmingly control power and material resources. White people benefit from the system and anyone who is in proximity to whiteness. In this system whiteness is viewed as good and anything else is viewed as inferior. There is a deep anti-blackness sentiment in white supremacy culture based on the enslavement of black people to build wealth in the United States hundreds of years ago. Even when black people were freed from slavery, additional forms of oppression continued such as lack of reparations to help reduce the impact of generations of slavery; lynchings, jim crow laws, redlining which deepened segregation, unequal access to GI bill for returning military.
After the civil rights movement racism went underground but continued to operate in laws that disproportionately affect people of color and has led to mass incarceration (modern day slavery and the new jim crow).
After the civil rights movement racism went underground but continued to operate in laws that disproportionately affect people of color and has led to mass incarceration (modern day slavery and the new jim crow).
Untold Story About Racism
Check out this video about the history of racism- based on Ruth King's book Mindful of Race. Take a moment to center yourself and check in with yourself before watching any video. Decide what is self care and what is avoidance within your body.
White Supremacy Upholds Systemic Oppression
The system of white supremacy leads to white privilege and racism. Racism ranges from indifference and minimization to overt racism, calls for violence and genocide. Need a primer on what is white supremacy and white privilege? Check out the pyramid and video below.
White Supremacy Pyramid
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Understanding White Supremacy Video with Dr. Edmond |
Anti-Racism Meditation and Self-Inquiry Exercise to help you connect to your body, mind and feelings
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SIFT through your experiences as you watch the videos on this page:
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Ask yourself the following questions:
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RAIN Meditation for Distress
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Utilize RAIN Meditation to deal with any distress that arises:
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Diversity, Anti-Racism, and White Privilege
There is a classic article from Peggy McIntosh called "Unpacking the invisible knapsack" which talks about white privilege.
White supremacy and racism negatively impacts all of us. The reality is that we are all are conditioned into racism unless we take an active and ongoing stance to become anti-racist. I ask myself daily if I am making choices that dismantle white supremacy or support it.
As a white person will you use your voice and your privilege to make a difference? As a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) how will you challenge the internalized racism that causes you stress, trauma, and grief? We can dismantle racism by starting on the bottom of the pyramid, by waking up to what's happening in our household and local communities.
White supremacy and racism negatively impacts all of us. The reality is that we are all are conditioned into racism unless we take an active and ongoing stance to become anti-racist. I ask myself daily if I am making choices that dismantle white supremacy or support it.
As a white person will you use your voice and your privilege to make a difference? As a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) how will you challenge the internalized racism that causes you stress, trauma, and grief? We can dismantle racism by starting on the bottom of the pyramid, by waking up to what's happening in our household and local communities.
Where are you on the antiracism Journey? The work of white people and people of color is different on this journey?
There are many steps to healing from racial harm.
Picture credit to Anneliese Singh, PhD from her book Racial Healing Handbook
Here are some ways to learn more and develop your identity as an anti-racist:
- Explore your own racial identity.
- How does your racial identity interact with other identities you have about yourself.
- What identities are privileged and what identities are oppressed?
- If you are a white person do not rely on people of color to educate you on the history of racism and how it shows up in daily life.
- Remember that white silence harms.
- Privilege allows you to stay quiet; to not be aware of what is happening to BIPOC.
- Better to say something that you don't think is perfect than to say nothing at all.
- BIPOC notice the silence.
- Develop the skills to have difficult and often emotional conversations with your circle of influence. White supremacy is maintained by every day choices people make to keep the system alive or being indifferent to the system.
- Learn about microaggressions.
- Take the Harvard implicit bias test.
- Read some of the books below or listen to a podcast
- Create an affinity group (people with similar racial identity) to support each other in becoming anti-racist
- Diversify your life.
- Challenge yourself to go to different neighborhoods.
- Support BIPOC businesses, art, books.
- Donate to the organizations already doing racial justice work
- Listen to what people of color are asking for.
- Click here for "75 things white people can do now"
- Visit whiteawake.org/ for more resources
- Consider the "21 day racial equity habit challenge"
Uncovering the trauma of racism
Intergenerational trauma and cultural, collective trauma are currently impacting millions of people. Watch Dr. Edmond's talk on uncovering the trauma of racism for Princeton Public Library and Not In Our Town on 7/13/20.
Reflections of a white woman on how to hold space
I wrote this the other day, but it's crucial that as white providers we are not unintentionally harming our Black clients by either avoiding talking about race altogether or microaggressing in a variety of ways because we don't understand their lived experiences.
White people, here is a meditation to work on when you're engaging with Black friends, family, co-workers, etc. Work on making these things sincerely and consistently true, and it will move us all closer to freedom:
You will never hurt my feelings talking about whiteness and the depravity of white supremacy. I will not take rage at white supremacy or **even at white people** personally. I will not get defensive.
I will validate your feelings, and if I do not understand them, I will do my own research and my own work to get there. I will not ask you to justify your feelings.
You need never waste energy considering my feelings about issues of race, racism, or racial justice before you say anything. Your unvarnished truth is always welcome, even if it stings to hear.
I will not center myself, my feelings, my experiences, or my whiteness in our interactions .
I will not ask or expect you to center me, my feelings, my experiences, or my whiteness in our interactions.
When called out, I will respond humbly and with appreciation because I know I have much to learn and I know you are showing love by expecting me to do better.
I will not use my tears to shame you for your anger or ask you to comfort me.
I will never defend whiteness.
If you need space where white people are not present, I will not be offended. I will always defend your right to these spaces.
I will never argue with you about how you feel about something that affects Black people. I will defer to your wisdom and lived experience.
I will never ask you to speak for all Black people. I will not use my understanding of your unique opinion to shame or argue with other Black people.
I will vote for politicians who will see you in your full humanity and who will enact policies that benefit you, even if they do not benefit me.
I will stand up for you anytime I can, and you can call on me to show up, but I will not position myself to be a savior. I understand that our liberation is inextricably linked together.
-Amy Lynn Miller
White people, here is a meditation to work on when you're engaging with Black friends, family, co-workers, etc. Work on making these things sincerely and consistently true, and it will move us all closer to freedom:
You will never hurt my feelings talking about whiteness and the depravity of white supremacy. I will not take rage at white supremacy or **even at white people** personally. I will not get defensive.
I will validate your feelings, and if I do not understand them, I will do my own research and my own work to get there. I will not ask you to justify your feelings.
You need never waste energy considering my feelings about issues of race, racism, or racial justice before you say anything. Your unvarnished truth is always welcome, even if it stings to hear.
I will not center myself, my feelings, my experiences, or my whiteness in our interactions .
I will not ask or expect you to center me, my feelings, my experiences, or my whiteness in our interactions.
When called out, I will respond humbly and with appreciation because I know I have much to learn and I know you are showing love by expecting me to do better.
I will not use my tears to shame you for your anger or ask you to comfort me.
I will never defend whiteness.
If you need space where white people are not present, I will not be offended. I will always defend your right to these spaces.
I will never argue with you about how you feel about something that affects Black people. I will defer to your wisdom and lived experience.
I will never ask you to speak for all Black people. I will not use my understanding of your unique opinion to shame or argue with other Black people.
I will vote for politicians who will see you in your full humanity and who will enact policies that benefit you, even if they do not benefit me.
I will stand up for you anytime I can, and you can call on me to show up, but I will not position myself to be a savior. I understand that our liberation is inextricably linked together.
-Amy Lynn Miller
Moving from pyramid of hate (antidefamation league) to pyramid of love (Prof Char Kunkel and george Thompson at Luther college)
if we allow things on the lower level to happen without intervention it allows a culture to build that leads to the higher levels of harm.
where do you feel comfortable intervening?
BOOK YOUR TEAM'S ANTI-RACISM TRAINING
Your private practice therapy team, yoga studio, educational team or healthcare group can get help with these topics and more. Now that you know what to expect in anti-racism training, and consultation for cultural competence in counseling, you can reach out. Getting started is easy, just follow these simple steps:
- E-mail Dr. Edmond to discuss group training options
- Schedule your team's anti-racism, cultural humility or intergenerational trauma training
- Purchase pre-recorded video (equivalent of 2 hour intro workshop) if you are not ready for live training for your team.
- Begin to feel more confident and capable in anti-racism conversations with your clients and team
MORE WAYS TO ENGAGE WITH MINDFULNESS IN DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION WORK
You can have more mindfully centered cultural conversations in the workplace, with your clients, and in your personal life. Visit our team consultations page to learn about what to expect in diversity and inclusion training for your team. Learn about Dr. Edmond, your diversity consultant and owner of Mindful and Multicultural Counseling in New Jersey. You can also visit our blog and learn about our upcoming public anti-racism training opportunities. If you want more individual support on your anti-racism journey, visit the anti-racism resources page on the Mindful and Multicultural Counseling Center's website.
How can understanding critical race theory be a path to compassion and healing? Check out webinar below
Register for upcoming trainings with Dr. Nathalie Edmond
Antiracism Monthly workshops
on demand webinar recordings available for purchase
All of us are shaped by the forces of racism and are challenged to explore moving away from colorblindness or neutrality about racism to becoming an anti-racist. Mindfulness can be a path to exploring our stories through the lens of race, learning our biases, and becoming allies in the quest to have freedom for all and equity that challenges the racist foundations of the United States. Concepts such as white supremacy, white privilege, internalized racism, microaggressions, antiblackness.
More Anti-Racism Resources for Personal Identity and Growth
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Books:
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Movies and Other Resources:
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