Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/a-collaborative-inquiry-toward-being-anti-racist-part-1/5025280/
*Please view the pdf version for the full article.
White people have a very, very serious problem and they should start thinking about what they can do about it. Take me out of it. –Toni Morrison
Boom! Here I am again, head spinning, recognizing that once again I have encountered my blind spots and participated in one of the many manifestations of how systemic racism works. As my critical friend Ijumaa Jordan patiently (or was that impatiently?) reminded me ONCE AGAIN, “Here is where the distinction between intention and impact is essential to grasp and remember.”
Of course, it was not my intention. I do not wear a white hood or burn crosses, but as a white woman, I am a constant beneficiary of racist ideas and institutional structures that privilege white assumptions and norms, not to mention skin color. The thinking and power structures of white supremacy are not always illusive to me, but wow, I still have so much learning to do. I want to write here about this part of my journey and feel challenged to express what I understand without sounding didactic or trite. My desire is to illuminate the value in ...