What Should White People Do? Workshop Reflections
When we were invited to participate in a 4 week course entitled: “What Should White People Do?” co-sponsored by the Equation Campaign, Hive Fund, Zegar Family Foundation and the Funders Collaborative on Oil and Gas for people active in climate philanthropy, we were immediately intrigued and joined in. This course was created as one response to the events of the past year to help white folks in particular deepen their understanding of anti-racism and how to build it in our field.
This class was about personal transformation, shifting power and catalyzing action towards racial justice and was designed for donors, board and senior staff members in climate philanthropy who:
Are committed to racial justice
Taking action within their institutions
We give thanks to our guides/facilitators, pictured below, who asked us tough questions and provided the opportunity for hard conversations and creative problem solving.
Tuesday Ryan-Hart leads large-scale systems change with equity at the center. She works with organizations and communities to reframe commonly-held assumptions. Her work helps to surface new mindsets for action that yield greater impact and participation.
Gibran Rivera is a teacher, coach, guide and internationally renowned master facilitator. He works for the transformation of leaders, networks and organizations. He develops our capacity to work with complexity and dynamics of power, equity and inclusion.
Reflections from our partners:
“This experience has amped up our thinking about what is ours to do in this space and deepened our commitment to racial justice in our work”
“Once again, we always need to ask ourselves whose voices are missing and what can we do to make these welcoming and safe spaces for everyone. ”
We are pleased to share with our community the following materials that were provided during the class and encourage you to watch or read them:
Articles
“Allies, Don’t Fail Us Again.” Charles Blow, New York Times, June 7 2020.
“An Insatiable Rage.” Charles Blow. New York Times, June 14, 2020.
“It is Time for Reparations.” Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times. June 24, 2020
“The Real Reason the American Economy Boomed After World War II.” Jim Tankersley, New York Times. August 6, 2020.
“The Stark Racial Inequality of Personal Finances in America.” Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard. June 9, 2020. New York Times
Podcasts
Gibrán's recent interview on the State of Emergence podcast: White Supremacy, Woke Fundamentalism and Evolutionary Allyship
How the Word is Passed, Why is this Happening Podcast, Clint Smith in conversation with Chris Hayes. June 3, 2021.
Notice the Rage; Notice the Silence. On Being Podcast. Resmaa Menakem in conversation with Krista Tippett.
YouTube Videos
I am not your Negro clip, YouTube. James Baldwin.
Let’s Protect Our Energy, Isoke Femi. YouTube.
Poetry
Fragile, by Nic Askew