White Folks Workbook: Week 4
Conceiving of Action
Doing the Work Inside and Out
Following the highly emotional work of unpacking your privilege, we often feel we have done "the work" of anti-racism. However, this is only the work of the ally, not the work of the co-conspirator.
An ally does the learning, reading, and listening that makes them push through discomfort. A co-conspirator not only self-monitors their thinking and emotional growth, but also takes risks to support the liberation of BIPOC folks. A co-conspirator takes action.
Conceiving of that action takes thoughtful planning. The information, resources, and activities below will help you to take steps in conceiving of actions to make sure you are centering BIPOC folks, avoiding pitfalls of White saviorism, and leveraging your privilege to redistribute power and dismantle White supremacy.
Levels of Action and Impact
When we discuss taking action, there are three levels on which we can act. The work for this week will focus on the first two levels: yourself and your communities. You may want to also participate in activities of the larger cause, but given our place in this work, we are not likely to be the right people to plan this kind of action.
Within ourselves, we have the most control and influence. Within ourselves, we also are most likely to experience tangible results. As we move outward to our community, we have less control and influence, and results will be less tangible and slower. At the larger cause level, we experience an even more diminished level of each of these. However, it is important that we do the work at all levels. To be a co-conspirator means to live a truly anti-racist lifestyle in every space we occupy.
Do the Work! Consider the Work You Already Do
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
In what ways am I already doing the work within myself?
In what ways am I already doing the work in my communities? In which communities am I doing the work?
In what ways am I already doing the work toward the larger cause?
Do the Work Within Yourself
In last week's work of processing White emotions, we thought about the way we often feel a sense of loss when we acknowledge our privilege. To deepen our understanding of the way our emotions stem from White Supremacy Culture, we identified emotions and triggers, investigated the thoughts and contexts that created these feelings, integrated the pieces we can and cannot control, and hoped to then initiate action in response to our newfound understanding of our emotions. This week, we will attempt to consider ways in which we can turn our emotions into actions.
The emotions we experience can tell us a lot about the work that needs to be done within ourselves. Feelings of denial require very different internal work than feelings of depression. Throughout our unlearning of White supremacy, different emotions will surface. We may have moments where reading history is most important and moments where reading about Black emotions in current events is most relevant. We may have moments where we focusing on our own emotions and others where we are receiving the emotions of others. We may have moments where our internal work is done in solitude and others where we need a community surrounding us. Below, I've listed a handful of internal actions that might be applicable in various emotional states. This is not an exhaustive list, and sometimes the actions from one area might be applicable to another emotion, but the list is a place to start conceiving of internal action.
Do the Work! Conceive of Your Internal Action
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work:
Looking back at the emotional work you’ve done this past week, into which stage(s) of grief do most of your emotions fit?
Using the diagram of "Moving from Grief to Action," explore the questions for the stage you find yourself in currently.
Now, move to the list of "Internal Actions to Take" and ask yourself:
Which of these am I already taking?
Which do you need to take? Create a list of action items for your internal work.
It's Not All Internal Work
As White folks, it can be tempting to stay in the internal work while never addressing the external anti-racist work we need to begin. The external work can be scarier, as its results impact a larger range of people and require us to risk making mistakes. Yet, anti-racist work cannot wait for White folks to be ready. Lives hang in the balance and liberation is urgent.
Because of our privilege, it is vital that we get involved, but also that we use our knowledge of our privilege to decenter Whiteness. There are basically two ways we can use our privilege against White supremacy:
Redistribute Privilege: Make sure everyone is offered the same opportunities and treated with the same trust and respect.
Dismantle Power: Destroy systems and structures that allow White folks to mistreat, demean, exclude, and hurt BIPOC folks.
In any community or space we occupy, this can be done by examining inequities in:
Policies: rules that govern a space and how they are enforced
Personnel: who occupies a space and what positions they hold
Culture: unspoken expectations of a space, including how to interact, what is celebrated, and what is considered appropriate
Finances: who controls wealth in a space, from where wealth is derived, and to whom wealth is distributed
Conversations: in what manner and how frequently race and equity are discussed in a space, including who leads these talks
Pipelines: pathways that lead to membership and advancement in a space
Interactions: interpersonal exchanges that occur in a space
Training: balance between and access to occupational training and bias training
Because there are so many areas in which we can redistribute privilege and dismantle power in a community to which we belong, it is important that we use a thoughtful process to identify the best ways to leverage our privilege.
Step 1: Research
In order to understand the work that needs to be done in a community, we must examine the inequities of that space through observation. This might range from formal means like using data and surveys to understand the dynamics of business to informal methods like keeping a mental count of how many times a Black voice is ignored or discounted during a social event. We can do this in depth and methodically, or we can use our observations and conversations to drive this work.
Either way, it is important that we keep the focus on equity and justice, rather than diversity and inclusion. As Dr. D-L Stewart explains in "Language of Appeasement", "diversity and inclusion rhetoric asks fundamentally different questions and is concerned with fundamentally different issues than efforts seeking equity and justice." They go on to say:
Diversity asks, “Who’s in the room?” Equity responds: “Who is trying to get in the room but can’t? Whose presence in the room is under constant threat of erasure?”
Inclusion asks, “Has everyone’s ideas been heard?” Justice responds, “Whose ideas won’t be taken as seriously because they aren’t in the majority?”
Diversity asks, “How many more of [pick any minoritized identity] group do we have this year than last?” Equity responds, “What conditions have we created that maintain certain groups as the perpetual majority here?”
Inclusion asks, “Is this environment safe for everyone to feel like they belong?” Justice challenges, “Whose safety is being sacrificed and minimized to allow others to be comfortable maintaining dehumanizing views?”
Therefore, as we explore the inequities in a space in policies, personnel, culture, finances, conversations, pipelines, interactions, and training, we must embody the spirit of equity and justice. We do this by considering where power lies and who wields that power.
Do the Work! Research a Space
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work:
Select a specific community to which you belong and focus your attention on researching this space.
Ask yourself, keeping in mind equity and justice:
How do racism and White supremacy function in this space?
How do the policies, personnel, culture, finances, conversations, pipelines, interactions, and training reveal inequities?
Generate a list of inequities you observe in this space.
Step 2: Reflect
In order to understand the role we can play as co-conspirators in a space, we must unpack the specific privileges we experience in this space. This may feel emotionally challenging because it requires that we consider the ways we may be benefiting from the inequities we listed in the last activity. We must also consider the ways BIPOC folks are already addressing these inequities in this space, whether through their voices or action. If BIPOC folks are already addressing these inequities, we must consider the privileges we posses that will help us amplify their voices and back up their actions. This will help us not to take actions that counteract, speak over, or condescend.
Do the Work! Reflect on Your Privilege
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
What privileges do I have in this space?
How do I benefit from the inequities in this space?
What efforts are already being made by BIPOC members of this space?
How can I amplify BIPOC voices in this space?
Where should I take the mic (speak up) and where should I pass it (give others the floor to speak)?
Step 3: Rank
Realistically, we cannot address every inequity at once. However, we can use systems thinking to help us consider which inequities paired with which of our privileges can have the greatest overall impact. These places where a small change can force a larger change to a system (a collection of interconnected parts that impact each other and the whole) are called leverage points.
Imagine a movie theater with a crowded entryway as a system. In the image below, I've mapped out all the interconnected parts of the system that create the problem in the system of a crowded entryway.
When you look at the diagram of the system, you can see that the small space has the most pieces connected to it. So the theater could expand the space and solve the problem, but there is a better leverage point that could affect the same issue: movie times. If you stagger the movie times, you decrease the number of people that form the long lines that fill the small space. Movie times are a leverage point because they are a small change that will force a larger change in the system.
When looking to take action, we want to find ways to leverage our privilege. We each may be one small person in a given space, but we want to find the place where we can make the most impact with your action. Considering your research and reflection, you want to consider actions that will help redistribute privilege and dismantle White supremacy in the space you occupy.
So, what makes something a leverage point for changing racism?
can impact many people
has the potential to dismantle a power structure
can become a consistent practice
can gain support from others or support the work of BIPOC folks already taking action
might act as a "gateway" action that feeds into more anti-racist work and action
Do the Work! Rank Your Leverage Points
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
Where are the spots that your privilege could help you change policies, personnel, culture, finances, conversations, pipelines, interactions, and training?
Rank these leverage points by their potential to have a strong impact on the space overall.
Step 4: Risk
Bettina Love states that the difference between an ally and a co-conspirator is that a co-conspirator "put[s their] life on the line to take a risk." Our privilege as White folks serves as a sort of safety net that allows us the chance to make moves against White supremacy that can really impact change and support our BIPOC siblings. While there are many "safe" ways to address racism and White supremacy within ourselves, the work "safe" ways to take action in our communities are significantly less effective.
Take, for instance, a situation where a White coworker or classmate uses a microaggression against a Black coworker or classmate. An ally might report that to HR or a teacher privately or anonymously. A co-conspirator would have a face-to-face conversation calling out or calling in their White peer, then they might address the problem with a superior to request community-wide training on microaggressions or a community-wide policy around addressing racist remarks. The ally recognizes the problem, but for fear of their reputation and relationship with other White coworkers, reports anonymously and avoids confrontation. Meanwhile, the co-conspirator puts their relationships and reputation on the line to make this space more just.
In the video below, Bettina Love explains the difference between an ally and a co-conspirator, as well as what it means to take a risk with your privilege.
Dr. Love reminds us that "Whiteness is like a bank...your ATM card just replenishes itself. So spend it. As the kids say, 'cash out.' It comes right back." So the question is, how can you cash out your privilege in the spaces you occupy?
She also reminds us that there are different levels of risk. There are big risks, like organizing a walk out, stepping down from a position, or addressing your superiors. There are small risks, like addressing a coworker, sharing a resource, or backing up a Black coworker's argument in a group setting. Assessing the level of risk you are willing to take, as well as the level of risk you want to be ready to take someday, are important parts of planning your actions.
Do the Work! Take a Risk with Your Privilege
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
What does it mean to take a risk in the space you chose? How big of risk are you willing to take?
Looking at your leverage points, what is the biggest risk action you could take? What is the lowest risk?
Which do you think will be most effective?
What do you need to do to help yourself work toward taking bigger risks?
Decentering Yourself When Conceiving of Action
Throughout the work above, I have added several subtle reminders to decenter yourself and Whiteness when conceiving of action. But decentering is particularly challenging. White folks often make mistakes in their attempts at allyship and co-conspiratorship. You can read about some of these in my post "Mistakes White Allies Make." However, I want to address a few of the ways we can keep BIPOC folks centered when conceiving of action.
First, we can strongly consider and interrogate our goals when conceiving of action. It is important to ask ourselves what results we hope to achieve from our actions. (Hint: Eradicating racism is too big a goal for your individual action!) Be specific about what kinds of changes you want to see in the space where you've chosen to take action. What are the short-term goals of this action? What are the longer-term goals of this action or for this space overall? If the goal has any impact on making you feel better or more important, pause your action work and return to the self-reflections we did in Week 1 or process your emotions as we did in Week 3.
Next, consider your role in this space. Have you attended to and supported the work of BIPOC folks already taking action in your space? Does your action speak for or over BIPOC community members? Be thoughtful that you aren't taking action that might stifle, overshadow, or counter the actions of your BIPOC peers.
Next, consider unintended consequences of your actions. Will the action you're taking turn other members of the space against BIPOC members of the space? When considering the risk you're taking, are you unintentionally risking a marginalized person's safety in the space? Your goal as a co-conspirator is to open conversations and change policies, so you want to make sure your actions will not halt progress within the space.
Finally, take a step back and look at the big picture. Ask yourself how your conceived action fits into the work of changing this space as well as the larger cause. This might mean researching similar actions that have been taken within the type of space you're approaching. This might also mean building a network of other folks in this space with whom you can discuss and participate in this action and future action.
Do the Work! Creating an Action List that Centers BIPOC Folks
After you have attempted this process to conceive of an action in a community to which you belong, consider reflecting on that action and creating a list of multiple actions for this space or for other communities in your life. Then make sure your actions center BIPOC lives.
Look back at each action on your list and ask yourself:
What are the goals of this action for making change in this space? (short-term vs. long-term)
What is my role in this space? Will my action stifle, overshadow, counteract, or contradict the work being done by BIPOC folks?
What are the possible outcomes and consequences (positive and negative) of this action? Who will be affected by these consequences? Whose safety might be compromised?
How does this action fit into the work of changing this space overall? How does this action fit into the larger cause of dismantling White supremacy and combatting racism?
Additional Resources for the Week
The following are good supplements to the work you did above, if you are looking to dig deeper into this topic.
We Want to Do More Than Survive by Dr. Bettina Love
"Language of Appeasement" by Dr. D-L Stewart
"Toward a Racially Just Workplace" by Laura Morgan Roberts and Anthony J. Mayo
"Continuum on Becoming an Anti-Racist Multicultural Organization" by Crossroads Ministry
Interested in Doing More of This Work?
The activities and materials on this page were created for the Anti-Racism Every Day White Allyship Discussion Group and were completed together in a virtual discussion. All are welcome to join us to continue this work and benefit from the power of collective reflection and discussion.