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Imagination
Imagination
When you were little, you were asked to use your imagination all the time. Imagine a story. Imagine an adventure. Imagine being a scientist or a historian or a performer.
As you got older, adults stopped asking you to imagine so often. They wanted you to stay focused on what you needed to do to be successful in your future.
But what if keeping our imaginations active is what we need to change the world around us?
Activity Break! Imagine a World...
Activity Break! Imagine a World...
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
When you imagine a world where we have gotten rid of racism and White supremacy, what does it look like? Be as specific as possible.
It's a little hard to visualize, isn't it? Adrienne Maree Brown said:
"All social justice work is science fiction. We are imagining a world free of injustice, a world that doesn't yet exist."
We've never seen a world without racism and White supremacy. Certainly, we have words for what we imagine: equity, equality, safety, belonging. The tougher part is actually visualizing what that might look like. In fact, it's easier to imagine what we DON'T want than what we DO.
Look or think back to your description of your ideal future and ask yourself:
-Did I have more No's or more Yes's?
-Did I talk about the things I wanted or about the things I did NOT want anymore?
-Did I name things that exist in our world and describe how they could be different or did I imagine new things that don't exist?
#No's and Yes's
#No's and Yes's
For many of us, the only part of ending racism we can imagine is what we don't want, but it's impossible to build a new world without a plan of what we do want. We have a lot more No's (things we want to get rid of) than Yes's (things we want to see in the world).
In the video below, Andréa Ranae Johnson states of anti-racism, “It’s one thing to dismantle. It’s another to rebuild,” and reminds us that these two things do not happen at the same time:
Andréa Ranae Johnson asks us, "How can you not do something?" The absence of bad is not necessarily good. So we have to learn to imagine that for everything we are saying NO to in today's world, there is something that we can say YES to in the future.
#Vocab
#Vocab
The No's are all the things we are talking about dismantling. Dismantling is the act of pulling apart, taking down, or destroying the systems of oppression that maintain racism. Dismantling is about changing people's minds, getting rid of harmful policies, and taking people out of power who should not be there.
The Yes's are our freedom dreams. Freedom Dreams are our vision of what a future of liberation and joy for all people would look like. They should be as specific as our No's, but take a lot more imagination! Let's break down that definition a little.
Now, before we run away with our dreams that, "everyone should have what White folks have," let's remember the difference between unearned power and common decency:
Unearned Power allows privileged people to get away with harmful actions;
Common Decency allows the same opportunities and resources to all people.
We don't want to just rearrange the problems that currently exist, though this might be immediately helpful. We want to make a world where these imbalances CAN'T exist. This can be most easily understood by the difference between reform and revolution, another part of our No's and Yes's.
Activity Break! Reform or Revolution?
Activity Break! Reform or Revolution?
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
When I imagine change in the systems, laws, policies, and ways of being in my country, do I imagine adjustments to what already exists or do I imagine new systems altogether?
What about in my work/school?
In my community, family, and friendships?
Do I imagine what it might look like to give up privileges completely to create a more just world?
A great place to start Freedom Dreaming is to think about what you're passionate about:
What are some of the big issues in the world you care about?
What injustices do you often think about changing?
#Do Your Research
#Do Your Research
If Freedom Dreaming revolutionary ideas for the world sounds really hard, that's because it is! That's why it's important to do your research. There are many BIPOC scholars and activists, both young and older who have created incredible Freedom Dreams to make our future more equitable. Before you start creating your own Freedom Dreams, it's important to understand how people are already imagining dismantling and building our future. In fact, some of the ideas you already have might match up with some of the work already being developed.
Here's a quick breakdown of some of the important dreams activists are already working toward in a few major categories:
This list is only a brief sample of some of the issues you could research to understand the work already being done to create a better world. The most important part is that whatever dreams you have, you balance your dreams of dismantling problematic systems and policies (the No's) with learning about and imagining the possibilities through Freedom Dreaming (the Yes's).
Activity Break! Dream and Dig
Activity Break! Dream and Dig
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work, ask yourself:
What racial justice issues do I care about the most? You might choose from some of the ones above or you might think about some of the other racial justice issues you've heard about, like media representation, environmental justice, climate justice, Black Trans Rights, and more.
What are my Freedom Dreams for this issue? What would a world where this issue was solved look like?
What digging do I need to do in my research to learn more about this area of activism?
Try to create a collection of organizations, scholars, and activists who align with your vision.
#Building a Dream
#Building a Dream
Our freedom dreams, like we said, are made up of our No's and our Yes's.
No's help us think about what kinds of actions we need to take to make the world a better place right now
Yes's help us imagine the world we are working toward, even if we may not see it in our lifetime
So you'll want to make a No List and a Yes List for the issue you plan to focus on:
Activity Break! No and Yes Lists
Activity Break! No and Yes Lists
In a journal or in conversation with another White person doing this work:
Think about your Freedom Dream you wrote about above. Create a No List and a Yes List for this dream.
Get specific. What might each of the things above look like for you and your dream?
For example: What behaviors do you want to change? What policies do you want to change? What questions do you want to research? Who are the leaders and organizations you can turn to?
Remember to think about what you want to work on immediately and what you hope for longterm!
#Vocab Review
#Vocab Review
WEEK 7: FREEDOM DREAMS
Dismantling: the act of pulling apart, taking down, or destroying the systems of oppression that maintain racism
Freedom Dreaming: visualizing a future of joy and liberation for all people, where those who are marginalized by our current system are leading and celebrated
Reform: adjusting the systems we currently have to be more equitable
Revolution: imagining completely different and new systems
WEEK 6: CALLING IN
Calling Out: a direct and public way of telling someone that they are being racist, offensive or harmful
Calling In: a way of sharing with someone the harm they are causing, while supporting them in learning to do better
WEEK 5: OWN UP
Impact: how your action affects others
Intention: how you meant for your actions to affect others
Complicity: being involved in, helping, or knowing about (but not stopping) wrongdoing, like not speaking up against racism
Cultural Appropriation: using the customs, language, fashion, behaviors, traditions, or practices of a marginalized group to your benefit without acknowledging and learning from the culture
Microaggressions: subtle actions or statements that cause harm because they remind marginalized people of their experiences with discrimination
Performative Allyship: participating in activism for the recognition as a "good person" publicly, rather than to actually improve the world
White Saviorism: participating in actions you believe will rescue BIPOC people from their bad situations, making you the hero
White Fragility: becoming defensive, guilty, or aggressive when you own racism or privilege is pointed out
Validation-Seeking: taking actions to prove that you are a "good" white person and expecting acknowledgement for doing these action and having good intentions
WEEK 4: ACT ON IT
Internal Work: the work we do on ourselves to become better people and co-conspirators
External Work: the work we do in our communities and societies to make the world a better place
WEEK 3: PROCESS THE FEELS
White Supremacy Culture: the attitudes, values, beliefs, and ways of being created to justify and uphold racism and keep White folks in power
Decentering: taking privileged groups out of the spotlight to focus on the experiences, feelings, and needs of marginalized groups
WEEK 2: UNPACK YOUR PRIVILEGE
Dominant Culture: groups of people labeled as "normal" in a society because they have the most power to say what's normal because they historically have the power to make the laws
Subordinate Culture: groups of people who don't fit the narrow definition of "normal" created by the dominant culture
Privilege: the benefits people get from holding an identity that is part of the dominant culture
Marginalized: when a group of people is treated as insignificant, powerless, or lesser because of their identity
White Privilege: the benefits White people get simply for being White
Common Decency: the opportunity, kindness, and trust given to privileged people that everyone else should have
Unearned Power: imbalances of power that allow privileged people to get away with harmful actions.
WEEK 1: WHERE ARE YOU?
White Supremacy: the ways that our society is built to create a hierarchy with White folks on top. It is the ways the laws, norms, and expectations of our society put White people first, while harming Black people , Indigenous people, and People of Color (BIPOC).
Oppression: unjust treatment and harm over a long time due to your belonging to a group that has less power.
Interpersonal Harm: hurt done by one person to another.
Systemic Oppression: harm done by systems like laws, institutions (education, medicine, prison), and societal norms
Anti-Racism: actively working to end systemic racism by changing your thoughts, actions, and the society around you
Active Ally: someone who is against racism, mostly in their thoughts and words
Accomplice: someone who is against racism through their actions and behaviors
Co-conspirator: someone who is actively working with BIPOC communities to end racism by taking risks in their daily lives
This Week's #TLA
This Week's #TLA
Talk: Talk to someone White in your life about your Freedom Dreams. Ask them: When you imagine a world without racism, what does it look like? Push them to get specific with their dreams!
Learn: Start researching one area of racial injustice you want to get involved in dismantling. Try to find: 1-2 organizations whose missions sound like what you want to see in the world, 1-2 policies you want to see changed, 1-2 social media accounts raising awareness about this issue, and 1-2 resources you could read to learn more.
Act: Organize action with people around you by setting a goal to focus on one policy you want to change. This might mean joining a community organization devoted to changing something you think is unjust. It also might mean putting together a petition with a group of students at your school. It could also mean working with an adult in your life to create a club devoted to making a change. There are lots of possibilities!
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