Systemic racism is real and deeply rooted in society. When we center our society around whiteness but don’t discuss it we’re ignoring the problem of racism. Distancing ourselves from the problem of racism is to perpetuate it by allowing countless more injustices to be committed. When we become conscious we can take responsibility and change course. The opposite of being a racist is not being not-racist. The opposite of being racist is being antiracist.

In this episode, Robin Mallison Alpern, the Director of Training at the Center for the Study of White American Culture (CSWAC), joins me for a conversation about the work involved in de-centering whiteness and being anti-racist. It’s important to acknowledge that we’re two white woman having this conversation.

Listening to this episode, allow yourself to open to new information.

On a personal note: The deeper I dive into my own antiracism work the more I’m challenged to confront aspects of myself that are often uncomfortable to sit with and simultaneously so necessary for me to sit with and untangle. This feels like where liberation truly shows up because we can’t undo the cultural and societal systemic and institutionalized forms of oppression without also taking responsibility for looking at where those messages and biases have been internalized within our beings, morals, values, etc.

EPISODE NOTES:

The mission of the Center for the Study of White American Culture is to decenter whiteness and create an anti-racist multi-racial center for society.
Racism is systemic in every aspect and area of life. The white community created racism, perpetuates racism, and benefits from racism.
We should ask ourselves, “What am I doing to perpetuate this?" "What are my people doing to perpetuate this?" "What is my group doing to perpetuate this?"
Racism is systemic, and so it’s necessary to become aware of where racism is lodged in us as individuals.
Unconscious racism is how society has trained us to act, and acting this way perpetuates the problem.
Racism isn't simply “the mean actions of some people over there” and so it isn't enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.
We can't stop what is happening if we pretend that it doesn't exist and that it isn't our responsibility to fix it.
Where to begin: recognize that you’ve been lied to, misinformed, and miseducated your entire life about racism.
Whiteness is white culture, identity, behaviors, and the way that white nexus dominates our country.
Pay attention and do what you can to act out against it. Be aware of the space that you hold and make sure that your activism and actions are being used for good.
The antidote to the guilt and shame that we feel is to take responsibility and do something about it.
In doing our own anti-racisim work we often have to hold a few different things in tension.