Exposure
As told to Z It was a quiet summer afternoon and I was just getting home from playing tennis with my daughter. I parked in front of my home and was unloading my gear from my car. A silver car slowed down as it was passing me and the white …
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Being an Ally
White Silence dialog
by Judy Helfand At the July dialog on White Silence, 63 participants showed up for the meeting, creating an energetic buzz of voices. We were meeting in response to people of color calling out for white people to speak up. The need for active confrontation to the status quo of …
Unitarian Universalists: Inner Workings
by Z In June there was electricity in the air; change was just around the corner. The non-white members of the Unitarian Universalist Association (Unitarians) were pressing for more visibility as a group and accountability from the white members at the upcoming General Assembly. My friend Laura was beside herself …
White Fragility: A Dialog
“By resisting (or even embracing) fear, guilt, and shame, we can open ourselves up to conversations about race that actually create a deeper understanding.” Amelia Shroyer How do you feel when you receive feedback that your behavior as a white person looked or felt racist to someone else? As a …
Stepping Up to Address Cultural Appropriation
by Judy Helfand At the day-long singing and drumming retreat on Saturday, I failed to fully step up and confront cultural appropriation and lack of respect for the people whose drums were enriching our lives. In a circle of around 50, all of us but one appeared to be …
A Declaration for the End of Whiteness
by Wendy-O Matik Because of white privilege, I decline to accept any position of power or authority, in the workplace and in other areas of my life. Because of white supremacy, I will shut up and listen when people of color speak. Because of the mis-education around white superiority, I …
Thoughts 1 Year After Ferguson
by Judy Helfand As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to unfold, I’ve been thrashing about, asking myself what I should do, what I can do, what I want to do. Are #BlackLivesMatter leaders asking for particular support from white people? Does this apparent national upheaval require more from me …
a season of love (for all those killed with impunity)
by Adrienne Maree Brown it is our duty to fight for our freedom it is our duty to win we must love each other and protect each other we have nothing to lose but our chains – assata shakur first, we must love ourselves enough to believe in the fundamental …
5 Ways to Take Action after Charleston & Making Connections to Police Violence
5 Ways to Take Action after Charleston & Making Connections to Police Violence by Isaac Lev Szmonko Before Dylann Storm Roof took the lives of 9 Black people at the Emanuel AME church in Charleston Wednesday, he said, “I have to do it. You rape our women and you’re taking …
#BlackLivesMatter dialog
The room was humming with voices and energy as we dragged in extra chairs to accommodate the 36 folks who turned out to dialog on #BlackLivesMatter. After starting with some readings from Alicia Garza, co-founder of #BLACKLIVESMATTER, everyone shared with a few others what they hoped to get from the …