If this is your first year doing this series, we recommend starting with an orientation meeting using the September 2021 material before moving on to the current month.
Don't forget to give us feedback!
Overview:
This year, our Inquiry Series focuses on the themes of Risk and Partnership. We chose these in the spirit of building sustainable movements towards racial justice in our school systems. This month, we begin with the belief that we cannot meaningfully participate in the lifelong work of tearing down white supremacy and building equitable structures and systems if we are not in partnership with others. Creating partnerships with friends, colleagues and neighbors takes work and time, and is one of the most joyful and sustaining parts of anti-racist work. Partnership can take different forms, sometimes as co-conspirators actively engaging in joint anti-racist action, other times as allies more passively lending support (emotionally, physically, economically). The nourishing relationships we build in this work are often what keep us going - through the risks and obstacles of white supremacy.
Throughout the year, we hope to help Inquiry Series participants reflect on our current habits of partnership in order to grow in this work. There are many kinds of partnerships in anti-racist work that deserve our attention. We encourage participants to nourish relationships with other white folks doing the work. We also urge white anti-racist activists to create partnerships with Black and Brown colleagues, neighbors and friends. In these partnerships, we must remain humble and rooted in accountability. We must be careful to not rashly charge into this work and unknowingly enact the tenets of white supremacy culture within our partnerships. One way to help avoid this is by forming authentic and truth-telling relationships with our Black and Brown colleagues. We acknowledge that BARWE users work and live in different contexts across this country and around the world. Tune in to your local context when thinking about accountability. For example, if you live in a majority Black city and teach majority Black students, then make sure you are developing accountability partnerships with Black-led organizations.
Growing up in our white supremacist society has not given us the tools to build fruitful, joyful anti-racist partnerships. We must do a lot of learning and unlearning, full of humility and commitment to accountability. We must be mindful as white members of our communities to not over step others' boundaries and expertise, and to choose not to enforce white supremacist power dynamics within partnerships. At BARWE, we believe that our ongoing internal work should always be directly in service of making us better active co-conspirators in the fight for racial justice.
The article we have chosen for this month, Becoming Trustworthy White Allies, provides clear and thought-provoking examples to help guide us in this lifelong work.
Primary Article: Becoming Trustworthy White Allies
In addition to the primary article and guiding questions, we are offering BARWE users this notebook as a place to gather their thoughts and commitments throughout the year. In the past, we have sent various tools and handouts in separate months. This year, we encourage all work to be done in this one document to encourage ongoing attention to commitments and frequent review of previous months’ reflections.
Guiding Questions:
Additional Readings:
If you feel one of these is better suited to your group, feel free to use it as a primary. We have placed an asterisk next to readings with BIPOC authors.
Facilitation Reference Guide:
Feedback Form:
As we grow in year four, we hope that one person in your group can take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form to let us know how it went.
Here are a few takeaways from previous meetings:
Don't forget to give us feedback!
Overview:
This year, our Inquiry Series focuses on the themes of Risk and Partnership. We chose these in the spirit of building sustainable movements towards racial justice in our school systems. This month, we begin with the belief that we cannot meaningfully participate in the lifelong work of tearing down white supremacy and building equitable structures and systems if we are not in partnership with others. Creating partnerships with friends, colleagues and neighbors takes work and time, and is one of the most joyful and sustaining parts of anti-racist work. Partnership can take different forms, sometimes as co-conspirators actively engaging in joint anti-racist action, other times as allies more passively lending support (emotionally, physically, economically). The nourishing relationships we build in this work are often what keep us going - through the risks and obstacles of white supremacy.
Throughout the year, we hope to help Inquiry Series participants reflect on our current habits of partnership in order to grow in this work. There are many kinds of partnerships in anti-racist work that deserve our attention. We encourage participants to nourish relationships with other white folks doing the work. We also urge white anti-racist activists to create partnerships with Black and Brown colleagues, neighbors and friends. In these partnerships, we must remain humble and rooted in accountability. We must be careful to not rashly charge into this work and unknowingly enact the tenets of white supremacy culture within our partnerships. One way to help avoid this is by forming authentic and truth-telling relationships with our Black and Brown colleagues. We acknowledge that BARWE users work and live in different contexts across this country and around the world. Tune in to your local context when thinking about accountability. For example, if you live in a majority Black city and teach majority Black students, then make sure you are developing accountability partnerships with Black-led organizations.
Growing up in our white supremacist society has not given us the tools to build fruitful, joyful anti-racist partnerships. We must do a lot of learning and unlearning, full of humility and commitment to accountability. We must be mindful as white members of our communities to not over step others' boundaries and expertise, and to choose not to enforce white supremacist power dynamics within partnerships. At BARWE, we believe that our ongoing internal work should always be directly in service of making us better active co-conspirators in the fight for racial justice.
The article we have chosen for this month, Becoming Trustworthy White Allies, provides clear and thought-provoking examples to help guide us in this lifelong work.
Primary Article: Becoming Trustworthy White Allies
In addition to the primary article and guiding questions, we are offering BARWE users this notebook as a place to gather their thoughts and commitments throughout the year. In the past, we have sent various tools and handouts in separate months. This year, we encourage all work to be done in this one document to encourage ongoing attention to commitments and frequent review of previous months’ reflections.
Guiding Questions:
- Morrison notices that white people tend to be “eager to impose our solutions and interventions [who] replicate old patterns of missionary zeal as we plant our ally flag and run the risk of jeopardizing those we are presuming to “help.” To combat this, she suggests becoming engaged in a sustained way with organizations that are already being run by BIPOC leaders. What BIPOC-led organizations are you currently engaged with? If none, spend time researching groups you could reach out to.
- Look back at the concluding paragraph of Morrison’s article:
- “We need to feel, claim, and give voice to our grief, distress, and rage at racism. The hunger and thirst for racial justice must be our own. Otherwise we will be driven by the desperate need to seek approval and love from people of color. Writing about her work as a Latina multicultural educator, Lillian Roybal Rose says: ‘I tell white people in my workshops that I expect them, as allies with power in the oppression of racism, to act justly and not dominate, regardless of the fact that we may never love them.’”
- What feelings come up for you as you read this paragraph? With these words in mind, how will you approach partnering with BIPOC colleagues, neighbors and organizations?
- Reflect on the idea of a truth-telling relationship. Do you have any friendships like these? Is there another BARWE member you can foster this kind of relationship with?
- Last month, you thought about the risk and perceived risks that come with being anti-racist. But this work also brings great rewards, one of them being true partnership with others. As white people, what are the risks of NOT doing this work? What do we stand to lose by keeping racial divides in our society?
Additional Readings:
If you feel one of these is better suited to your group, feel free to use it as a primary. We have placed an asterisk next to readings with BIPOC authors.
- 5 Ways to Approach Racial Equity at Work
- Reflections From a Token Black Friend*
- Robin DiAngelo’s Accountability Statement
- Building a Culture of Accountability*
- 4 Ways White People Can Be Accountable for Addressing anti-Black Racism at Universities*
- Dreaming Accountability*
- From Cancel Culture to Collective Accountability
- So You Want to Start Organizing*
- How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion (video)
- Interdependence and Decentralization chapter from Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown - we encourage you to buy the book!
- Making The Transition From Ally To Co-Conspirator
- How Unions Promote Racial Solidarity In The United States
- Are White People At Black Lives Matter Protests Helpful or a Distraction?*
- BARWE Summer Series Reources - scroll to page 2 to find resources on Anne Braden and other white anti-racist activists
Facilitation Reference Guide:
- Set a day and time for your group to meet - Make sure to send reminders.
- Send this month’s Primary Article to your group. Look through the additional readings to see if there is another reading that might be better suited to your group and its interests.
- Prepare yourself to facilitate by reading through our Norms and Discussion Protocol.
- Pass the Hat and collect donations for a local BIPOC led social justice group from your town! Philadelphia users are encouraged to give to Melanated Educators Collective .
- Complete the Feedback Form.
- Prepare yourself for November by setting a date and time, inviting colleagues, and looking out for our next Discussion Guide on December 1st.
Feedback Form:
As we grow in year four, we hope that one person in your group can take a few minutes to fill out our feedback form to let us know how it went.
Here are a few takeaways from previous meetings:
Thank you all for your feedback so far, please keep it coming!
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month, we encourage you to donate to a local BIPOC led social justice group from your town! We partner with Melanated Educators Collective here in Philadelphia, so Philly folx can pass the hat for them or for another group you work with. The Melanated Educators Collective wants to unify and empower educators of color in the Philadelphia and Greater Philadelphia communities. We’ve had an accountability partnership with the MEC for three years which is built on relationships we developed with MEC members over years of working together for justice in Philly schools. Use this as a chance to see what groups are already doing the work where you live. Remember that accountability partnerships are about relationships, which take time and require trust to build. This month’s pass the hat is not a replacement for building those real relationships.
Pass The Hat:
In addition to being accountable to our colleagues and students of color, we believe it is important to be financially accountable to people of color who are doing this work on a daily basis. Each month, we will recommend an organization led by people of color, in education and beyond, doing the work of pushing for justice.
At the end of each monthly discussion, pass a hat (or a box) and collect donations for the designated organization. You can then have one group member go online and donate in the name of your school. If you want, you can add “Building Anti-Racist White Educators” after your school name.
This month, we encourage you to donate to a local BIPOC led social justice group from your town! We partner with Melanated Educators Collective here in Philadelphia, so Philly folx can pass the hat for them or for another group you work with. The Melanated Educators Collective wants to unify and empower educators of color in the Philadelphia and Greater Philadelphia communities. We’ve had an accountability partnership with the MEC for three years which is built on relationships we developed with MEC members over years of working together for justice in Philly schools. Use this as a chance to see what groups are already doing the work where you live. Remember that accountability partnerships are about relationships, which take time and require trust to build. This month’s pass the hat is not a replacement for building those real relationships.