Support Space – Unlearning racism for white people interested in NVC

Support space for unlearning racism for white people interested in NVC 

Next dates:

Thursday 27th July 5.30 – 7.30pm

Zoom link: https://cnvc.zoom.us/j/99872701431?pwd=REFJeVJPRlBQU3pITDRSVlFsOTd2UT09

This month’s we will continue the theme  ‘Contradictions for white people in racial justice work’. See post and graphic here

What will happen? 

Each month we have a theme, we begin with a discussion space around a text/model/framework (½ hour) and then we move into smaller groups to explore  empathically anything related to this theme. Empathy and constructive challenge is encouraged. 

These sessions are organised by Ceri Buckmaster, Kate Gard Cooke and Eileen O’Sullivan. We are organising under the umbrella of NVC UK Conflict Transformation Weave (CTW), as one of the CTW’s pre-emptive and  resourcing projects Please contribute if you can We are fundraising to make CTW sustainable – if  you value this space, please consider donating, no matter how small an amount, to our fundraiser 

What will happen in the Support Space?

Each month we will have a theme and you are free to explore empathically anything related to this theme or anything else you need to talk about. Empathy and constructive challenge is encouraged. About, for example,

• racialised situations you are confused about as a white person
• situations where you need support to see your impact,
• situations in which you showed up carelessly or caused harm and want to figure out for yourself how to repair.
• sitting with uncomfortable feelings,
• going into the layers of your responses to being white in this culture.
• seeing racism systemically, as well as present in incidents research/models/thinking/critiques relevant to systemic understanding of racism

This will be within a framework of connecting to needs and ongoing learning about the system of racism and how we can be part of dismantling it.

The Conflict Transformation Weave (CTW) will continue to support this learning in NVC UK networks. Kate Gard Cooke has also been instrumental  in bringing this group into being and in developing it.

Past themes:

Thursday 22nd June – Contradictions for white people in racial justice work. See graphic

Thursday 25th May,  Black Joy and White Envy

April 2023 Theme: Understanding Intersectionality.   Chapter 5 ‘What is intersectionality and why do I need it?’ in So you want to talk about race – Ijeoma Oluo

What we covered in session is here

March 2023 Theme: Understanding Privilege as a way of answering ‘Who’s not in the room?’

Please read the extract (shared here) from  So you want to talk about race – Ijeomo Oluo and carry out the exercise described on p63+64 in advance. This graphic will help you

January and February 2023 – Growing in our anti-racism

• February 2023 theme is False equivalences: Growing in our anti-racism
• A False equivalence is when a link is drawn between two things when important data is left out, or they can’t actually be compared in the way the speaker is intending. This happens when racist marginalisation is talked about and someone says ‘It’s a bit like how single people get excluded in a culture that orients towards coupledom’. Let’s explore this together.
• Please read this article as one comment on False equivalences https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/15/gingerism-prejudice-bullying
• Read Stop the False Equivalences p.37-41 in What white people can do next – Emma Dabiri (link to copy of 3 pages) or please buy this excellent book

Tema Okun – White Supremacy Culture and look at https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/ 

Tema Okun’s Ladder of Empowerment. Theme: Co-liberation  Read From white racist to white anti-racist – a lifelong journey

In A Race is a Nice Thing to Have, Dr Janet Helms explores 6 lenses of whiteness, through which we interpret racial events, race and racism; and how important it is for white people to understand and free themselves from the ‘rules of whiteness.

She advocates asking the question ‘How is racism playing out in our organisation or network?’

In What white people can do next, Emma Dabiri discusses how overly focusing on ‘performative allyship’ and worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing replaces the solidarity we need.  She explores how we need to be talking about class, capitalism and sources of oppression.  She advocates building a coalition around shared interests, figuring out people’s material needs and working together to organise a workplace or community.

Here are a couple of other resources, you can watch/read

1. “A Race is a Nice Thing to Have” w/ Dr. Janet E. Helms (US context) in discussion with Maryam M. Jernigan-Noesi (1 hr 22 mins)
2. Emma Dabiri in discussion (1 hour) with Ellie Mae O’Hagan (UK & Ireland context)
3. White racial identity and anti-racist education (article by Sandra Lawrence and Beverly Tatum
4. Racial identity development – facilitator guide (uses the 6 schemas Dr Helms addresses)

You will receive the zoom link a few days before the event after contacting ceribuckmaster@gmail.com

If you aren’t already, please sign up to CTW mailing list.

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