Churches examine white privilege

[OneGrassRoot]

As disproportionate, systemic levels of violence and death continue to affect black people and people of color, white church leaders are responding by holding workshops to address white privilege. Rev. Rob Keithan of All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington, DC is teaching a “White Ally Course” to 21 people at the congregation “in hopes of helping other whites strategize on using the strength of their faith to work more effectively on racial justice.” “White people have the responsibility to educate white people about race and racism,” Rev. Keithan said. “We can’t place all that burden on people of color. … We have to do the education.”


http://religionnews.com/2016/04/19/churches-hold-classes-about-white-privilege/

[brer cat]

1. I will give an "amen" to that.

“We can’t place all that burden on people of color. … We have to do the education.”

[OneGrassRoot]

2. indeed

[forjusticethunders]

5. Especially since people get defensive and hostile as fuck

when we talk about how society treats and perceives blackness versus whiteness. A lot of them hide behind colorblindness (which is a nice ideal but also something that will not be happening anytime soon) to avoid having to unpack their role in racism.

[OneGrassRoot]

6. Yeah, that's what I see the most...

amongst my more progressive friends. This longing for "Why can't we be colorblind?" -- "I don't see color. I see a human being."

Do we even want to aspire to color-blindness? I mean, yes, aspire to not impose supremacy or inferiority based on one's skin color, but I'm more enamored of the idea of unity in diversity: See our differences and celebrate them, not be so afraid of them.

I've seen a lot written over the last couple of years about how "color-blindness" (especially in Millennials) is the newest form of racism.

[forjusticethunders]

7. It's not racism in and of itself.

They just have a stunted tone deaf understanding of "anti-racism", and I blame education and media for that. It's often used to JUSTIFY racism though, see "All Lives Matter" which isn't a racist statement in and of itself until it's used to deny that Black people have unique experiences and struggles that need to be addressed. It's so insidious because if you push back against "All Lives Matter" then you get accused of saying that white people don't have problems because it takes nuance to get across that "yeah white people may suffer from social problems, sometimes even the same problems that black people suffer from (for example, white people get shot by cops and trigger-happy vigilantes too, but white people also SHOOT AT cops and don't die) but being white doesn't make those problems WORSE"

[OneGrassRoot]

8. Understood...and I agree.

Great way to frame it. Thanks.

[Kind of Blue]

3. Thanks, OGR! Bookmarked for later.

[OneGrassRoot]

4. ...