"Growing toward Anti-Racism through Group Participation"

From October through this week I participated in a class called "Let's Talk" on growing toward becoming more anti-racist. I must admit that though my interest in examining racism began much earlier in college, I did not get interested in dealing with it until George Floyd was murdered in May 2020. At first I began to study racism, and reflect on my own life concerning race, through reading books, watching movies, and even putting together my own biography concerning race. However, it wasn't until I participated in this class that I have been able to realize my common humanity with other white people, and our shared racism.

Rooted in our flawed human nature, it is difficult for us to admit our white privilege that is present in our American culture. Perhaps, as individuals we have a greater reluctance not to admit it. In the class reading and presentations I was confronted by the overwhelming difference in how we white people start in our lives over people of another race in America. I have come to admit that I often act out of that privileged position and assume that everyone is on an equal plane. Through reading such books as White Fragility and through the works of Peggy McIntosh I know that our beginning and our present positions are not at all equal. This does not mean that I cannot grow in recognizing my own racism and to take positive steps to becoming less racist. Because of my experience I want to strongly recommend persons in leadership positions to take anti-racism classes with others like them.

I would like to also share key ways in which I have been changed in this important social ethical way. Among many learnings from my experience are the following.

1) Our approach to people who are non-white must change. We must begin with setting right what is wrong, being open to all people and all people’s leadership. It will take going an extra mile to bring about real change.

2) Understanding who I am, a white American, leads me to resist change. I admit my own cooperation in being it a “self-serving” white. person. I must commit myself to making crucial

3) As someone who resists confrontation, I discovered that dissonance leads me often to take a “passive aggressive” approach, being defensive about our “white power and privilege” and often being critical or judgmental toward others. I have come to look for ways in which I can take an approach of openness, curiosity, and developing relationships when encountering people who are different from me.

4) Writers like Robin Diangelo and Peggy McIntosh demonstrate to me that a person who is white starts out ahead of those who are non-white. Their handicap, which is through no fault of their own, should be a matter of reparations. In addition, being a white male gives me an advantage all of the way. Looking back, this leads me to surrender my regret over losing out on employment opportunities to people of a different race or gender.

5) As a person of white privilege, I need to persevere in listening and openness to others of a different race.

6) The hardest part that remain for me is discovering how to apply my educational growth to advocate for those who are non-white. Some things I know I can do are: a) to increasingly speak out when I see racism happening, b) to readily accept into leadership those who are non-white into positions of power, and c) to increasingly speak out for anti-racist policies and people.

7) Our comfort as white people should never be an excuse for lack of continual growth. In order to grow we need to become uncomfortable in ways in which we have errored in the past. In many realizable ways, we should seek restitution and justice for those who have been wronged.

I hope that you wiill take the opportunity to take a similar step toward self-growth. It will be important for you, our family, and the organization you may serve.