Board Benefits from Race Issues Presentation, Urges Branches to Seek Out Such Education

WILPF members gather for lunch at board retreat, at the home of board member, Dianne Blais. Used with permission.

by Darien De Lu
WILPF US President

July 2022

The inner work of deconstructing racism is important for WILPF US, our branches, and our members in order effectively do the “outer work” of challenging racist practices in the U.S. Given the growing awareness of structural and systemic racism in the U.S., WILPF US members, like the members of many progressive organizations, are re-examining our unconscious biases, the impact of internal organizational processes, and other aspects of the influence and remnants of centuries of racism on this continent. The Board encourages all branches to seek out and pursue such education and related practice (see the end of this article for pointers on finding facilitators and presenters).

The Board’s participatory session took place at the in-person board retreat in DC, in conjunction with the Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) June 18 national rally. Because racism is one of the five pillars of oppression of poor people identified by the PPC, this educational session complemented the rally’s many testimonies of poor people about their life experiences. The Board’s participation in the PPC rally, followed by the anti-racism and equity presentation by Dr. Lynch, reinforced their conviction to advance WILPF US inner and outer anti-racism work both locally and nationally. We need your help, at both levels!

Shortly after our founding in 1915, WILPF was one of the first U.S. organizations to include Black members – since then, WILPF US has repeatedly supported a variety of racial justice, anti-racism, and racism-awareness programs. Of course, no organization is perfect, and our record is mixed. Nonetheless, we continue to work toward being a “Beloved Community”, as described in a letter to the Board from the Greater Philadelphia Branch Coordinating Committee.

Again, I urge members to step up to assist with this national work. To help with a national committee to identify, develop, publicize, and coordinate inner work initiatives and resources – contact me:  President@wilpfUS.org. For outer work, the Anti-Racism Subcommittee of our Advancing Human Rights (AHR) Issue Committee is in need to revival after it went into suspension when no one – especially, no white WILPF member – stepped up to convene it. Please contact the AHR chair at ahrchair@wilpfUS.org to help revive that subcommittee. Certainly, on both the inner and outer levels, there’s work to be done!

One aspect of racism that the presentation to the board addressed is how we may lack personal awareness about our own biases, and of how something we say or do could be hurtful to another person– due to assumptions, based on our own limited life experiences. We began to interrogate this by answering the question, Who am I? – focusing our attention on the full range of our “social identities” – our sexual orientation and gender, racial and ethnic identities, profession and financial status, physical and mental abilities, religion, age, etc.

Our particular combination of these identities, along with the societal attitudes toward each of them, leads to our experience of intersectionality.  So the particular prejudices affecting, for example, a wheel-chair bound Asian woman are different from those faced by a poor white woman and again from what a highly educated, middle-aged Black man experiences.

Each of us carries all of our identities with us all the time, and many of them have profound effects on how others respond to us – and how we respond to others. And they intersect! In different contexts, one or a few of our identities will have more influence on how we’re viewed and treated.  Being conscious of these shifting and intersecting biases gives us the opportunity to be alert for how people may be treated differently.

White privilege, white fragility, and “color-blindness”

The concept of white privilege in the conversation about racism asserts the fact that white people benefit from structural racism while people of color are harmed. The entry of white privilege into wider public discourse through WILPF came via an article first published in our Peace & Freedom magazine in July/August 1989, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”, by Peggy McIntosh.

McIntosh highlighted the way that racism consists not only of “individual acts of meanness” but also of “invisible systems conferring dominance”. Examples range from as innocuous as being able to find “greeting cards, dolls, toys, and children’s magazines featuring people of my race” to as fundamental as the ability of “renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I want to live.”  The crux of white privilege is that white people need not think about the many options “naturally” available to them – yet denied to people of color. Moreover, as McIntosh notes, the white-supremacist culture of the U.S. avoids any discussion of white privilege, thus maintaining the myth that our society is a meritocracy.

Being conscious of white privilege can enable whites to perceive situations differently. Also, this “unearned privilege” can be used in constructive ways, such as when a white person uses the protection of white privilege to intervene in a situation in which others are acting – consciously or unconsciously – in racist ways.

U.S. culture discourages acknowledgement of white privilege, just as white fragility discourages discussions of racism.  That’s because white people in the U.S. are likely to be uncomfortable – fragile – when topics related to racism are raised. That discomfort can take many forms – from guilt and fear to anger and arguing.

Microagressions

Fragility can cause white people to be resistant to acknowledging another important aspect of racism: microaggressions. In WILPF we are united against racism, however, our individual and organizational white privilege may lead to the lack of sensitivity and lack of awareness that is usually at the core of microagressions. A microagression can be the way that a question, a comment, or even our body language becomes an insult or an invalidation (denying the person’s perceptions) – sometimes even an assault. I believe that most microaggressions in WILPF are unintended; they may even be offered as a compliment! Yet they are painful and harmful.

In our educational session, the Board viewed this short video offering a shared and familiar experience to help whites understand why these “micro” remarks and behaviors are so hurtful. With education and help – including from each other – we all can better learn to recognize them. When one of us is “called” on a microaggression, let’s listen and apologize – rather than try to make excuses or argue. This is an opportunity to gain insight.

Continuing our racial justice education

In the board’s 5 ½-hour educational session, we certainly didn’t have enough time to go into depth on all of the topics on the ambitious outline for our presentation -- which, besides items mentioned above, included the topics “Power & Privilege” and “Building Inclusive Organizations”.

For branches or other local groups that WILPF members work with, a formal and interactive presentation or a well referenced study group can both work well. Such sessions must allow a lot of time for questions, comments and discussion, as well as practical exercises and individual participation.

How do you find a good educational presentation about racism? As with many services, seek to get referrals; ask around! Especially try inquiring with groups with whom you have worked – including groups of people of color. Have some idea of what you want to cover, and consider the suggestions made by a potential presenter. Avoid presenters who advertise! Be prepared that these days, those with established skills and reputations often have waiting lists.

WILPF is an organization, because we understand that work on complex societal problems like racism requires the effort of many people. Let’s work together to confront the remnants of racism within WILPF US.