Every year the White Noise Collective takes a moment to collect ourselves, gather feedback from our community, and reflect on our successes and opportunities to improve. The feedback we gather from our annual survey has led to substantial changes in the way the White Noise Collective interacts with our community, leading to growth such as our new dialogue policy and our experimentation with the Noisemakers. … Read more
Blog
Halloween Action
This Halloween, the White Noise Collective conspired to take creative action to counteract the unquestioned, blatant, “it’s-just-a-joke-can’t-you-have-a-little-fun!?!” racism, sexism, classism, homophobia, and cultural appropriation that parade as “costumes” in consumerist capitalist culture. Drawing on our Liberate Halloween Action Kit from last year, this year we came up with a design-your-own creative costume station, with the intention of setting up in front of a local Spirit Halloween store (one of the most obvious corporations perpetuating oppressive stereotypes through the mass sale of highly offensive costumes). … Read more
Columbus Day and National Psychosis*
Columbus Day, a time to stay home from work and nationally celebrate denial of genocide, theft, slavery and colonization. The foundations of this country.
This summer the term “Columbusing” took hold, to name the phenomenon of “discovering things for white people.”
The time-old “art of discovering something that is not new” and appropriating it.… Read more
Police Brutality Action Kit (Created by Showing Up for Racial Justice – SURJ)
Police Brutality Action Kit, cross posted with permission from: showingupforracialjustice.org/archives/2016
Created by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ)
Click here for a PDF version of this toolkit.
By Tes One
Artwork used with permission.
Showing up for Racial Justice(SURJ) was formed in 2009 by white people from across the US to respond to the significant increase of targeting and violence against people of color in the aftermath of the election of Barack Obama. … Read more
We need to lock arms amidst all of this.
These are just a few of the insights put forth by Paul Brandeis Raushenbush in a recent article on the Huffington Post, What White People Can Do About the Killing of Black Men in America:
"There are a lot of events vying to occupy the American mind these days such as Gaza, Iraq, Ukraine, the immigration crisis, hate crimes against Sikhs, Ebola, and Robin Williams' death. But in one way, the ability to switch among these traumas is a white person's 'luxury.'...
"Black Americans are rightfully outraged, but it will require all Americans to be mobilized before the racism that undergirds these killings will end and the deaths along with it. White Americans like me have to stop channel surfing all the outrageously bad news from around the world and focus on the death that is happening in our own cities to our fellow Americans...
White Females* in Food Justice: Maintaining or Challenging the System?
Join us for our next workshop!
White Females* in Food Justice: Maintaining or Challenging the System?
Sunday, August 10, 1-5pm
$35-60 sliding scale (work trade and scholarships available)
Location given upon registration (near W Oakland BART)
Description:
Are you passionate about food justice?
Do you lead, work at, volunteer at, or otherwise support a food justice organization in your neighborhood or community?… Read more
Creating “Safe” Neighborhoods: A reflection on my neighborhood’s private patrol — and what to do with my disapproval
Like many Oakland progressives, my political alarm went off last year in response to the trend towards middle income and affluent neighborhoods hiring private security guards. For Oakland at least, the private patrol debate is relatively new, but it raises many familiar concerns about racial profiling and the feeding of racialized fears by misrepresenting the dangers of city life. Here I reflect on my learning from engaging in the patrol debate in my own mostly white, mostly home-owning neighborhood.
Reclaiming Mother’s Day
As Mother’s Day approaches, the White Noise Collective is once again faced with more questions than answers about this national holiday with a rich but forgotten history. We all agree that the current mainstream celebration of Mother’s Day — adorned with endless plastic, fuzzy and floral ways to express your annual appreciation to your mother — are at best a capitalist co-optation of a holiday that was originally meant for a completely different purpose.… Read more
WPC 15
As the White Privilege Conference launches in Madison this week, the White Noise Collective is reflecting on all of the amazing and difficult learning that happened for us last year at WPC 14 in Seattle. We continue to explore ways in which we can end up perpetuating the same white supremacist mentalities we aim to bring awareness to and disrupt.… Read more
Dispatch from Northern California – Our Commitments in 2014
In late January 2014, for the first time since our birth in 2009, the entire current White Noise Collective core met for a full weekend retreat in coastal Northern California. The blissful sunshine, gentle wind, and migrating whales inspired a weekend of tough questions, deep introspection, big dreams, new plans, and renewed commitments. … Read more
Calling In: Questions we have for the One Billion Rising campaign
As Valentine’s Day approaches (a day that often inspires much activism from women), the White Noise Collective took an opportunity in our February dialogue to reflect on white feminism: What issues are white feminists largely drawn to, how are those issues expressed, in what way is white privilege showing up, and what patterns are helpful to explore?… Read more
What do you want from us in 2014?
Hello 2014! Hello White Noise Collective Community!
This year, like every year since our humble beginnings in 2009, we are asking for your insights, ideas and feedback to shape our work so that its as relevant and fabulous as possible. Help us achieve new heights and be more responsive and strategic about where we direct our collective energy and (mostly) free labor by taking our QUICK survey.… Read more
The Last Thursday in November
“The killings became more and more frenzied with days of Thanksgiving feasts being held after each successful massacre. George Washington finally suggested that only one day of Thanksgiving per year be set aside instead of celebrating each and every massacre.” (Susan Bates)
We often think of Thanksgiving as a time of family, football, giving thanks and gorging.… Read more
Liberate Halloween Action Kit!
They’re ba-ack! (shudder) With Halloween quickly approaching, and costume shops like Spirit Halloween opening their doors, many of us are cringing at the thought of another Halloween full of racism, sexism, heterosexism and the full range of offensive apparel we annually witness.
In response, we offer up a toolkit to those who wish to be a part of resisting the dominant paradigms that plague this season.… Read more
Strategies to Engage White People Around (Im)migrant Justice
In our June dialogue, we convened white female and gender minority racial justice activists to examine personal and political histories of immigration to this country, and to generate steps for action, engagement and dialogue with other white people towards contributing to the inspiring momentum of the immigrant justice movement. It was fantastic for the White Noise Collective to be joined by special guest, organizer and facilitator extraordinaire Dara Silverman of SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice), who led us through a three-part process of familial exploration on a timeline of US history, expression of values and stakes white people may have in immigrant justice, and concrete practice with role playing conversations.… Read more