While the “social media moment” may have passed, the Zimmerman verdict represents just one of countless examples in an on-going pattern of unrecognized white privilege lending justification to violence against black men. The need remains to continue the conversation about this case, particularly with respect to this pattern. One element of the pattern that is specific to white women is our stereotyped role as virtuous victims who need protection from “bad guys.”… Read more
The White Noise Collective has added our name to the list of organizations that support and endorse the California Prisoner Hunger Strikers. We do this as an act of solidarity and to stand in opposition to the structural racism of the prison industry. As part of that endorsement, we are sharing this announcement about an upcoming way for all of us to show support and solidarity.… Read more
As we collectively mourn for Trayvon Martin and feel outrage for him, his family and all people who live in fear of a criminal (in)justice system which is designed to entrap and persecute them or their loved ones, we must reflect on the dynamics of racism and fear in our culture that not only allowed, but encouraged, Travon’s murder.… Read more
How does experience of white/female socialization create a brick-wall enclosure, holding in my dream of myself and others? How do my thought patterns, my conceptualizations of relating to myself and others, enforce these bricks?
I feel I’ve made these bricks to model a brick I was handed at birth, collecting more over my lifetime, painstakingly making them in my mind’s workshop, firing them in my heart’s oven.… Read more
This past weekend, I, along with most of the members of the White Noise Collective, attended the 14th Annual White Privilege Conference in Seattle, WA.
For us and for me, the learning was deep and came in unexpected ways. I learned so much from every workshop, keynote and conversation I participated in, including gaining knowledge about the anti-asian racism perpetuated by use of the practice and term “meditation,” ways that white supremacy shows up in organizational decision-making processes (even collective ones) and the destructive potentials and neocolonialism and international “aid.”… Read more
Waves of criticism and commentary rippled out from Sport Illustrated’s recent Swimsuit Issue, with their “it’s a small world, it’s a small bikini” theme. A friend and colleague of ours, Charles Modiano, creator of POPSpot (Power, Oppression & Privilege in Sport) provides the phenomenal service of dissecting racist and sexist dynamics and representations in the sports world.… Read more
We are re-posting this excellent, thought-provoking piece by Sayantani DasGupta, “Your Women Are Oppressed but Ours Are Awesome”: How Nicolas Kristoff and Half the Sky Use Women Against Each Other, originally from the blog Racialicious, as it lucidly articulates a number of themes that are key to the White Noise Collective’s analysis.… Read more
Sunday, March 10 – Exploring the Intersection of White Privilege and Gender Oppression in the Work for Racial Justice.
10am-12:30pm, Near 12th St BART in Oakland. $35-50 sliding scale.
To apply for registration, click here.
How have our experiences of gender oppression impacted our work in challenging white supremacy? What patterns are common among people socialized as both white and female?… Read more
Please take our survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CBF7SK2
Members of the White Noise Collective will be convening next week to reflect and plan. We would love to hear from you! All our work has been driven by what people say would be useful. We want this to continue into 2013. Please fill out our survey and let us know what you want us to do or not do.… Read more
Halloween continues to haunt, as this recently circulated photo of a “Mexican-themed” Penn State sorority party made national headlines, sparking familiar outrage, calls for the university to take action, and a student group march.
While stereotypical representations occur throughout the year, on Halloween these masks, not of ghosts and monsters, but of people and cultures, rear with a truly scary mass acceptability.… Read more
In our September dialogue, we focused on the topic “Body as battleground.” Obviously, with the current political attack on womens’ reproductive rights, the conservative media’s sexist slandering, and the general ways that patriarchy interferes on every angle of our daily lives, there was a lot to talk about.
We delved into a slew of intense and interesting themes, but for me it was the reading I did in preparation for the night that really floored me.… Read more
Written by Julie Quiroz, Senior Fellow, Movement Strategy Center. Originally posted for Philanthropic Institute for Racial Equity
The years of fighting racism have taught us many lessons, perhaps the greatest of which is the recognition that we have to be clear about the type of racism we intend to confront.… Read more
They say every moment is a learning opportunity. But I hate when those moments happen when I’m half awake and grumpy. Last week, I was taking my bike onto BART for my ever-so-wonderful and all-to-early morning commute from West Oakland to San Francisco. Though I am one of those pesky bikers that often sneak onto trains just a few minutes before I’m allowed to in order to get to my morning meeting at work on time, on this particular morning I was actually on BART at a legally-allowed time.… Read more
The other night at our report back about the White Privilege Conference, we talked a lot about action. At the same time, people rallied at a city council meeting to denounce the murder of 18 year old Alan Blueford by an Oakland Police Officer. This is the landscape from which the following thoughts I’d like to share came from.… Read more
Everyone is invited to our May Dialogue, which will be a Community Reportback from this year’s White Privilege Conference!
The White Privilege Conference is an annual event that brings together about 1500 folks to examine the system of white supremacy upon which every aspect of the US culture is built and to develop the tools, support and strategies needed to dismantle it.… Read more