Program
Examination & Accountability of Whiteness
Examination into how racialization in whiteness perpetuates oppression, and how to shift away from white dominant culture to be in wholeness.
This program is an accountability space for white identifying people. Together, in community, white identifying facilitators and participants embark on an unlearning and relearning journey of vulnerability, courage, and personal responsibility. We will dynamically explore how to get comfortable with being uncomfortable about race, whiteness, and our own relationships with oppression so we can more effectively influence systemic change. We will dive deep into examining the harmful impacts of white dominant culture and how we can shift towards the wholeness of our divine selves. We will delve into why and how healing from racialization in whiteness is a way to hold ourselves accountable to breaking cycles of racism and oppression.
Examination & Accountability of Whiteness is offered as a co-creation process with organizations, businesses, municipalities, education institutions, diversity/equity/inclusion consultants, networks, and community members who seek to weave white accountability practices into daily life, behaviors, conversations, and commitments to build cultural competency. Many diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are met with challenges because white people are unable to participate without unintentionally causing harm to people with brown and black skin. This program is designed so white identifying people take on more of the labor by being in community with each other to foster collective empathy, accountability, and the behavior change required for a more loving and just world.
Program Details
Examination & Accountability of Whiteness brings to light how personal expressions of white supremacy culture live within the bodies of white-identifying people and how we hold ourselves accountable to shifting away and creating something new.
Program Components:
- Work with a variety of somatic experiencing and embodiment practices, different types of dialogue, and educational resources (essays, articles, videos, podcasts).
- The program emphasizes building relationships and process for learning new ways to engage as people, groups, and organizations that can help create new social norms that are safe for people with marginalized identities.
- Circle process facilitation teaches equitable communication practices, whole body listening, and trust building over the course of the program.
Intentions:
- Identify and recognize dominant and oppressive attitudes and patterns in energy, communication, and behavior. Learn how to practice making personal changes to these patterns.
- Build community with white people so we can engage in resistance, better manage discomfort, and navigate challenging conversations.
- Unpack the parts of our identity that get in the way of being able to fully engage in anti-oppression equity work.
HOW Program Can Be Offered
WHERE Program Can Be Offered
Background
Examination & Accountability of Whiteness emerged out of an Accountability in Anti-Racism program, originally incubated by ElevateHer Vermont with a group volunteer effort throughout most of 2021, led by Mia Moore of Mia Moore Consulting and Rae Carter of EmpowR. When the program process, content, and delivery was fully developed, the Vermont Women’s Fund supported program launch in early 2022. The program was hosted by EmpowR, facilitated by Mia and Rae, with design and convening support from Kristin Cantu of Well Told Films and Kate Stephenson of HELM Construction Solutions. A portion of proceeds were offered to the Vermont Professionals of Color Network.
The program is now offered in a variety of formats by EmpowR Transformation and members of the Co-Creator Network.
Learn more about the pilot program key takeaways and participant feedback in the Anti-Racism Program Bridges Awareness with Accountability blog post.
About White Accountability Work
Facilitators of this program recognize this is messy work and there are many truths and ways to approach and engage in racial equity and justice work. We feel it is critical that white people move beyond our own fragility, exceptionalism, saviorism, and comfort to co-create culture, systems, and institutions that are not led by white supremacy. As facilitators, through our own self-examination of accountability in whiteness, we understand it is important for white people to engage with each other in community to heal from the harms of whiteness and white supremacy culture and how we hold ourselves accountable to change.
We recognize there are many opinions about being paid for facilitating racial justice work and there is no ‘one right way’ to do this work. At the request of Black and Brown people, this program is offered as a way to mitigate harm and support repair in racialized trauma. This program offers a way for white identifying people to address racism in accountability space with each other that does not further burden the emotional labor of People of Color. White accountability work generates a readiness for people and organizations to move forward in racial equity work and be better able to work with and hire People of Color with more awareness of not causing harm.