[755] in peace2
Fwd: Tools for White Guys?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bergner)
Fri May 4 15:19:59 2001
Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 15:13:51 -0400 (EDT)
From: Bergner <bergner@MIT.EDU>
To: <peace-list@mit.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.30.0105041355020.4180-100000@ctpivory.lns.mit.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Some valuable thoughts that have gotten passed on to me. I think they can
be found on various web sources as well...
Yoav.
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Tools for White Guys who are Working for Social Change
and Other People Socialized in a Society Based on Domination
1. Practice noticing who's in the room at meetings - how many men, how
many women, how many white people, how many people of color, is it
majority heterosexual, are there out queers, what are people's class
backgrounds. Don't assume to know people, but also work at being more
aware.
2a. Count how many times you speak and keep track of how long you speak.
2b. Count how many times other people speak and keep track of how long
they speak.
3. Be conscious of how often you are actively listening to what other
people are saying as opposed to just waiting your turn and/or thinking
about what you'll say next.
4. Practice going to meetings focused on listening and learning; go to
some meetings and do not speak at all.
5a. Count how many times you put ideas out to the group.
5b. Count how many times you support other people's ideas for the group.
6. Practice supporting people by asking them to expand on ideas and get
more in-depth, before you decide to support the idea or not.
7a. Think about whose work and contribution to the group gets recognized.
7b. Practice recognizing more people for the work they do and try to
do it more often.
8. Practice asking more people what they think about meetings, ideas,
actions, strategy and vision. White guys tend to talk amongst themselves
and develop strong bonds that manifest in organizing. This creates an
internal organizing culture that is alienating for most people. Developing
respect and solidarity across race, class, gender and sexuality is complex
and difficult, but absolutely critical - and liberating.
9. Be aware of how often you ask people to do something as opposed to
asking other people "what needs to be done".
10. Think about and struggle with the saying, "you will be needed in the
movement when you realize that you are not needed in the movement".
11. Struggle with and work with the model of group leadership that says
that the responsibility of leaders is to help develop more leaders, and
think about what this means to you.
12. Remember that social change is a process, and that our individual
transformation and individual liberation is intimately interconnected with
social transformation and social liberation. Life is profoundly complex
and there are many contradictions. Remember that the path we travel is
guided by love, dignity and respect - even when it is bumpy and difficult
to navigate.
13. This list is not limited to white guys, nor is it intended to reduce
all white guys into one category. This list is intended to disrupt
patterns of domination which hurt our movement and hurt each other. White
guys have a lot of work to do, but it is the kind of work that makes life
worth living.
14. Day-to-day patterns of domination are the glue that maintain systems
of domination. The struggle against capitalism, white supremacy,
patriarchy, heterosexism and the state, is also the struggle towards
collective liberation.
15. No one is free until all of us are free.
