White People Talking About Whiteness | Eleanor Hancock
Eleanor Hancock, Executive Director of White Awake, discusses why it's crucial for white people to see and talk about whiteness with each other. She covers the emotional and intellectual barriers, the role of mindfulness in anti-racism work, and navigating the complexities of "woke culture" to foster collective action.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Introduction to Whiteness as a Social Construct
Eleanor Hancock's Personal Journey to Anti-Racism Work
The FBI's COINTELPRO Program and its Destructive Impact
The Origins and Approach of White Awake
Bringing Mindfulness and Compassion to Anti-Racism Education
Why White People Should Talk to Other White People About Race
Overview of White Awake's Curriculum and Approach
Emotional and Intellectual Challenges for White People in Anti-Racism Work
Navigating 'Woke Culture' and its Impact on Engagement
The Historical Construction of Whiteness as a Legal and Social Category
The Evolution of Racial Consciousness and 'Colorblindness'
Understanding White Supremacy as a System vs. Individual
The Interconnection of Racism, Capitalism, and Economic Inequality
The Personal Benefits of Engaging in Anti-Racism Work
Immediate Actions and Resources for Engagement
6 Key Concepts
Socially Constructed Race
Race is not a biological reality but rather a social construct, meaning it is a concept created and defined by society. This classification system, particularly 'whiteness,' was developed for specific social and economic purposes, especially in the early American colonies.
COINTELPRO
This refers to the FBI's Counterintelligence Program, which targeted civilians, including the Black Panthers, during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. It involved extreme aggression, infiltration, and destruction of movements, leading to paranoia and internal violence within targeted groups.
White Awake's Approach
White Awake centers curiosity, compassion, and heartfelt experience in its anti-racism education for white people. It aims to create a space where white individuals can learn without feeling attacked, fostering self-love and care rather than self-directed anger or hostility.
White Fragility (Challenges)
White people often face significant emotional and intellectual challenges in anti-racism work, including feeling discouraged, unsure what to do, and a lack of trust in their own capacity to contribute positively. There's also a tendency to shut down, go on the defense, or recede into guilt and shame, partly due to a lack of safe spaces to process grief and anger.
Neoliberalism's Impact on Activism
Neoliberalism, characterized by the gutting of the public sector and suppression of collective bargaining, contributes to a 'brittle culture' in activist spaces. Without strong collective action on tangible social projects, energy can be misdirected into infighting over language or posturing, rather than addressing systemic issues.
Systemic White Supremacy
In anti-racism circles, white supremacy refers to an ideology and system that is systematically put in place, rather than just individual acts of racism or white nationalist groups. It is deeply intertwined with capitalism, serving as a central 'divide and control' strategy to maintain economic hierarchies.
6 Questions Answered
White people need to talk to other white people about race because it creates a safe space for honest conversation without self-consciousness or performance around people of color. It also allows for reflection on personal socialization and leverages existing social networks for influence within white communities.
White people often struggle with feelings of discouragement, uncertainty about effective actions, and a lack of self-trust due to poor socialization. They also face challenges in finding safe spaces to grieve and process emotions like rage and anger, and navigating an unforgiving 'woke culture' that can lead to shutdown.
While increased awareness of harmful language is positive, 'woke culture' can sometimes be brittle and unforgiving, leading to 'predatory listening' where people are attacked for missteps. This can cause white people to freeze or shut down, hindering genuine engagement and coalition-building necessary for social change.
Whiteness was legally constructed in the early 13 colonies, particularly in the late 1600s, as a 'divide and control' strategy by a small elite to prevent an alliance between enslaved Africans and indentured European servants. Laws were enacted to give white laborers advantages over African laborers, codifying white supremacy to maintain the economic order.
If the goal is simply to be a more sensitive person and less overtly racist, then perhaps not. However, if the goal is to stop racism, understanding its systemic connection to capitalism and economic structures is crucial, as racism serves to divide laboring people and scapegoat groups to maintain the power of economic elites.
Engaging in anti-racism work is a way for white people to recover their own humanity, heal damaged parts of themselves, and become more fully integrated and connected to their hearts and bodies. It releases energy previously used to deny reality, allowing for a more authentic and generative life focused on collective liberation and a harmonious society.
34 Actionable Insights
1. Recover Your Full Humanity
Engage in the difficult work of confronting societal realities to recover damaged aspects of your humanity, both personally and in your collective family history, leading to a more fully integrated and human existence.
2. Confront Reality for Full Humanity
To achieve full humanity, integration, and a healthy psychology, confront and come to terms with the reality of your circumstances, including your socialization as a white person.
3. Confront Unfairness for Freedom
Confront the deep unfairnesses within the system and your role in perpetuating them, as this difficult process ultimately releases subconscious pain and frees you to play a constructive role.
4. Cultivate Collective Liberation Vision
Cultivate a vision of collective liberation and a harmonious society that prioritizes care for self, others, and the earth, then connect with like-minded individuals to actively work towards bringing this vision to fruition.
5. Understand Systemic Racism to Stop It
To effectively stop racism, commit to understanding its systemic workings and historical context, rather than just aiming for personal sensitivity.
6. Humanize and Connect Collectively
Work to humanize yourself and others, understand structural issues, and connect with people collectively to address societal problems.
7. Center Curiosity and Compassion
When engaging in anti-racism work, especially in group settings, incorporate mindfulness practices that center curiosity, compassion, and heartfelt experience, rather than solely relying on intellectual or potentially hostile approaches.
8. Integrate Loving-Kindness & Curiosity
Integrate loving-kindness practices and curiosity into all aspects of engagement, especially when dealing with difficult topics like racism, to foster more productive interactions.
9. Organize with Love, Not Hate
Approach social change work, particularly organizing, from a place of love and care for the people you are trying to organize, as hatred is counterproductive.
10. Build Coalitions on Common Ground
To achieve societal change, focus on building coalitions and finding common ground with people who hold different views, rather than policing language or insisting on a ‘right way’ of speaking, to enable collective action on shared needs.
11. White People See Whiteness
White people should actively see whiteness and discuss it with each other, as this is a crucial first step toward creating a more equitable society.
12. White-Only Race Discussions
White individuals should engage in discussions about race exclusively with other white people to foster open, honest conversations, as the presence of people of color can lead to self-consciousness, performance, or fear of causing harm, hindering genuine dialogue.
13. Understand Family History & Identity
Explore your family history to understand how your ancestors may have been colonized or manipulated, developing a more rooted sense of identity that challenges typical white socialization.
14. Cultivate Emotional Resilience on Race
Develop emotional resilience to engage with topics of race without shutting down or becoming defensive.
15. Process Grief and Anger Safely
Create or seek out safe, supported spaces to process and express grief, rage, and anger related to racial injustice, as suppressing these emotions due to fear of manipulation or discomfort is harmful and perpetuates disconnection.
16. Develop Strong Political Analysis
Cultivate a strong political and economic analysis to understand the underlying reasons for social issues and to ensure your actions for change are effective.
17. Center Personal Political Analysis
Develop a strong personal political analysis and theory of change to stay centered and effective in social change work, even amidst confusion or unforgiving activist spaces.
18. De-escalate Upset with Listening
When encountering upset from others in social change work, avoid taking it personally; instead, be sensitive, understand its source, and respond with listening and validating to de-escalate the situation.
19. Leverage Your Sphere of Influence
Utilize your sphere of influence—family, neighbors, community members—to discuss racial justice, as you have significant impact within your existing relationships and communities.
20. Join Whiteness Study Groups
Participate in study and support groups focused on understanding the construction of whiteness, its history, and the relationship between race and economic dynamics, especially if you are a white person seeking to process current events, ask questions, and find support for taking action.
21. Engage Diverse Social Categories
Actively engage with individuals from different social categorizations to break down stereotypes and learn about their real experiences, as personal interaction helps dismantle preconceived notions.
22. Learn History to Unpack Stereotypes
Educate yourself on the history of how racial dynamics and stereotypes developed, as this understanding helps to unpack and diminish their influence over your perceptions and actions.
23. Challenge Harmful Language/Stereotypes
Actively use various media, relationships, and interactions to challenge and change harmful language and stereotypes.
24. Meet People Where They Are
When discussing social issues, meet people where they are by using language that resonates with them to talk about shared experiences and realities.
25. Contemplate Statement Practice
Practice a contemplative technique: choose a statement, first notice bodily sensations, then repeat the statement and notice arising emotions, then repeat and notice arising thoughts, to gain space and awareness.
26. Immerse in Different Racial Spaces
Seek opportunities to spend time within spaces predominantly occupied by people of a different racial background, developing relationships and adapting to their norms and experiences, as this is a valuable learning experience.
27. Read “Birth of a White Nation”
Read Jacqueline Vadalora’s book “Birth of a White Nation” to understand the global and legal origins of whiteness and its designation.
28. Research COINTELPRO History
Research COINTELPRO and the FBI’s actions against social movements from the 50s-70s to understand the destruction that occurred.
29. Unite Labor for Social Change
Recognize the collective power of labor to effect societal change, and prioritize working together in masses, avoiding internal bickering or violence, to address tangible social projects.
30. Donate to Bail Funds
Donate money to a bail fund, such as The Bail Project or the Bail Fund Network, to immediately support protesters who have been arrested.
31. Connect with Local Justice Groups
Connect with local anti-racist or racial justice organizing groups, such as “Showing Up for Racial Justice,” to find ways to get involved in your area.
32. Join Black Lives Matter Mailing Lists
Join the mailing lists of national organizations like Black Lives Matter or Movement for Black Lives to learn about best practices for protesting and specific local actions.
33. Review Color of Change Demands
Review the demands compiled by organizations like Color of Change to understand constructive actions and goals for addressing policing issues.
34. Watch Kianga Yamada Taylor Interview
Watch the interview with Kianga Yamada Taylor on Democracy Now! to understand the connection between neoliberalism, the gutting of the public sector, and the role of police as a last-resort policy strategy in the context of current events.
6 Key Quotes
You cannot organize people that you hate.
Anne Braden (quoted by Eleanor Hancock)
As mammals, we are geared to suffer with other people if they are suffering. We have to build up walls and defenses not to.
Eleanor Hancock
If you're higher up, part of the way that's dehumanizing to use, you have to shut down part of your natural mammalian way of connecting and feeling.
Eleanor Hancock
It's going to be hard to make fun of Asian people when you're close to Asian people, you know?
Eleanor Hancock
It's not that hard to understand the difference between talking about white supremacy as a system... and then looking at the relationship between white supremacy and capitalism.
Eleanor Hancock
It's a way of recovering your own humanity. There's elements of our own humanity that have been damaged in our personal life and in our collective family history. And it's a way of recovering that and of being more fully human.
Eleanor Hancock
2 Protocols
Contemplative Practice for Statements
Kara Dansky (shared by Eleanor Hancock)- Contemplate a statement and first notice how you feel in your body.
- Repeat the statement and notice what emotions are arising.
- Repeat the statement and notice what thoughts are arising.
White Awake's 'Roots Deeper Than Whiteness' Course Structure
Eleanor Hancock- Start each session with a grounding practice.
- Present a couple of main topics per session.
- Facilitate small group discussions in breakout rooms.
- Allow participants to share insights with the larger group.
- Incorporate various activities, including guided meditations.
- Focus on developing emotional resilience to engage with race topics without shutting down.
- Explore personal and family history to develop a rooted sense of identity, understanding ancestral experiences of colonization/manipulation.
- Build a strong political and economic analysis to understand the systemic nature of racism and effective social change.