One week ago, I had the privilege of attending the Undoing Racism training with the Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB), offered in partnership with the Haymarket Peoples Fund. This training offered me a Matrix moment (Keanu Reeves-style) of really seeing the depth of what were up against in the fight for a country free from the grasp of White supremacist oppression, which harms ALL people in different ways. Ive been exploring ways that White supremacy has been built into me as a White American. tinyurl/ortljoa tinyurl/pkm8xxf But what the Undoing Racism training offered me was a deeper look at our history and institutions and how they were created and nurtured with the purpose of establishing and maintaining White supremacy. One of the most powerful ideas I walked away with was about gatekeeping (using ones own privilege to control who has access to certain resources). I had only heard the term gatekeeping used as a negative thing. PISAB taught me that gatekeeping is NOT an inherently oppressive act. It all depends on HOW the gatekeeper does the gatekeeping. The harmful gatekeeping is when a person of privilege goes into a community that is not theirs and acts as gatekeeper to resources heading inside the community (ie If I like your program, I will bring money/resources from the local higher ed institution in order to fund it. OR worse, I thought up a program that will solve a problem in your community.). But a conscious gatekeeper can flip this dynamic. If I have privilege and I am purporting to serve in a community, I can use my privilege to keep the gate for resources heading OUT of the community I purport to work for. (ie asking outsiders who have ideas or proposals for the community: Who are you? What are you seeking? Who stands to gain from your involvement here?) The core resources are already in the community. They dont need to be brought in. The danger is that the culture of extraction can come in under the guise of offering resources when in fact, they are a force for extraction. I recommend this training 1000% for all people who wish for a better America. Just dont come expecting an easy time. Haymarket Peoples Fund Renae Gray Bay Love Shana Weaver Naomi Sobel Jen Willsea L Cole Parke Zaskya Perez Jennifer Dowdell Rosario TimeLess Navi John Jadi Mendes Ari Pliskin Chris Crass Christopher Hope Joan Squeri Marian Darlington-Hope Marianne Gabel Donaldo Lateiner
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:51:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015