Most white folks aren’t ready to organize

The DiDi Delgado strikes again! ❤

When I started Nice White Ladies (NWL) I was absolutely coming from an organizational mindset. For some reason I thought that they were just a little scattered. Like maybe they needed some stickers for their calendars or something. I planned on linking to events and helping connect people to resources within their community.

It was all wrong. I was wrong. Not only was it the wrong way to act on the impulse, it was the wrong ‘solution’ to the ‘problem’.

It didn’t take long to discover that a lot of white folks just aren’t ready to show up. They’re missing some really basic listening and communication skills that are essential to solidarity. They’re missing the critical analytical skills to see systemic racism, micro-aggressions or switches in coded speech.

In short: white folks need a lot of education when it comes to racial justice.

Some of that education can be done without burdening black organizers and people of colour. Some of that education can only come from the discomfort of being led when you’re used to leading. Some of it can only come from the discomfort of being excluded entirely.

There is not a single white person who has enough education on racial justice issues and fighting white supremacy to lead the actual movement. Not one.

But there are plenty of white folks who can answer dumb white questions and point people in the right direction.

With proper education there is no need for all-white organizing spaces. Once you know what’s going on, it seems entirely absurd to have them.

There is, however, a clear need for white educational spaces. While all those places mentioned above are white spaces, white folks don’t have the language to speak about race or white supremacy. We don’t stand around in the grocery store aisles talking about how white the cereal selection is. We don’t know how. Look at this face, this face is the universal face of white folks in racial justice conversation:

But even these educational spaces don’t need to be exclusively white, they just need to adapt to the folks showing up and asking questions. They need interaction with people who are prepared to educate and guide white folks through the very real feelings that come with unpacking white privilege.

The problem with SURJ and other white-led racial justice organizations is that they can’t deliver either of the things they’re offering. They don’t deliver the education, and they don’t deliver the organized support. You have a bunch of people showing up who want to talk, some others showing up who want to listen, some showing up who are just overwhelmed and this seemed like a space where they could make sense of the world, and a small fraction showing up ready to show up in real life, and being disappointed.

If your impetus is to organize in an all-white space then you are not ready for organizing work. You have a lot more learning and unpacking to do.

For the white folks who are wondering where to go/what to do, here’s my usual list of suggestions:

• Join Safety Pin Box to unlearn white supremacy and support Black Women Being.
• Diversify your media. Read The Establishment and consider a membership. I also recommend Bitch Media. Follow more diverse voices on social media. And I don’t just mean ‘diversity of thought’, I mean voices of people who don’t look like you. Continue to follow and listen to folks who challenge you and make you uncomfortable.
• Talk to your family and friends about white supremacy.
• If and only if the things listed above are too much for you, check out Nice White Ladies, please read: The State of White Women Part I and The State of White Women Part II. We can hold your hand for a little while but we will push you to get out of your white spaces and follow the leadership of those who have been fighting this fight for centuries.