.

I didn't think much of anything would surprise me, especially in the realm of racism and bigotry, having grown up around and always been surrounded by such hate.

But lately, something is slapping me in the face nearly every day.

Just wow.

The bigots are taking Obama's terms in the WH as their free pass to PUBLICLY lash out at minorities.

and, believe me, as a white woman, I am fully aware that the metaphorical slaps in the face I mentioned aren't REMOTELY akin to the outright abuse or the "death by 1000 cuts" that people of color experience every day and have forever.

I don't want to give that impression, and I'm really sorry to anyone reading who felt that I did.

Most of us old-timers know you and your heart and why it matters to every group here at DU.

I'm really emotional today for some reason and you just brought me to tears. That is so damn sweet of you to say and I truly appreciate it.

First it is laughter, because most of that is seen as weakness, and the second is anger, because they know they are not practicing these things and know they should be.

As the human being evolves, so does her/his emotions and reactions.

Almost everything we do in life is a reaction to something, how we react in a given situation, is what defines us and how you can tell where you are on that scale of growth.

If you hear on the news that a couple of 18 yr old kids came illegally across the border and were caught, and your reaction is

a. Good, glad they caught the bastards, we got too many of em as it is, send em back!

or

b. I wonder what conditions these people are fleeing that are so bad they will risk arrest or possibly injury or death?

How you react, defines you.

It's funny though. The use of the words "compassion" and "empathy" to describe my venture six years ago led Glenn Beck to include me (Wishadoo) in with organizations he accused of ruining America, being fascist/socialist/communist/Nazi. lol

Yes, there is ridicule because they view such ways of being in the world as weakness, but there is fear of it as well. If Beck didn't fear such a world, he wouldn't have ridiculed it and I wouldn't have been stalked and harassed for months thereafter.

That's when I realized how frightened they are...truly frightened. I even try to have compassion for their fear, but when someone's fear leads them to bully and abuse and harass others, they lose me. I'm not nearly that good of a person.

I agree that how we act defines us, and how we react is often the only thing we have control over in this life.

because you're one who continuously self-reflects as part of your daily life, and that's key. I mean you actually work on how bias might influence you instead of proving it does not. I have no doubt that millions of white people are for all the beautiful words in the cloud, but when study after study finds that many, many whites believe in reverse racism, believe they experience more racism, believe equality as a zero-sum game, and throw around the phrase identity politics as a distraction - as if we haven't been subjected to one supreme identity politics for centuries - it's not surprising that unconscious bias and racism are the strong underlying factor you're encountering.

I mean it's not a new phenomenon that social movements have always marginalized PoC, especially indigenous people rendered basically invisible. So to me, given the above reality, the dominant culture again becomes the universal when attempting to create "a better world." It's hard work to deprogram when, with good intention, you've been programmed to believe you're the height of civility, goodness, intelligence, progress, have the supporting power structure and then try to work toward all the words in the cloud.

That's why I like groups like LOWPAWS - first do the internal work before setting out on good intentions that for the most part repeatedly fails.

Here are some interesting thoughts from mostly white anti-racist activists, Reflections and Thoughts on White Anti-Racist Organizing from radicals of color and white anti-racists http://www.coloursofresistance.org/721/reflections-and-thoughts-on-white-anti-racist-organizing-from-radicals-of-color-and-white-anti-racists/

I know finding amazing resources is your thing, but I know you know you just shared THE best thing for me to read right now.

WOW.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, KoB.

I'd love to join this organization but they're way out East.

What really struck me is that I've been on it about police brutality here. But when I saw their call for volunteers in the life sciences, that I gave up as a career years ago, my heart started racing! It's still a call for East Coast people so I'm going to contact them to find what I can do about sharing love of biological science stuff out here. It's a start. And I like their Ask Cynthia blog, too, for nonprofit work

Thanks so much!

Is this the website you went to?

http://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/tribunal.html

I'm wondering where you found the Ask Cynthia blog? (You find stuff right away that it takes me days to find...lol)

Glad to know years of looking ish up directly helps

Information always makes me feel better

but will be going back for a slow read. Thanks for posting, KoB.

Just saw this on FB from a friend of mine in the U.K. about an organization that serves the minority community.

So i heard they were looking for creative writers with skills across all the writing disciplines. And that they'd finally noticed that they have hired no Black ppl, ever. The only Black person involved in their organisation is unpaid. However, they serve a marginalised group and i assumed that they at least wish to be fair and balanced.

I called up to enquire. He started saying they are "looking into partnerships" with organisations that "serve those communities". I asked if he was saying he's uncomfortable with talking to members of my community directly? And that not everyone accesses organisations as a service user.

I also said that when i heard the news, I'd assumed they realised that the fact ALL of the organisations centreing the arts and disabled ppl had ZERO Black paid workers.... meant their organisations were problematic, and needed fixing?

He said something about the focus being on "getting the right person for the job".
I asked, very gently, if he felt that we live in a meritocracy, and that the reason they have NEVER hired Black artists and trainers is because the white ones were always better?

He said he had "never personally come across" any artists of colour who were qualified enough to be hired. I decided to ignore the embedded shade, as he has clearly come across me.

He then started to say he "hopes" he isn't racist. I was going to say that his personal attitude is less important than the overall impact of systemic bias... but the phone went dead in the middle of his sentence.

Basically: they must have applied to the Lottery or other funders who now look at diversity. They needed to put on paper that they would be recruiting, or "actively seeking to recruit" a "BME" person who specialises in creative writing.

I stay away from most of these ppl because hypocrisy sickens me.

Rereading your OP and this, it struck me that perhaps many of these organizatons are repelled by diversity and inclusion because they're automatically motivated to control the coming results of activism - sharing, inclusions - that will not go away.

"...repelled by diversity and inclusion because they're automatically motivated to control the coming results of activism - sharing, inclusions - that will not go away."

That's powerful, KoB. FUABS, but a powerful insight. I know you're right.

I'm at a complete loss.

I'm going to dive into that colours of resistance site you shared. Maybe it will help me find my way with all of this.