In this episode, Mahala and I explore what it means to engage in anti-racist work as white people in America. We recorded this episode on Sunday May 24th, just about 24 hours before the killing of George Floyd at the hands of white law enforcement officers. We want to be mindful to add that we didn’t mention this because it had not yet occurred. Without discounting the trauma of what has happened in our world over this past week, we can’t ignore the fact that this has been a reality for people of color in our country for far too long. This is a conversation that needs to happen. I recently saw a quote from Jen Hatmaker that I want to share here. She said, “If we are not anti-racist, we are racist. There is no neutral when black lives continue to be dispensable and disposable day after day. There is no neutral when we gently benefit from white supremacy without challenging its demonic, inherent evils. This is our work.” In this episode, Mahala and I lean in to the conversation of white privilege and what it means to do anti-racist work. As Mahala’s friend, I can truly say that her work in this world is powerful. I’ve listened to this episode multiple times and continue to learn so much from her words. But the work goes beyond this episode. This is a conversation to have with your family, your friends, your workplace, and with yourself.
Books and Resources Mentioned:
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan Johnson
Pedagogy of the Oppressed Paulo Freire
Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
The Powers that Be by Walter Wink
You can find Mahala on Instagram @mahalarain
And here are a few ways you can support this podcast as it gets off the ground:
1) Subscribe! As a subscriber you will be the first to know the minute a new episode is released.
2) Rate! Write a review on your podcast listening site. If you do, we want to thank you. Every week we will be shouting out one review from the week before. We want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to lift us up!
3) Share! My favorite part of podcasts are that they can be listened to in a variety of different places. Snap a quick picture of where you are listening and tag as @candidcoalition on Instagram.
Again, thank you so much!