Whiteness is steeped in systemic privilege that has created habits, behaviors, and values that are optional. What does this mean? As white people, we get to choose if we get involved in race. We believe that we personally do the right thing, but we can’t force others to do the same. The reality is that race and racial justice is not optional for us. This isn’t about blaming and shaming. This is about understanding the white racial identity and the social responsibility that comes with it.

Rita Hardline talks about the tug and pull that the white racial identity often experiences: dominant culture versus cultural belonging. From one perspective, the white culture is the default, the main, the aspired to be culture. On the flipside, some white people long for a way to understand their roots and experience it as something that is connected to a cultural identity. Whiteness, like other cultures, has a historical context. Gaining a deeper understanding leads to a broader view of the power and privilege that defines whiteness today and continues to perpetuate the marginalization of communities that are not white.

White people who aspire to be Diversity Champions may post a sign as their Facebook profile pic, wear a t-shirt, make a donation to a cause. These aren’t bad things, but who do they serve? Are white allies creating a performative culture that can draw a line in the sand for our involvement in what needs to be a transformative culture shift? An ally is someone who draws that line. An accomplice is someone who is willing to cross that line to talk to other white people about whiteness and the privilege that prohibits real movement in multicultural equity

Do you approach "the work" with intensity, serve as an ally, but have a hard time involving other white people in the efforts to propel racial justice? Join us for a conversation on whiteness, allyship, being an accomplice and moving beyond performative actions. This session is a dialogue. Participation and sharing is not optional.