Eliminating White Racism in the DC Climate/Sustainability Movement: A proposed syllabus.
Proposed Classes: a series of four classes, each lasting two hours, at the Meetinghouse, open only to white people although a separate Introduction and series of classes will be scheduled if there is interest among people of color, open to the wider community, class fee of $10 per session, according to ability to pay (no one will be turned away.) The purpose of the class is to reduce racism among participants and to launch one or more Climate Justice Action Groups which will become allies to specific people of color on an ongoing basis and will continue to meet to work on racism as it comes up.
Introduction: may be repeated until we get a critical mass of at least four.
1. Nobody is to blame: the goodness of human nature and the origins of racism; the importance of appreciations; the nature of racist attitudes and behaviors.
2. How to eliminate our personal racism: where did we learn individual racist attitudes and behaviors, emotional healing and the power of decision.
3. Institutional racism: what it is and how to end it, the history and current practice of environmental racism in DC, how to be an effective climate ally to people of color
4. Climate Justice Action Groups—an overview of climate justice in DC, considering alternative Topics and forming CJ Action Groups, how to run an Action Group and a Spokescouncil (to coordinate multiple Action Groups.)
Invitation
White climate/sustainability activists to be better allies to people of color
We are planning a four-evening, probably weekly class for committed white allies to explore the possibility of eliminating racism in the DC climate/sustainability movement.
The introduction is Tuesday, May 21, 7-9 p.m., 2111 Florida Ave., NW, DC, when we will decide on a schedule. You may have seen the recent Washington Post article describing the racial segregation in the environmental movement. Racism has successfully hampered all our movements for social change and threatens to do the same as we seek to stop climate change and establish a sustainable society—not to mention prevent massive loss of life due to the impact of climate change especially on communities of color. Long experience has shown the need for white people to start this work separately—and to follow it up with ongoing action. We are working closely with climate justice leaders in communities of color and will develop projects to support their work.
Offered by the National Institute for Peer Support and the Working Group on Racism of the DC Friends Meeting. Please RSVP to Jim Driscoll, 520-250-0509, or JimDriscoll@NIPSPeerSupport.org. More information is available at www.NIPSPeerSupport.org.