White Caucus

The White Caucus was a virtual monthly series of sessions for white people to take part in anti-oppression work in a way that’s useful rather than destructive or distracting. We caucused to process feelings, retrain ourselves, and take action to dismantle racism and shift power to people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). This space was made for white people looking to do more than traditional “DEI training”. We encouraged individuals to integrate anti-oppression, antiracist, and pro-Black practices into their daily lives through tangible action items and long-term community-building rooted in accountability and collective justice.

Sessions were facilitated by white staff and follow the guidance of BIPOC staff for accountability.

Each quarter hosted a different series with topics that build on each other. We recommended attending all sessions in a series to get the full breadth of learnings and unlearnings, but single-session drop-ins are totally acceptable.

Sessions activities included:

Reflection and in-depth discussion
Readings and homework
Community-building
Co-creating action items

Community resources

Healing from Internalized Whiteness Training
Beacon Press: THE FACILITATOR’S GUIDE FOR WHITE AFFINITY GROUPS
CompassPoint’s Liberatory Principles and Practices for White Supervisors (2-Part Series)
(divorcing) WHITE SUPREMACY CULTURE
How to Plan a White Caucus Agenda by Pippi Kessler
Roots Deeper than Whiteness by David Dean
Seattle Works Curriculum Resources

2023 White Caucus schedule and topics

Q1: Identifying and Countering Patterns of Whiteness and White Supremacy Culture

January 18 — topic: patterns of whiteness to work on in white spaces
February 15 — countering norms of one right way, individualism, and either/or thinking
March 15 — addressing feelings of powerlessness

Q2: Pro-Blackness

April 18 — anti-Blackness, pro-Blackness, and how it shows up in us
May 16 — reparations strategies
June 20 — building restorative cultures and systems

Q3: Processing Emotions that Get Us Stuck

July 18 — moving away from operating from fear, shame, and guilt
August 15 — intent versus impact: white savior complex
September 19 — strategies for processing uncomfortable emotions

Q4: Putting It All into Action

October 10 — peer workshopping
November 14 — interrupting white silence and bringing more white people into anti-racism work
December 12 — accountability reflection: how are you taking action for racial justice, especially pro-Blackness?

you may also be interested in …

Our White Caucus cohort, which is a cohort-based series for white people in an organizational position of power to take part in anti-oppression work in a way that’s useful rather than destructive or distracting.

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