Never Woke Enough: Talking to White People about White Supremacy Netroots Nation, 2017 Dr. Karen Gaffney (Raritan Valley Community College, NJ) Blog (with resources and this Powerpoint): dividednolonger.com Forthcoming: Dismantling the Racism Machine: A Manual and Toolbox (Routledge)

White supremacy persists because for centuries, white people have been manipulated to believe false racial ideologies. Today, we hear: “The only racism today is against white people.” “Racism is a thing of the past.” “I’m colorblind.” “I can’t be racist. I marched with…” “Black Lives Matter activists are too extreme.” “Focus on economic justice, and that will address racial justice.” “I’m already woke.”

Never Woke Enough White supremacy is in the air we breathe, and denying our complicity only strengthens it. False racial ideologies are so embedded in our culture that white people (including progressives) are never finished learning about and confronting white supremacy.

What can we do? Examine how white people have been manipulated to believe false racial ideologies through divide and conquer strategies. Recognize how ample scholarship and evidence debunk these ideologies, but that work is not reaching the general white public effectively, which includes both well-intentioned white people and those less well-intentioned. Understand the reality of the Racism Machine often obscured behind these false ideologies. Recognize that people of color cannot have burden of teaching white people about racism. White people need to take responsibility for talking to other white people. Resist being divided and conquered by becoming undivided and unconquered.

“The civil rights movement ended racism.” False racial ideologies taught to white people The reality of the Racism Machine behind these false racial ideologies 1) Racism occurred in the past, but that problem has been resolved. 1) Racism is a serious problem in the US today. Mass incarceration, police violence, pollution, inadequate school resources, poverty, over-surveillance, under-representation, etc. disproportionately impact people of color today. “Slavery is over.” “The civil rights movement ended racism.”

“The KKK are the real racists.” False racial ideologies taught to white people The reality of the Racism Machine behind these false racial ideologies 2) Any lingering racism today is the fault of a few racist individuals. Reverse racism and political correctness are bigger problems today. 2) Racism today continues to be perpetuated by systems against people of color, not white people. Individual prejudice is not the same as systemic oppression Analyze power dynamic “The KKK are the real racists.” “White Lives Matter”

False racial ideologies taught to white people The reality of the Racism Machine behind these false racial ideologies 3) Races are inherently (even biologically) different. 3) There are no inherent or biological differences between groups we call races because race is a social construct (a human invention). Human DNA is 99.5% – 99.9% identical; tiny difference does not correlate with race Light skin color is very recent adaptation No scientific way to separate humans by “race” Josiah Nott, Types of Mankind, 1854

Let’s pause for a check in…

False racial ideologies taught to white people The reality of the Racism Machine behind these false racial ideologies 4) Race was invented to protect the elite, divide and conquer the masses, and steal indigenous land. A racial hierarchy was invented that positions whites as superior and blacks as inferior, with indigenous peoples, Asian Americans, and Latinx people occupying various intermediary positions. Bacon’s Rebellion White supremacy was normalized through systems 4) White people are the norm, and anyone else is other, exotic, ethnic, and/or inferior. Images that appear at the top of the Google Image search for “man” and “woman”

Unequal Opportunity Race video by the African American Policy Forum False racial ideologies taught to white people The reality of the Racism Machine behind these false racial ideologies 5) Capitalist systems provide easier access to opportunities for white people (especially middle/upper class, cisgendered, straight men) while simultaneously blocking access for people of color. 5) The US is a meritocracy where anyone who works hard can achieve the American Dream. Unequal Opportunity Race video by the African American Policy Forum

Today’s divide and conquer strategies reinforce 5 false racial ideologies “good minority” vs. “bad minority” white fear of becoming the minority

Asian Americans as the “Model minority” 1966 False ideology says: Work hard and you’ll be successful Racism is thing of the past If they can do it so can you No need for additional civil rights legislation, programs Reality: Damaging stereotype Scholars have debunked this stereotype for decades 1987

If there’s a “good minority,” there must be a “bad minority” 1965 War on Drugs CRIMINAL False ideology says: Black, Latinx, and indigenous people and Muslims are criminals/terrorists to be feared Reality: These negative stereotypes are based on damaging false ideologies that criminalize people of color and support racism

Fueling white fear

What next? Recognize how white people have been manipulated to believe the false racial ideologies that obscure the reality of the Racism Machine Confront the reality of the Racism Machine, how race was invented to divide and conquer, how our nation and institutions developed around that fundamental racial ideology Resist divide and conquer by becoming undivided and unconquered Dismantle the Racism Machine

What can you do? Individual level Silence is complicity Speak up when you hear white people support false racial ideologies “I’m concerned about what you just said.” “What makes you say that”? “I recently learned that…” Systemic level How are your decisions at work, in the community, and at home supporting these false racial ideologies? How are the decisions of your organization supporting these false racial ideologies? What different choices can be made?

Your turn: small group discussion Think about one example of a false racial ideology taught to white people that you encounter either in your personal life, your community, or at work. Summarize it for your group. After everyone shares, pick one example to start with and discuss specific strategies for intervention in order to a) reveal the falseness of this racial ideology, b) confront the systemic racism behind it, and c) create change. Groups report back to the room Q&A and further discussion

Thank you My blog dividednolonger.com has this Powerpoint and many resources Check out my forthcoming book from Routledge: Dismantling the Racism Machine: A Manual and Toolbox Feel free to email me with feedback: karen.gaffney@raritanval.edu Twitter: @dividednolonger Facebook: Divided No Longer