Below are significant resources that can provide a foundational understanding of the themes listed. Note that some resources are listed in more than one place. As much as possible, we’ve ordered resources such that shorter items precede longer items. Neither the themes, nor lists of resources, are meant to be exhaustive. Self education is a lifelong journey. Guidance on how to incorporate different themes and resources into a group experience can be found on our Guiding Group Work and Sample Curriculum pages, and is also available through consultation
Understanding Racism and White Supremacy
- What is White Supremacy? (article) – Elizabeth Martínez
- Birth of a White Nation (video/book)– Jacqueline Battalora
- Our Analysis (online resource) – White Awake
- Roots Deeper Than Whiteness (essay) – David Dean
- “Are Cracker, White Trash, & Redneck Racist?” (video/short) – Decoded / MTV News
- The Wellbriety Journey to Forgiveness (documentary) – whitebison.org (the video title is linked to an edited version; the full documentary can be found on Youtube here)
- The Case for Reparations (article) – Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Race: the Power of an Illusion (film series) – CaliforniaNewsreel
- Indigenous People’s History of the United States (book) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Whiteness and Class
- “Are Cracker, White Trash, & Redneck Racist?” (video/short) – Decoded / MTV News
- “Why I Quit the Klan” (personal narrative/reading) – C.P. Ellis
Historical Grief and Trauma
- The Wellbriety Journey to Forgiveness (documentary) – whitebison.org (the video title is linked to an edited version for White Awake workshops; the full documentary can be streamed on Youtube here.)
European Roots & Patterns
- Roots Deeper Than Whiteness (essay) – David Dean
- Qallunology 101: A Lesson Plan for the Non-Indigenous (essay) – Derek Rasmussen
- Qallunology 201: We are the First De-Indigenized Civilization (essay) – Derek Rasmussen
- The Vast and Beautiful World of Indigenous Europe (essay) – Lyla June
- Healing the Dominant Group, Breaking the Cycle of Violence (blog post) – White Awake profile of David Dean
- Indigenous People’s History of the United States (book/see chapters 2 & 3) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
- “Appendix A: the Burning Times: Notes on a Crucial Period of History”, from Dreaming the Dark (book) – Starhawk
- The World Turned Upside Down (video and short reading) – song by Leon Rosselson; popularized by Billy Bragg
- Boudicca (article) – unc.edu
- Druids (book) – Morgan Llywelyn
Decolonization
- How to support Standing Rock and confront what it means to live on stolen land (article) – Berkley Carnine and Liza Minno Bloom
- Decolonization is not a metaphor (article) – Eva Tuck
- WANTING TO BE INDIAN: When Spiritual Searching Turns into Cultural Theft (article) – Myke Johnson
- Indigenous People’s History of the United States (book/ see conclusion) – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Collective Liberation
- Anti-Racist Organizing Strategy (article) – the Catalyst Project (modified version of chapter from Chris Crass’ book Towards Collective Liberation)
- This is an Uprising (book) – Mark Engler and Paul Engler
The Perils of “Helping” Across Cultures
- Qallunology 101: A Lesson Plan for the Non-Indigenous (article) – Derek Rasmussen
Building Accountable Relationships with Communities of Color
- Building Accountable Relationships with Communities of Color (online resource) – Pax Christi Anti-Racist Team
- AWARE-LA and Accountability (published book chapter) – AWARE-LA’s White Anti-racist Culture Building Toolkit
Racial Caucusing
- Racial Affinity Group Guidelines (Mindful of Race excerpt, by Ruth King)
- White Anti-Racism Affinity Groups: I Used to Be a Skeptic, But Now I’m an Evangelist (blog post by Justin C. Cohen)
- Guide to Race Based Affinity Groups (UUA Youth and Adult Ministries)
Racial Identity Development
- AWARE-LA’s Toward A Radical White Identity (foundational article) – AWARE-LA’s White Anti-racist Culture Building Toolkit
- Not Somewhere Else, But Here (essay) – Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker
- We Can’t Teach What We Don’t Know (book) – Gary Howard
- Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (book) – Beverly Daniel Tatum
Greetings, Thank you for the resources and initiative. I don’t see Reparatory Justice highlighted related to the struggle for Reparations and Repatriation. Is this something WhiteAwake is active in? The University of West Indies in Kingston Jamaica is opening a Reparatory Justice Institute in October guided by the leadership of Vice Chancellor Hillary Beckles who I recently met in Ghana West Africa at the Kwame Nkrumah Cultural and Intellectual Festival University of Ghana.
Equal Rights and Justice
Christopher Liontree! I believe we know one another. 🙂 I would love to bring resources onto the sight that specifically highlight Reparations, Repatriation, and Reparatory Justice. I’ll reach out to you via email.
With warmth,
Eleanor
Tim Wise, ‘White Like Me’
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Are there any resources on White Fragility? Articles/resources that can take the place of an antiracist white elder sitting the reader down and schooling them but also in a way that doesn’t cause a defensive reaction?
Hello Michael. We don’t have any resources off hand for this. I have generally found that as people learn more about what whiteness is, and how they’ve been socialized into it (including the many costs of this socialization), defensive “white fragility” responses naturally decrease. Also, while I acknowledge that folks sometimes need this type of “elder sitting them down” experience, generally the phrase “white fragility” elicits a defensive response from anyone who is displaying the traits this term is created to address. At any rate, if I find something as you described, I’ll post! 🙂 Sincerely, Eleanor (Director, White Awake)
Hi there! I just stumbled into this comment thread while looking through the resources on this page. You may have already come across Robin DiAngelo’s work on white fragility, but if not, here are three resources:
1) [blog post] Robin DiAngelo, “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism,” GoodMenProject.com, April 9, 2015, https://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/white-fragility-why-its-so-hard-to-talk-to-white-people-about-racism-twlm.
2) [scholarly article] Robin DiAngelo, “White Fragility,” International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3, no. 3 (2011): 54-70.
3) [book] Robin DiAngelo, White Fragility (Boston: Beacon Press, 2018).
Eleanor is probably right that these resources may be more triggering for someone who is already experiencing a form of white fragility, but I’ve found them incredibly helpful as an offering to white affinity groups more generally when introducing the concept and encouraging us to notice when the experience arises in ourselves.
Warmly, Gabe
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