Station 2 - New Paltz United Methodist Church

Stepping Deeper…

White Privilege

(From the Stations of the Cross in Lodwar Cathedral, Kenya)

“Not everything that is faced can be changed but nothing can be changed that is not faced.”
— James Baldwin

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke

“There can be no justice without peace and no peace without justice,”
— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Francis E. Kendall defines white privilege as “having greater access to power and
resources than people of color (in the same situation)”*. It does not mean that white
people don’t struggle. Nor does it mean that white people don’t earn their
accomplishments. The key to the meaning is in parentheses. When the challenge is
comparable being white has the advantage.

White privilege expects and receives the benefit of the doubt. If I get pulled over for
speeding I can assume I was in fact speeding. I can assume that I will not be pulled out
of my car and searched without provocation. I can assume that the encounter will end
with a ticket, not a bullet. I can assume normal. Honestly I don’t want this to change for
me. I want everyone to expect respect. I want normal to be normal for everyone.

In 2015, Daniel Cubias, creator of The Hispanic Fanatic website wrote about the term
white privilege. He said that because ‘marketing is everything” the term should not be
used. “The problem with white privilege is that the concept is painfully easy to refute. If
you’re explaining, you’re losing”. But I think a lot has happened since he wrote that
article. I think that many white people have processed the concept of white privilege
and their initial fragile responses have given way to acceptance through enlightenment,
education, and honesty.

It’s painful to think how unempowered my ancestors felt in the cruel dominance of white
supremacy but I refuse to perpetuate that helplessness. I am committed to change this
oppressive system. Silence is no longer an option. We can and will do better.

I believe we will be able to challenge other oppressive systems in our society and we
will do so because we have utterly vanquished white supremacy, outgrown and shed
our white fragility and planted our flag on common ground.

*Diversity in the Classroom and Understanding White Privilege: Creating Pathways to
Authentic Relationships by Francis E. Kendall

Prayers

Lord God, author of the universe;
your beloved Son carried a cross hewn of the wood of our iniquities;
grant us strength and courage to take up our crosses and follow him,
although the way is narrow, and the journey arduous.
We ask this in the name of your Son,
who lives and reigns in your heavenly kingdom.

We are all broken by something. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. We all share the condition of brokenness even if our brokenness is not equivalent….Sometimes we’re fractured by the choices we make; sometimes we’re shattered by things we would never have chosen. But our brokenness is also the source of our common humanity, the basis for our shared search for comfort, meaning and healing.
— www.osms.org/ye/white-privilege/prayer.html

A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. Ultimately there is nothing we can do but love. Dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as our friend.
— Dorothy Day

Stepping even deeper…

Online workshops:
Hudson Valley Just Transition movement: GoodworkInstitute.org

Websites:
Learning for Justice | Education Resources
National Radio Project / Making Contact : Social Justice Radio
Poor People’s Campaign – A National Call for Moral Revival
Kingston Reads!
Black Lives Matter

In the News:
Black United Methodists Want Changes (nyac.com)
How to fight racism using science | Race | The Guardian

Podcasts:
‘Renegades: Born in the USA’ Podcast – Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen
Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible | Making Contact Radio (radioproject.org)
Best White Privilege Podcasts (2021) (player.fm)
Seeing White – Scene on Radio
Podcast | Holy Post
the Antioch Podcast | Conversations About Biblical Antiracism
Straight white guy listening (swglistening.com)

Videos:
How to be an Antiracist | Aspen Ideas with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Books:
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson. The NY Times Review: Isabel Wilkerson’s ‘Caste’ Is an ‘Instant American Classic’ About Our Abiding Sin – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
Stamped by Ibrahim X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds
Black & White by Teesha Hadra & John Hambrick
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
Dear White Christians by Jennifer Harvey

Radio:
Radio Kingston

Taking Action…

Hear and believe people of color without defensiveness

People of color may find it difficult to speak to white people about white privilege and superiority. The white person may become defensive, and the person of color may feel obligated to comfort the white person because we live in a white-dominated environment. Racial stressors may cause a range of defensive behaviors and emotions. White people may act in certain ways when people of color discuss racism. Their reactions may include:
– anger
– fear
– guilt
– arguing
– silence
– leaving the stress-inducing situation

By behaving in this way, white people may prevent people of color from attempting to talk about racism with them. Different sources of racial stress that white people can experience may come from:
– a person claiming that a white person’s views are racist
– a person of color talking about their racial experiences and perspectives
– a person of color not protecting a white person’s feelings about racism
– a fellow white person not agreeing with another white person’s perspectives on racism
– a white person receiving feedback that their behavior or actions had a racist impact
– a white person being presented with a person of color in a position of leadership

Watch Roots, 13th, 12 Years a Slave or Selma

Race is one of the most difficult subjects to talk about as a society or culture, in part because of how sensitive and defensive people can be by nature. Watching a movie can take away the confrontational aspect race relations that might scare people.

Where to watch these movies (note that these may require subscription accounts or special purchasing to view. The movies may also be available on other streaming sites):

Roots is an American television miniseries based on Alex Haley’s 1976 novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. The series first aired on ABC in January 1977.
Watch Roots: The Complete Miniseries | Prime Video (amazon.com)
In 2016, The History Channel created this 4-part series: Watch Roots Season 1 | Prime Video (amazon.com)

13th is a 2016 American documentary film by director Ava DuVernay. The film explores the “intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States;” it is titled after the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted in 1865, which abolished slavery throughout the United States and ended involuntary servitude except as a punishment for conviction of a crime.
13TH | Netflix Official Site

12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical period-drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C., by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery.
Watch 12 Years a Slave | Prime Video (amazon.com)

Selma is a 2014 historical drama film directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb. It is based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches initiated and directed by James Bevel^[5][6] and led by Martin Luther King Jr., Hosea Williams, and John Lewis.
Watch Selma | Prime Video (amazon.com)

More viewing recommendation lists:
19 Movies About Race Every White Person Needs To Watch
Streaming Shows That Will Help You Examine White Privilege
Movies, Racial Bias, Privilege and “Whiteness”

Read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism is a 2018 book written by Robin DiAngelo about race relations in the United States. An academic with experience in diversity training, DiAngelo coined the term “white fragility” in 2011 to describe any defensive instincts or reactions that a white person experiences when questioned about race or made to consider their own race. In White Fragility, DiAngelo views racism in the United States as systemic and often perpetuated unconsciously by individuals. She recommends against viewing racism as committed intentionally by “bad people”.

View this video with Robin DiAngelo from the UMC General Commission on Religion and Race: (127) Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo – YouTube

More actions

– Invite 7 white friends to read and discuss one of the books on anti-racism, white privilege, or white supremacy
– Join the Black Lives Matter organization and participate in their activities
– Join NY Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement
– Write letters to or call NY legislators asking them to pass the HALT bill to limit solitary confinement to 15 days or less like the following states: Arkansas, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey and Texas
– Find out if your local police force uses body cams. If not, write to your town government and police chief to advocate for it.
– Find out if your town employs evidence-based police de-escalation trainings. If not, write to advocate for it.
– Write on social media, newspaper editors expressing your desire for social justice and invite others to do so as well.
– Support black owned businesses, for example Hudson Valley Cheesecake.
– Watch “Thirteenth” and invite friends and family to watch it as well.
– Address racism when it rears its ugly head. When Uncle Harry makes a racist comment, calmly say, “I see it differently…”
– Don’t be silent about a racist joke. Silence is compliance. Say, “That makes me uncomfortable.”
– Participate In reparations, which are not only monetary. Share your time, skills, knowledge with BIPOC.
– Seek out a diverse group of friends. Practice real friendship. Listen when they talk about their experiences.
– Know our American history. Watch “Roots,” “Selma,” “Pose” (Netflix)
– Join YWCA USA’s 15th annual Stand Against Racism campaign taking place April 22 – 25, 2021
– Write to your government, your state legislators to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day
– Send a card or a letter to Governor Cuomo requesting changing Columbus Day. His address is NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224. Or email: https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

And even more…

103 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice | by Corinne Shutack | Equality Includes You
18 ways to sustain the fight against racism (Opinion) – CNN
Beyond Protests: 5 Ways To Channel Your Anger Into Action To Fight Racism : Shots – Health News : NPR

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Special thanks to Carol Bialy and Sharon Roth for researching this social justice issue

Each station was researched by one or more members of our church community to help provide the detailed information that has been presented. Are you interested in this social justice issue? Do you have additional information or action items that you would like to share? If so, email us at newpaltzumc@gmail.com. These web pages are a dynamic, active work in progress, just like the people of our community!