Racism and Racial Justice

cultural bridges to justice will design a racial justice workshop to meet the specific needs and objectives of your organization. Whether a single one day session. a multi-day or multi-year series, your goals, audience, timeframe and budget will guide the design of the workshop.

Link to any of the specific programs listed for detailed information regarding typical design, objectives, outcomes and logistics.

RACIAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE ©

The cultural bridges to justice RACIAL JUSTICE INSTITUTE is a community centered, long-term (usually multi-year), training and organizing project to educate, empower and sustain local change agents as they work to create a more inclusive, affirming and just community. The three components of the RJI illuminate the realities of personal, institutional and cultural racism, convey contemporary and historical information, introduce and practice skills and tools for change, and bring together people who share a sense of urgency to strategize anti-racist actions. (Part One: FOUNDATION; Part Two: PRACTICUM; Part Three: TRAINING OF TRAINERS)

White Privilege

White Privilege includes the unquestioned, unearned, most often unconscious, advantages, entitlements, benefits, choices, assumptions and expectations bestowed on white people based solely on membership in the culturally dominant, white group. To those who have it, privilege is often invisible. Guilt, shame, denial and defensiveness often accompany the first recognition and acknowledgement of one’s privilege. White privilege is a powerful tool to dismantle racism, if white anti-racists learn to spend their white privilege with integrity, challenging racist structures, attitudes and institutions.

This workshop offers language, challenge, skills and support for white anti-racists.

Internalized Racism

Internalized racism is most often defined as the involuntary belief by People of Color that the racist lies and stereotypes about them are true.

Any oppression that continues long enough will inevitably be internalized by the people targeted by that particular oppression. If children continually hear racist lies and stereotypes, experience racial prejudice and are bombarded with negative images of people like themselves, they will come to believe some of those negative messages, and act on them. Among the possible consequences of this internalization are self-doubt, loss of self-esteem, self-hatred, plus mistrust of other People of Color.

This workshop will examine the impact of internalized racism on individuals and communities of color and actions needed to interrupt this predictable consequence of racism.

Cultural Diversity – the challenge and the gift

This interactive workshop offers a framework, language and reality check for several forms of oppression (usually racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism and ableism.) This is not a “managing diversity” or “cultural competence” training, but rather a powerful introduction to “anti-oppression / justice” training. Participants engage each other in a variety of activities that deepen their understanding of oppression and inspire them to taking action for justice.

Cultural Appropriation or Cultural Sharing

Where do we draw the line? And who draws the line?

This workshop provides definitions, historical and cultural information, and examines the complexities and opportunities for exploitation and oppression of non-dominant cultures by even well-meaning people. The focus is on both cultural and spiritual appropriation of communities and cultures of color.

DETOUR-SPOTTING for white anti-racists

This workshop is based on an essay by the same title (available in Resources – “Detour-Spotting”). This is an interactive experience of identifying and acknowledging the “detours” from an anti-racist path taken by even well intentioned white people. White folks help white folks identify their racist attitudes and behaviors and work to interrupt these“detours.”

White Supremacy – It isn’t just about the KKK

Most white, U. S. North Americans associate the term “white supremacy” only with avowed hate groups like the ku klux klan, aryan nation and militia groups. Dismantling racism demands recognizing that societal and institutional standards and values in the United States are rooted in a culture-wide belief in white supremacy. In this workshop participants will work together to identify white supremacist cultural norms, the resulting white privileges, and potential actions toward racial justice.

Introductory Racial Justice Workshops

Some groups are looking for a racial justice workshop that is shorter in duration, not too in-depth, that can be presented in a conference session or that will work within a work shift schedule. Please, use the link above to read about some of the possibilities.