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Dismantling Racism Resource Book

the welfare system – winning access for poor people of color who had been
excluded – that the welfare system became a target. And, it’s only in the last few
years, as the system has been largely dismantled, that the “typical” recipient of
assistance is now a women of color.]

3. We cannot defeat (or at least contain) racism unless we name it for what
it is.

It is not enough to work for reforms and policy initiatives that may positively

impact people of color or move forward racial justice if we are not explicit about
racism as a root cause of the problem. We must not only attack institutional racism
but also the racist culture and beliefs that support and propagate racism.
Ultimately, if we are not educating and advocating for people and institutions
to think and act in anti-racist ways, then we are NOT addressing the root
causes and are allowing for inevitable rollbacks of any of our victories. We
aren’t going to end racism by tricking racists and racist institutions.

Example: If we are working on an issue that is fundamentally about racial justice
but our key frame for the issue is about economic efficiency - “it would save the
city money” - we may be able to convince people it is the right thing to do today,
but those same people could do away with the policy in a heartbeat based on some

other argument tomorrow. Or those people could vote for a completely racist
initiative on the same ballot because of the economic efficiency argument. We
must move people politically, not just stick with what is expedient. Of course, this
makes our work harder.

4. By naming & framing racism you can take the “mask” off of coded
language and denial.

In organizing we’re often taught to find broadly popular, “common denominator”
issues and to avoid divisive ones. But when the issue is about racism, people
generally respond to “coded” messages and ideas about race, even if that’s not how
you frame your messages or demands. Trying to make the issues about something
else can make your arguments irrelevant to decision-makers and the public. By

naming and framing racism, you may have a better chance of influencing your
target audiences. If you name and frame the issue of racism, people can no longer
be in denial and base their actions on myths that justify those actions.

Dismantling Racism Project 109 Western States Center