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P. 51
Dismantling Racism Resource Book
Sources of Resistance
( adapted from Arnold, Burke, James, Martin, and Thomas Educating for a Change, 1991, p. 134)
Our identity and relation to power: we may feel guilt or anxiety for being
a white person when racism is the issue or a man when sexism is the issue. We may
be afraid to speak out because we’ll be seen as a troublemeaker and become
isolated from the dominant group.
Our discomfort with the content and the perspective: the implications
of what we’re learning may be very threatening to us if we are white.
Our discomfort with the process: those of us used to doing things a certain
way may get impatient or frustrated when the process is unfamiliar, slow, or
confusing. We may assume that the way we respond to the process is the way
everyone responds to the process, whether or not that is true. Some of us feel we
have a ‘right’ to be included, while others never expect to be fully included.
Our fear about losing: taking in and/or acting on the information presented
may mean loss – of family, or friends, or a job. A white person who opens up to how
racism is playing out in their family or community may risk losing important
relationships if they decided to speak or act.
Our fear of critical thinking: many of us tend to hear critical thinking as
criticism. For example, the suggestion that we could do better on race issues in
our organizations is heard as criticism that we’re doing a bad job. This can be
particularily difficult when we have a lot of personal investment in the organization
or community.
Dismantling Racism Project 51 Western States Center
