[White people] are...still trapped in a history
which they do not understand;
and until they understand it,
they can not be released from it. - James Baldwin -
The National Conference on Whiteness was founded by the Center for the Study of White American Culture (CSWAC). Originally held in New Jersey in November 1996, the conference was the first ever convened in the nation on the topic of whiteness. It still is the only annually recurring event devoted to this crucial topic.
This year the conference is being hosted by three Boston organizations: Community Change, The Women’s Theological Center, and Sparking Powerful Anti-Racist Collaboration (SPARC). These organizations, along with CSWAC and Partnership Against Racism in Chicago, have focused the 1997 conference on whiteness as a target for antiracist thought and action.
The 1997 conference is for people of all racial backgrounds who would like to better understand the ways in which whiteness and white culture contribute to the perpetuation of racism and internalized racism, and who are looking for allies and resources in their work to eliminate racism and internalized racism.
Conference Goals
Build ALLIANCES through thinking, ACTION, and CREATIVITY to challenge white supremacy;
Explore the INTERSECTIONS of whiteness with race, class, gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity, spirituality and language;
Spark ORGANIZED ANTI-RACIST ACTION on local and national levels;
Expand discussions of WHITENESS and ANTI-RACISM;
Develop a more EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE for addressing the complexities of race and racism;
Promote examination of the ROLE of WHITE PEOPLE in the problem of racism personally and as members of the white race;
Make sure PEOPLE of ALL racial, ethnic, language and national origin GROUPS are an INTEGRAL PART of the study of whiteness.;
Give VOICE to concerns of MULTIRACIAL PEOPLE regarding whiteness, including hypodescent;
Explore the HISTORY of whiteness and its relationship to racism and white supremacy.
Format and schedule
We intend to create a space where participants can:
build community;
share resources for training, organizing, research, publishing, etc.;
explore particular aspects of white identity and culture through
structured and casual conversation;
deepen of our collective understanding of the problems created by
whiteness and of the ways in which to heal from those problems;
bridge the experiences of academics and activists.
Friday, November 7 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Registration and welcome
Getting to know one another
Naming what we have come to do
Saturday, November 8
9:00 to 9:30
Registration and coffee/tea
9:30 to 10:30
Full group meeting
10:30 to 10:45
Break
10:45 to 12:30
Workshops/Presentations/Conversations
12:30 to 2:00
Lunch (provided) in affinity groups (chosen by issue and/or identity)
2:00 to 4:30
Workshops/Presentations/Conversations
4:30 to 7:00
Dinner break (on your own)
7:00 to 9:30
An evening of song, poetry, theatre, etc.
Sunday, November 9
9:00 to 9:30
Coffee/tea
9:30 to 10:30
Full group meeting
10:30 to 12:00
Where do we go from here?
We’re still looking…
for organizations and individuals who are activists, educators, organizers,
community and spiritual leaders, artists, and others who are interested in
offering a workshop, facilitating a conversation, presenting or exhibiting
works of art, leading a ritual, etc. which will promote the goals of the
conference and deepen their own work to end racism and internalized racism.
If you or your organization is interested in participating in any of these
ways, please send us your proposal. We will begin selecting proposals
October 1, 1997. Submissions will be reviewed until all remaining positions
on the schedule are full.
ALSO, WE ARE LOOKING FOR SPONSORS TO UNDERWRITE COSTS OF THE CONFERENCE, AND VOLUNTEERS TO HELP WITH LOGISTICS AND PUBLICITY.
The conference planners thank the Episcopal Divinity School for their
generous donation of space for the conference.
Community Change, Inc.
14 Beacon St., Rm. 605
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: (617) 523-0555
Partnership Against Racism (P.A.R.)
1507 E. 53rd St., Unit 132
Chicago, IL 60615
Phone: (773) 643-5732
Email: lowellt@enteract.com
Web site: http://www.whitefolks.com
("WHITE FOLKS", the book, was written by Lowell Thompson,
Founder and Executive Director of P.A.R.)
