From jeffhitchcock at euroamerican.org Thu Sep 3 05:26:56 2009 From: jeffhitchcock at euroamerican.org (Jeff Hitchcock) Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 07:26:56 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] PISAB conference in NYC on child welfare drawing attention Message-ID: <2634EA394A8A44938BE89A9BF73D579F@JeffOffice> The People's Institute for Survival and Beyond in New York City is getting word out about a conference in a big way. The conference gathers together professionals from across the country to discuss "Reducing Racial Disproportionality in Child Welfare." The conference is of interest to social workers and other persons involved in the child welfare system. For those who are not, and who might like to learn something about it, "disproportionality" means something to the effect that the child welfare system is built on a racist structure and that structure needs to be addressed so that all people benefit. The conference will highlight some of the work the People's Institute has been doing in this field for several years now. People in New York may have seen announcements of the conference already. For those who are at a distance, please tell anyone in your area who might have an interest, and if you know people close to New York, let them know as well. The conference flyer is attached. --Jeff -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PISABconferenceFlyer2.rtf Type: application/msword Size: 2120111 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: PISABconferenceFlyer1.rtf Type: application/msword Size: 14205 bytes Desc: not available URL: From coaction at antiracism.com Thu Sep 3 19:18:56 2009 From: coaction at antiracism.com (Lauren Kucera) Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 18:18:56 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] PISAB conference in NYC on child welfare drawing attention In-Reply-To: <2634EA394A8A44938BE89A9BF73D579F@JeffOffice> References: <2634EA394A8A44938BE89A9BF73D579F@JeffOffice> Message-ID: Thanks Jeff for the head's up on this. I wish I could make it. Lauren (Parker Kucera) On Sep 3, 2009, at 4:26 AM, Jeff Hitchcock wrote: > The People?s Institute for Survival and Beyond in New York City is > getting word out about a conference in a big way. > > The conference gathers together professionals from across the > country to discuss ?Reducing Racial Disproportionality in Child > Welfare.? The conference is of interest to social workers and other > persons involved in the child welfare system. For those who are not, > and who might like to learn something about it, ?disproportionality? > means something to the effect that the child welfare system is built > on a racist structure and that structure needs to be addressed so > that all people benefit. The conference will highlight some of the > work the People?s Institute has been doing in this field for several > years now. > > People in New York may have seen announcements of the conference > already. For those who are at a distance, please tell anyone in your > area who might have an interest, and if you know people close to New > York, let them know as well. > > The conference flyer is attached. > > --Jeff > > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dara at riseup.net Sun Sep 6 09:16:50 2009 From: dara at riseup.net (Dara Silverman) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 11:16:50 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Message-ID: Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nsmith at igc.org Sun Sep 6 05:07:42 2009 From: nsmith at igc.org (Norma Smith) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 11:07:42 +0000 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <90935FE2-3A92-4DAC-83EF-2ED1D0FDC0B8@igc.org> Thanks for this, Dara. I've forwarded it to the "economic justice" committee I sit on for my progressive synagogue. We meet together with our "greening" committee, which, here in Oakland, includes people who have worked directly and indirectly with Van Jones for years. Our committee is associated with the Oakland Community Organizations (http://www.oaklandcommunity.org/ ), a member of the PICO national network, an interfaith community organizing project. (http://www.piconetwork.org/). PICO and OCO are mostly people of color organizations. I'll be interested in how OCO responds to Van's resignation and what led up to it. As I try to find more info about the resignation, I come up with mostly right-wing articles and blogs. The use of inference and smear takes on new meaning for me. I think we have to normalize the ideas of social justice. Social justice, environmental justice, racial justice, economic justice are not unAmerican. (So far, they haven't exactly been American, but... that's the work before us.) Norma On Sep 6, 2009, at 3:16 PM, Dara Silverman wrote: > Hey All, > > I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some > perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and > his resignation. > > I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for > years, and we travel in similar circles. > > This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ > > I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it > raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain > below. > > Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in > this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the > last? > > Percolating, > > dara silverman > Norma Smith The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project 5245 College Ave #424 Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 465-2094 The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project brings together social justice academics and community-based projects to work toward social change. The Edge Project produces community events, organizes sessions at academic conferences, and facilitates interdisciplinary, site- specific, collaboratively designed seminars, conferences, and working groups on themes related to community history, culture, and politics. It provides opportunities for scholars to learn from and with other community members. The Edge Project is inspired by poet-educator- activist Audre Lorde's vision of cross-community alliance building and organizing for social justice. The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Agape Foundation - Fund for Nonviolent Social Change. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Sun Sep 6 12:15:46 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 11:15:46 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Course for white folks coming up Message-ID: <6DDB7E8226AB42978759886EED25B565@OWNERPC> Hi dear friends and collaborators, The organization I teach for, the UNtraining, has classes beginning in October. If you are, or know, any white folx in the SF Bay Area who would like to do some deep personal work around their own liberal racism, please have them contact us. We have found that the personal work they do translates to greater effectiveness in dealing with institutional and structural racism. I am attaching a flyer which describes the course, but e-mail me if you wish.. Feel free to pass on the flyer to your own people as well. In solidarity, Nancy Arvold -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: UNtrPoster_Fall09.doc Type: application/msword Size: 42496 bytes Desc: not available URL: From lmc749 at yahoo.com Sun Sep 6 13:06:59 2009 From: lmc749 at yahoo.com (L Cabbil) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 12:06:59 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: <90935FE2-3A92-4DAC-83EF-2ED1D0FDC0B8@igc.org> References: <90935FE2-3A92-4DAC-83EF-2ED1D0FDC0B8@igc.org> Message-ID: <136710.9724.qm@web112604.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Norma, I would love to see what you got from your colleague L. Blain. It was not attached. Could you send it to me? Thank you so much. Thanks, lc ________________________________ From: Norma Smith To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2009 6:07:42 AM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Thanks for this, Dara. I've forwarded it to the "economic justice" committee I sit on for my progressive synagogue. We meet together with our "greening" committee, which, here in Oakland, includes people who have worked directly and indirectly with Van Jones for years. Our committee is associated with the Oakland Community Organizations (http://www.oaklandcommunity.org/), a member of the PICO national network, an interfaith community organizing project. (http://www.piconetwork.org/). PICO and OCO are mostly people of color organizations. I'll be interested in how OCO responds to Van's resignation and what led up to it. As I try to find more info about the resignation, I come up with mostly right-wing articles and blogs. The use of inference and smear takes on new meaning for me. I think we have to normalize the ideas of social justice. Social justice, environmental justice, racial justice, economic justice are not unAmerican. (So far, they haven't exactly been American, but... that's the work before us.) Norma On Sep 6, 2009, at 3:16 PM, Dara Silverman wrote: Hey All, > >I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. > >I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. > >This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ > >I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. > >Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? > >Percolating, > >dara silverman > > Norma Smith The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project 5245 College Ave #424 Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 465-2094 The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project brings together social justice academics and community-based projects to work toward social change. The Edge Project produces community events, organizes sessions at academic conferences, and facilitates interdisciplinary, site-specific, collaboratively designed seminars, conferences, and working groups on themes related to community history, culture, and politics. It provides opportunities for scholars to learn from and with other community members. The Edge Project is inspired by poet-educator-activist Audre Lorde's vision of cross-community alliance building and organizing for social justice. The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Agape Foundation - Fund for Nonviolent Social Change. -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nsmith at igc.org Sun Sep 6 06:19:53 2009 From: nsmith at igc.org (Norma Smith) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 12:19:53 +0000 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: <136710.9724.qm@web112604.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> References: <90935FE2-3A92-4DAC-83EF-2ED1D0FDC0B8@igc.org> <136710.9724.qm@web112604.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <0DA7D894-7CEB-419E-8A77-4270B87EB6A1@igc.org> > On Sep 6, 2009, at 7:06 PM, L Cabbil wrote: > >> Norma, >> >> I would love to see what you got from your colleague L. Blain. It >> was not attached. Could you send it to me? Thank you so much. >> >> Thanks, lc It was what Dara sent us earlier, what I was responding to: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." -Ludovic Blain _______________________________________________ > > From: Norma Smith > To: White Anti-racist Summit > Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2009 6:07:42 AM > Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones > attacks > > Thanks for this, Dara. I've forwarded it to the "economic justice" > committee I sit on for my progressive synagogue. We meet together > with our "greening" committee, which, here in Oakland, includes > people who have worked directly and indirectly with Van Jones for > years. Our committee is associated with the Oakland Community > Organizations (http://www.oaklandcommunity.org/), a member of the > PICO national network, an interfaith community organizing project. (http://www.piconetwork.org/ > ). PICO and OCO are mostly people of color organizations. I'll be > interested in how OCO responds to Van's resignation and what led up > to it. > > As I try to find more info about the resignation, I come up with > mostly right-wing articles and blogs. The use of inference and smear > takes on new meaning for me. I think we have to normalize the ideas > of social justice. Social justice, environmental justice, racial > justice, economic justice are not unAmerican. (So far, they haven't > exactly been American, but... that's the work before us.) > > Norma > > > On Sep 6, 2009, at 3:16 PM, Dara Silverman wrote: > >> Hey All, >> >> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >> and and his resignation. >> >> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >> years, and we travel in similar circles. >> >> This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ >> >> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >> below. >> >> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in >> this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the >> last? >> >> Percolating, >> >> dara silverman >> > > Norma Smith > The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project > 5245 College Ave #424 > Oakland, CA 94618 > (510) 465-2094 > > The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project brings together social > justice academics and community-based projects to work toward social > change. The Edge Project produces community events, organizes > sessions at academic conferences, and facilitates interdisciplinary, > site-specific, collaboratively designed seminars, conferences, and > working groups on themes related to community history, culture, and > politics. It provides opportunities for scholars to learn from and > with other community members. The Edge Project is inspired by poet- > educator-activist Audre Lorde's vision of cross-community alliance > building and organizing for social justice. The Edge of Each Other's > Battles Project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Agape > Foundation - Fund for Nonviolent Social Change. > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing > list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit Norma Smith The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project 5245 College Ave #424 Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 465-2094 The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project brings together social justice academics and community-based projects to work toward social change. The Edge Project produces community events, organizes sessions at academic conferences, and facilitates interdisciplinary, site- specific, collaboratively designed seminars, conferences, and working groups on themes related to community history, culture, and politics. It provides opportunities for scholars to learn from and with other community members. The Edge Project is inspired by poet-educator- activist Audre Lorde's vision of cross-community alliance building and organizing for social justice. The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Agape Foundation - Fund for Nonviolent Social Change. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lmc749 at yahoo.com Sun Sep 6 13:15:21 2009 From: lmc749 at yahoo.com (L Cabbil) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 12:15:21 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <527728.77638.qm@web112619.mail.gq1.yahoo.com> sorry Norma I got it. lc ________________________________ From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2009 10:16:50 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Sun Sep 6 14:21:29 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 13:21:29 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Sun Sep 6 14:45:32 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 13:45:32 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <16023DF125A746F1A95538020E0E579F@OWNERPC> I read Van Jones' short message about his resignation, and I can bet he meant what he said - he is committed to supporting other people, and fighting for his position would take focus off of the larger issues (health care) that the Obama folx are struggling with already. He is probably right, which makes the insidiousness of the BS even more nasty. ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From llyates at shentel.net Sun Sep 6 16:49:42 2009 From: llyates at shentel.net (Larry Yates) Date: Sun, 6 Sep 2009 18:49:42 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: Thanks very much to Dara. I think this is a critical question. I wrote along similar lines during the Jeremiah Wright frenzy. My words to white progressives are on my old-school website at http://www.user.shentel.net/llyates/jeremiad.htm I ended with these words "African-Americans have been speaking out for themselves, but also for your basic values, for centuries. Let's hear some loud white voices -- right away -- against the next smear campaign of an African-American leader for social justice. You don't have to like him or her; you just have to understand Niemoller's lesson. By the time you find someone nice enough for you to feel comfortable defending, the battle will be over. The next time they come for a Rev. Wright, don't wait to speak out." The whole Van Jones event went by too fast for me to participate -- I was on vacation for a week, and nobody sent me an email about it. (I did see emails and Facebook comments from whites when Rep. McKinney was jailed in Israel.) I have seen more openness in the last month, among liberals, to the idea that racist fears play a central role in the whole teabag/ townhall effort. My main anti-racist organizational effort for the past several years has been with CURE, whites supporting reparations, which I think sends a powerful message to other whites, even as a tiny organization. Perhaps. somewhat along parallel lines, we need a small but focussed effort to urge white liberals to see their critical need for anti- racist action. "Support the Black Leaders Who Have Supported You" is too long and goofy, but might express the idea. I was confused, by the way, and others may be. Dara, did you write the whole piece below, or were you introducing someone else's piece? Just for attribution if I pass it on... In solidarity Larry On Sep 6, 2009, at 11:16 AM, Dara Silverman wrote: > Hey All, > > I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some > perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and > his resignation. > > I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for > years, and we travel in similar circles. > > This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ > > I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it > raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain > below. > > Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in > this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the > last? > > Percolating, > > dara silverman > > > Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a > knockin? > 9/6/09 at 2:42am > > If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece > about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' > > I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' > unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This > Van Jones resignation is yet another example. > > As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change > explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist > did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, > and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of > mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is > black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate > before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. > > For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really > expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? > How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties > won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being > spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace > for being spineless as well. > > Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure > about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the > white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. > > In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national > liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by > white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white > communications organizations on any number of issues including cali > props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and > although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any > better on racism now? > > Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to > their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i > am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice > path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals > keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a > calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and > cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. > > If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. > Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll > only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't > and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in > order to make it that far. > > If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on > our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white > supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with > the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long > as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous > tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. > > And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more > failures. > > yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and > the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit Larry Yates Maurertown VA -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Mon Sep 7 13:01:30 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 12:01:30 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <6CA6FBE68FAB4CEC8597F0B63C19686E@OWNERPC> Larry - Yes to all you say. This may be an opportunity to mobilize white folx precisely because what racist hate-bombs are destroying is the possibility of decent life for all of us, and nothing mobilizes folx more than self-interest, if you can get us to see it. part of the difficulty for some good white folx I know is that because they don't see the fundamental issue as being about race (ecology, green jobs), they don't see how critical shooting down Black leaders is to destroying the progressive acts, policies, etc. Race and related "leftist" or "radical" politics is still the easiest target to hit if you want to stop almost anything which benefits the average jill or joe. Not seeing how insidious that strategy is is a mistake. It feeds the dilemma Niemoller spoke to. PS, for those of us white folks who stand for reparations, can you send a link to the group. I'm interested and don't know about it. In solidarity, nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Larry Yates To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 3:49 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Thanks very much to Dara. I think this is a critical question. I wrote along similar lines during the Jeremiah Wright frenzy. My words to white progressives are on my old-school website at http://www.user.shentel.net/llyates/jeremiad.htm I ended with these words "African-Americans have been speaking out for themselves, but also for your basic values, for centuries. Let's hear some loud white voices -- right away -- against the next smear campaign of an African-American leader for social justice. You don't have to like him or her; you just have to understand Niemoller's lesson. By the time you find someone nice enough for you to feel comfortable defending, the battle will be over. The next time they come for a Rev. Wright, don't wait to speak out." The whole Van Jones event went by too fast for me to participate -- I was on vacation for a week, and nobody sent me an email about it. (I did see emails and Facebook comments from whites when Rep. McKinney was jailed in Israel.) I have seen more openness in the last month, among liberals, to the idea that racist fears play a central role in the whole teabag/townhall effort. My main anti-racist organizational effort for the past several years has been with CURE, whites supporting reparations, which I think sends a powerful message to other whites, even as a tiny organization. Perhaps. somewhat along parallel lines, we need a small but focussed effort to urge white liberals to see their critical need for anti-racist action. "Support the Black Leaders Who Have Supported You" is too long and goofy, but might express the idea. I was confused, by the way, and others may be. Dara, did you write the whole piece below, or were you introducing someone else's piece? Just for attribution if I pass it on... In solidarity Larry On Sep 6, 2009, at 11:16 AM, Dara Silverman wrote: Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually- http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit Larry Yates Maurertown VA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cws at igc.org Mon Sep 7 13:28:14 2009 From: cws at igc.org (Sharon Martinas) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 12:28:14 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Message-ID: Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org . Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: > Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your > communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate > with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for > racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces > seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for > us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are > enough. > > I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who > had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his > "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was > thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice > from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When > he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on > Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his > resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. > > His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more > indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this > country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and > when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to > launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff > states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses > intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. > > AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and > they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in > Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 > weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks > Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal > work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is > limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White > Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the > best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here > we are. Doesn't justify any of it. > > Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to > be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is > struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to > "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from > old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, > non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are > generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. > White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in > those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all > influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations > trying to deal with the white folx. > > I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know > who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their > colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the > designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within > the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the > APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. > Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are > refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional > journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power > base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige > involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who > are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are > primarily torturing People of Color). > > On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when > I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a > 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and > doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the > BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. > > I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to > take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of > for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective > organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color > to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a > clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't > this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss > "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has > been pretty clear. > > Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a > "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing > DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the > rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least > the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the > population. That isn't part of the current agenda. > > Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some > of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to > Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, > which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it > takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I > read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not > like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have > to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what > have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to > have my white colleagues to examine that as well. > > Can you send the source? > > Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to > hearing from others. > In solidarity, nancy arvold > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Dara Silverman > To: White Anti-racist Summit > Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM > Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones > attacks > > Hey All, > > I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some > perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and > his resignation. > > I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for > years, and we travel in similar circles. > > This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ > > I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it > raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain > below. > > Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in > this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the > last? > > Percolating, > > dara silverman > > > Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a > knockin? > 9/6/09 at 2:42am > > If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece > about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' > > I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' > unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This > Van Jones resignation is yet another example. > > As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change > explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist > did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, > and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of > mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is > black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate > before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. > > For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really > expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? > How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties > won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being > spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace > for being spineless as well. > > Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure > about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the > white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. > > In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national > liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by > white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white > communications organizations on any number of issues including cali > props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and > although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any > better on racism now? > > Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to > their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i > am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice > path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals > keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a > calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and > cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. > > If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. > Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll > only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't > and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in > order to make it that far. > > If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on > our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white > supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with > the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long > as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous > tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. > > And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more > failures. > > yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and > the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." > > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cws at igc.org Mon Sep 7 13:51:16 2009 From: cws at igc.org (Sharon Martinas) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 12:51:16 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fwd: [colours] The Afrikaner Party Draws First Blood: Van Jones, Barack Obama and the Audacity of Capitulation By Tim Wise References: <19A96046-225E-4501-83A8-DC185AADAE9D@gmail.com> Message-ID: <8701A286-4358-4B24-B5FA-36E6C1C43BF7@igc.org> first of two 'more information on attack on Van Jones' -- from colours of resistance list serve. Begin forwarded message: > From: Suzy Subways > Date: September 7, 2009 9:57:02 AM PDT > To: colours at lists.mutualaid.org > Subject: [colours] The Afrikaner Party Draws First Blood: Van Jones, > Barack Obama and the Audacity of Capitulation By Tim Wise > > this is great, but if you don't have much time to read, i'd suggest > skipping to the end (the beginning is a lot of details of what > happened, but the end is about why). > > STORM, the revolutionary group Van was part of in the Bay Area, was > really wonderful and people should check out their history (see http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10717234/Reclaiming-Revolution-history-summation-and-lessons-from-the-work-of-STORM > - this is the only link i can find right now that's working). > > > The Afrikaner Party Draws First Blood: > Van Jones, Barack Obama and the Audacity of Capitulation > By Tim Wise > September 6, 2009 > > Van Jones, special advisor to the President?s Council on > Environmental Quality, has resigned from the administration. To be > honest, he was forced out. Oh, perhaps not directly, but if not, > then by the stunning silence of his employer. An employer more > concerned about appeasing the right-wing bullies who sought to make > Jones a liability for him, than about standing up for a brilliant > thinker on both economics and ecological issues, and confronting the > conservative talk-show hosts who have libeled and slandered Jones > (literally) over the past month. > > The right has shown no shame in their relentless pursuit of Jones?s > political scalp. They have fabricated from whole cloth details of > his life, calling him a convicted felon and instigator of the 1992 > Los Angeles riots. This, in spite of the fact that he has no > criminal record whatsoever and wasn?t even in Los Angeles when those > riots were happening. His arrest at that time was part of a sweep of > dozens of peaceful marchers in San Francisco, involved in a protest > at the time of the riots. He was released, charges were dropped, and > he was paid damages by the city. This is not what happens to > criminals, but rather, innocent people who have done nothing wrong. > Jones should sue the living shit out of Glenn Beck, his employers at > Fox News, and every other prominent liar who has repeated the > baseless allegations of his criminal record in recent weeks. He > should wipe them out, take their money, leave them penniless and > begging on the streets, without health care. They would deserve it. > Perhaps Beck's AA sponsor or the Mormons who he credits with > "saving" his wretched soul can then take care of him and his family. > Since surely he wouldn't want the government to lend a hand. > > They have twisted other aspects of Jones's past, suggesting his > brief stint with a pseudo-Maoist group makes him a secret communist > in the heart of government, this despite his more recent break with > such groups and philosophies, in favor of a commitment to eco- > friendly, sustainable capitalism. They have called him a black > nationalist, which he admits to having been for a virtual political > minute in his youth, and have suggested he?s a ?truther? (one who > believes George W. Bush masterminded the 9/11 attacks as an ?inside > job?). As for this last charge, their evidence consists of Jones?s > signature on a petition, which originally called merely for more > openness about the pre-9/11 intelligence available to the former > administration, but which was later altered to reflect the > conspiratorial lunacy of its creators. Jones, and many others who > reject the truthers' nonsense, were tricked into signing and were > appalled by the final product. But none of this matters to the > right. Because after all, none of it was ever the point. > > This is not about convicted felons. The right loves convicted > felons, as long as their names are Oliver North and G. Gordon Liddy. > The former of these (whose convictions were eventually vacated on a > technicality) helped direct an illegal war from the Reagan White > House, which claimed the lives of tens of thousands of innocent > Nicaraguans. And the latter helped plan the Watergate break-in, > advocated political assassination during his time in the Nixon White > House, and even advised folks on how to kill federal agents several > years ago, from his radio show perch (?head shots? he roared). But > none of his friends on the right ever suggested that such talk put > him beyond the pale, or should result in him being silenced. > > This is not about having an arrest record. After all, there are many > anti-abortion zealots with arrest records, hauled in and then > ultimately released after blocking access to family planning > clinics. But Glenn Beck doesn?t make them public enemy number one. > Nor would he, or any of his political soulmates, seek to prevent > such persons from having roles in a future Presidential > administration. Indeed, they would likely consider such a record a > bonafide qualification for higher office. > > This is not about believing in conspiracy theories. Surely not. Beck > of all people can hardly condemn anyone for that--even if Jones did > subscribe to such things, which he doesn?t--for it is he who > believes, among other things that Obama is planning on a mandatory > civilian defense corps, which will be like Hitler?s SS, that Obama > ?hates white people? and has a ?deep seated hatred for white > culture,? that Obama is pushing health care merely as a way to get > reparations for black people, and that he secretly wants to bankrupt > the economy to force everyone to work for ACORN. It is Beck who is > among the leading voices suggesting that the President?s upcoming > speech to schoolchildren--in which he will implore them to study > hard--is really just an attempt to indoctrinate them into a new > version of the Hitler Youth. No, these people love to push > nonsensical conspiracy theories. It is their bread and butter. It is > all they have, in fact. > > Nor is this about Jones?s remarks in a speech, given prior to > becoming part of the administration, to the effect that the reason > Republicans get things done is that they?re willing to be > ?assholes,? while many Democrats, including Obama, aren?t. > Conservatives don?t mind that kind of talk. They loved it when Dick > Cheney said go "fuck yourself" to Senator Patrick Leahy in 2004. Not > to mention, right-wingers say far more offensive things than that, > on a regular basis, but remain in good standing, and are surely > never condemned by their fellow reactionaries. What?s worse: Jones > calling Republicans assholes, or Rush Limbaugh saying that most > liberals should be killed, but that we should ?leave enough so we > can have two on every campus--living fossils--so we will never > forget what these people stood for??** > > What?s worse, Jones?s asshole remark, or Anne Coulter saying, among > the many venomous syllable strings that have toppled from her lips, > that the only thing Tim McVeigh did wrong was choosing to blow up > the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, rather than the New York > Times building? > > This is not about socialism, as Jones is not a socialist. Oh sure, > he's associated with some, and might still be friends with several > to this day. And so what? Martin Luther King Jr. associated with > socialists and communists because they supported the civil rights > struggle and the black freedom movement at a time when the rabid > anti-communists were at the forefront of attempts to maintain formal > white supremacy. Which is to say that the socialists and the > communists were on the right side, and the red-baiters were on the > wrong one. Which was also true about the fight for the 40-hour work > week, the 8-hour day, the end of child labor, the right of women to > vote, and every other advance for freedom and justice in this nation > in the past 100 years. But of course, Glenn Beck explained on the > radio this past July 4th that he ?hates the last 100 years of > American history,? so I guess we know what side he would have been > on in all those battles. > > Let?s be clear, this is about one thing only: namely, the attempt by > the right to exploit white reactionary fears about black militancy. > It is the same tactic they tried with Rev. Jeremiah Wright in 2008. > They did not confront Wright?s narrative--the accuracy of which was > far stronger than they would like to admit--nor do they actually > grapple with Jones?s ideas (it is doubtful that Beck has even read > Jones?s best-selling book, for instance). Rather, they present a > caricature, a bogey man with black skin, an occasional scowl, and an > attitude. Angry, confrontational, "uppity," and too close to the > President. Which means that Wright=Obama=Jones=Malcolm X. It?s a > trope the right has banked on for years: using racial memes and > symbols to scare Jim and Susie Suburb. Put the face of black anger > out there and watch your devotees respond like Pavlov?s dog. > > It?s something I first saw up close and personal in 1992. The woman > I was dating at the time was an interior designer and had scored a > contract to decorate the VIP lounges at the Houston Astrodome for > the GOP National Convention. I viewed it as a great opportunity to > do some enemy reconnaissance, so I lurked around the literature > tables and took in the imagery beamed from the jumbotrons to the > assembled conventioneers. One afternoon, we arrived before the main > hall was opened to the delegates, and as I looked up at the screens > above the floor, I saw the image that would be there to greet them > as they entered a half-hour later: a massive, pixillated image of > hip-hop artist Ice-T, whose speed metal band Bodycount had recently > gotten in trouble for their song, ?Cop Killer.? The Republicans > wanted their delegates to know who the enemy was. Not just Ice-T, > but anyone who listened to his music, anyone who looked like him. > > And that is what the attack on Van Jones is about: exploiting white > fears and anxieties. Anxieties about a black President, anxieties > about a basket-case economy (which they?re trying to blame on the > black President even though it was well in the crapper before he > came along), anxieties about a changing demographic balance in the > nation (which animates their fear and anger over immigration), > anxieties about a popular culture whose icons look less and less > like them as the years go by. And so they play up the militant black > guy image, turning a low-level bureaucrat into a ?Green Jobs > Czar,? (the latter of which term they have sought to spin into a > communist thing, despite the fact that the Russian Czars were > actually the royalist pigs who were thrown out by the Russian left, > a small historical detail which doesn?t matter to illiterate people > of course), and making him the bad guy who?s running the Obama > administration from behind the scenes. > > No, it?s not only about race. But if you think it?s merely a > coincidence that the right has sought to make Jones such an issue-- > rather than some of the other administration officials they are now > threatening to ?expose? (two of whom are white)--then you haven?t > been paying attention to Republican and conservative politics for > the past forty years. This is what they do. It?s the only language > they speak, at least fluently. Which is why when John McCain--to his > credit--tried to move away from this method a bit, and refused to > push the Jeremiah Wright theme during the general election campaign, > so many on the hard-right criticized him. They didn?t want him to > talk about Bill Ayers: they wanted him to talk about Wright. Even > though Ayers was the one with the criminal record and the links to > political violence, while Wright was the military veteran and > preacher with a storied history of community contributions. Why? > Because they knew that Wright would be the better image. To link > Obama to a white radical is one thing. But to link him to a black > one? Oh, much, much better. This is why, in the instant case, they > kept pushing Van Jones's non-existent connection with the Los > Angeles riots, and his supposed felony record. Nothing better than a > marauding criminal black man to get white fears into the stratosphere. > > This is, it appears, the emerging political agenda of the Republican > Party, and certainly its right-wing: a group that has decided, > apparently, to go all in as a party of angry white people (and the > few folks of color willing to look past their incessant race- > baiting). They have circled the wagons, all but given up on reaching > out to black and brown voters, and are putting all of their chips on > white. > > And everything they are saying about Van Jones was what people like > them said about civil rights leaders in the 50s and 60s: about Dr. > King and Ralph Abernathy, and John Lewis, and Fannie Lou Hamer. They > were communists, and revolutionaries, and a danger to the republic. > Make no mistake, had they been old enough in those days, Beck and > every modern-day movement conservative would have stood with the > segregationists, with the bigots, with the mobs who burned the buses > carrying freedom riders. They would have stood with the police in > Philadelphia, Mississippi, even as they orchestrated the killing of > Andrew Goodman, James Chaney and Mickey Schwerner. They would have > stood with Bull Connor in Birmingham. How do we know? Easy. Because > not one prominent conservative spokesperson of that time did the > opposite. Not one. That's who they are. And the minute you forget > that, the minute you insist on treating them better than they would > treat you, the minute you insist on playing by rules that they > refuse to as much as acknowledge, all is lost. They do not believe > in democracy. They believe in power. White power. They believe in > the past. They are Afrikaners, and it's about time we started > calling them that. > > (**) This quote, which appears in David Neiwert's book The > Eliminationists was reported originally in the Denver Post, December > 29, 1995. > > Tim Wise is the author of four books on race. His latest is Between > Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of > Obama(City Lights: 2009). > _______________________________________________ > Colours mailing list > Colours at lists.mutualaid.org > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/colours > free hosting provided by http://www.mutualaid.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cws at igc.org Mon Sep 7 13:51:45 2009 From: cws at igc.org (Sharon Martinas) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 12:51:45 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fwd: [colours] more on Van Jones resignation References: <71290531-E052-41D2-9B74-74FA7EC57F6A@gmail.com> Message-ID: <6BAC0F28-6F60-4A74-B607-1213A2F00293@igc.org> second of two forwards from colours list serve. sharon Begin forwarded message: > From: Suzy Subways > Date: September 7, 2009 10:15:25 AM PDT > To: colours at lists.mutualaid.org > Subject: [colours] more on Van Jones resignation > > There is some great discussion on this blog, at http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2009/09/06/the-witchhunt-against-van-jones/ > and at http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2009/09/06/a-communist-voice-on-witch-hunts-not-simply-about-defending-van-jones/#comment-17440 > > Here is another helpful article calling out white liberal > environmentalists like the Sierra Club, who did not defend Van, who > should have defended him even more than Obama should have: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/politics/142459/the_van_jones_saga%3A_white_liberals_need_to_keep_their_eye_on_the_prize_when_racism_comes_a_knockin%27/ > > > Witch Hunt: The Resignation of Van Jones > > Posted by Mike E on September 6, 2009 > > by Mike Ely > > Many people reading these words know far more about Van Jones than I > do. Many here know him personally. Some struggled with him sharply > over his political direction in life ? toward working for change > deep within the official structures of this existing political system. > > Many of us watched this gifted activist as he seemed to sky-rocket > on the reformer?s career path, ending as an ?green jobs? adviser to > the new president. (Note: not a policy maker, or a face of policy, > not an administrator, but someone allowed to speak in the ear, > occasionally, from the inside.) > > And now Van Jones has been brought down by a vicious witch hunt that > built over the last six month? one that targeted Jones as a leftist > (?Marxist,? ?communist,? ?Black nationalist?) figure brought close > to power by this new administration. He was scoped, targeted and > then picked off. And, in the process, he become a poster boy in the > hysterical campaign to paint Obama as a secret communist-Muslim- > furriner leading a not-so-secret socialist takeover of a once-Aryan > nation. Now Van Jones? bloody scalp is hanging from the posse?s > saddle horn. > > * * * * * > > First of all, this witch hunt has been a cascade of distortion, > lunatic paranoia, barely concealed racism, and very conscious > indifference to burning issues, basic morality and truth. > > And the forced resignation of Van Jones is an additional outrage ? > on many levels, including in the fact that the liberals are (once > again) congenitally unwilling and unable to stand their own liberal > ground without abandoning someone like him. (Lani Guenier, anyone?) > > All this is not just aimed at Jones himself, or even just at the > tepid reforms of this Obama administration (which , after all, have > mainly been corporate bail-outs). This witch hunt asserts that any > past association with of the socialist left is a permanent life-time > taint. And any mere association with someone like Jones, who has > been active in radical politics, should be a drop-dead third rail > within mainstream American politics. And that the very ideas of > socialism, communism, Black liberation, revolution must be driven > into deep cracks and ignorable margins within American life. > > Look at what just happened: It illustrates a major way this system > limits the allowable politics among the people. Look at how it > disciplines, chastises, threatens and therefor trains its own > political and media figures. Look at how it uses the official > reporting and the absurd theater of the central political arena to > demand the further exclusion of radical thought ? and the permanent > exclude those who once entertained radical thoughts. > > The trickle-down from initiation to complicity > > These witch hunts started (as they always do) at the literally- > lunatic fringe of the extreme right. In those corners of republican > and militia politics that believe the U.S. government is teetering > on the abyss of communism, and that whole chunks of the Democratic > Party are conscious traitorous elements of one-world government (and > the Antichrist). And their ravings bubbled into a world of > ?questions? raised by right-wing talk shows and Fox News babblers ? > until distorted ?facts? were gathered. And the question is now ?Who > is Van Jones?? or ?Who is Bill Ayers?? ? but what does it mean for > America?s future that liberal politicians know, and respect, or > appoint people who have such leftist backgrounds? And with that the > trickle-down leaps the divide from the lunatic right to the > establishment liberal: Because it then the whip of denunciation > changes hands, the leading Democrats themselves emerge as the > enforcers of the witch hunt. > > Who has the initiative here? Who demands the resignation, and who > then carries it out? > > Under attack from the right, Obama cut off Reverend Wright > (virtually the only person to appear speaking truth in that whole > election process). Under attack from the right, the Obama camp acted > as if they had never really known, or associated with Bill Ayers. > And now, as the attack presses forward, Van Jones is forced to > resign ? in a way that is not just a real personal tragedy for him > (which it is), but a hard slam at the hopes of an electoral and > reform-focused left. > > Our point is mainly that the Obama Democrats have proven their > cowardice and weakness. They shrug off a Van Jones without much of a > thought. Just as they have shrugged off (one by one) so many of > those programmatic plans that gave spread excitement and hope among > millions who are usually cynical about bourgeois politics. > > Our main point is: This is how a system defines and limits allowable > politics. This is how a ?political mainstream? is invented, and then > enforced. This is how the most promising solutions for the worlds > problems (socialism, universal health rights, redistributing wealth, > opposition to U.S. imperialism, guaranteed jobs, internationalism?.) > become demonized and marginalized. > > We have no reason to ourselves dis or demonize Van Jones. He left > radical politics years ago because he thought it had no chance of > getting a hearing. And we don?t agree. He reinvented himself as a > more mainstream political figure ? at the intersection of black job > creation and green reforms. But, I don?t think we have to be > venomous when someone takes that road ? far better to just watch > that process, and help others see what that process is. Far better > to simply say ?Tell us how that works out for you?? > > What does this system force you to become, what beliefs can you > keep, what beliefs do they force you to hide or discard, what > concessions and alliances are imposed, and at the end of this list > of ?costs??.. we should carefully and fairly sum up what is gained. > > How?s It Working For You > > For now the story of Van Jones has ended with him being spit out of > the system he tried to work within. His remake was rejected. His > excited arrival in Washington has been converted into a club used to > beat those who mentored him, and especially those who summoned him. > His radical past was portrayed as a mark of the Beast (not just on > himself, but on those with the power to appoint.) > > Radical politics needs to become part of the big leagues. If we are > not talking about a movement of millions ? then we are talking about > a permanent, self-enclosed bubble of subculture. And the issue is > how: How to transition from a movement of radical ideas to a > movement of people seeking power. > > And in that debate, we are told, over and over and over, that > revolutionary politics is just not ?practical? in America. That > remaining explicitly socialist or communist is itself inherently > marginalizing and self-defeating. That it does not engage the world > as it really is. That the only way to ?scale? our politics to real- > world levels is to get on the inside (with whatever compromise or > camo that demands.) > > And lets be clear: Van Jones left the left behind, to pursue his > career and goal in Democratic Party politics. But there are those > who (by contrast)want to ORGANIZE THE LEFT to abandon revolutionary > politics and join democratic party politics en masse ? ?inside/ > outside? ? and wield existing mini-structures of the left as their > leverage into official politics ? as capital, as gofers, as poker > chips, as ?pressure from the left? or whatever. So this debate takes > different forms, and not just the ones that Van himself just walked > out on. > > When this witchhunt reached out (for the thousandth time in U.S. > history) to demonize the only politics that matter ? it has, in the > process, given us another glimpse (for the thousandth time) at the > impracticality of playing by the enemy?s rules ? and why only > conscious, relentless, creative revolutionary politics are > practical. These are matters of illusion and delusion ? deceit and > self-deceit ? a political bait and switch where the left is enticed > with promises of influence, and where it can only end up in a mix > of inevitable diffusion and servile captivity to its own deadly > enemies. > > All that?s not obvious, of course. The practicality of revolution > only seem obvious after successful revolutions. > > But looking, with open eyes, at what happened to Van Jones ? seeing > an integral connection between the rise and the fall ? gives a sense > of how the official mainstream enforces and cleanses itself. Let?s > incorporate that experience, and then rejoin our debate over what it > means to be clear-sighted, practical and successful at changing the > world. > > > > _______________________________________________ > Colours mailing list > Colours at lists.mutualaid.org > http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/colours > free hosting provided by http://www.mutualaid.org/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Mon Sep 7 14:52:33 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 13:52:33 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Message-ID: Sharon - Thanks for your response to my message - for moving the dialogue out another step - including all of your links to other articles in your other message - especially the Mike Ely article. I will keep sending them out to other groups. And thanks for the correction about the founding and leadership in Catalyst - I think Chris and others on the team of the Catalyst Project are extraordinary, and I've been personally deeply impacted by both Chris and the organization. They have empowered other white folks and orgs I'm connected to as well, and I didn't mean to misrepresent your role at all. But it is a good reminder how easy it is to fail to honor and credit people and organizations in our enthusiasm, so thanks for that, and my apologies to Chris. It was more a loving dig at your universal "yenta-ness" and support for action that we see on this listserve as well....even though the dialogue around the cyber-book study isn't flourishing at this time, it was and is a great way to edjikate us smart alecs (I did read part of Reluctant Reformers), and your offerings always stir many of us to action and thougtfulness. Maybe I just need to be more direct - thank you always, Sharon. I want to grow up to be like you...and I know I'm not alone in that appreciation. love, nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Sharon Martinas To: White Anti-racist Summit Cc: Chris Crass Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 12:28 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." -------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Mon Sep 7 15:18:52 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 14:18:52 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] radio interview with van jones In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <723529D0B16045CDBEC7479827809BC1@OWNERPC> To all - Sharon Martinas sent this link in a longer message, but I encourage y'all to listen to it to get a hit of the heart of Van Jones. It is readily accessible through the Promisedland site listed. It both touched me, broke my heart, and inspired me to get on with my own work. love, nancy. "I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.)" -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dara at riseup.net Mon Sep 7 16:51:33 2009 From: dara at riseup.net (Dara Silverman) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 18:51:33 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Message-ID: FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? Share Yesterday at 2:42am UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better on racism now. Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many more white failures. And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: > Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his > work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in > 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program > interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the > movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he > headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the > interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask > for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor > day on KALW in SF.) > > I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can > and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks > of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much > from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some > forms of appropriate anti-racist action. > > I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst > does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social > justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a > model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. > > However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is > incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members > of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their > collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the > 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the > Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in > the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended > in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful > multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this > era. I learn so much from their wisdom. > > But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and > path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective > members, not to me. > > Just wanted to set the record straight. > > much love and respect to all, sharon > > > > On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: > > Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. > I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are > saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been > more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the > hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our > individual actions are enough. > > I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been > assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to > connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the > national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community > who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote > letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first > I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. > > His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more > indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country > remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we > collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large > inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the > progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than > appealing to the public's emotional responses. > AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have > supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call > Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has > been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining > provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, > and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended > The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is > the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we > are. Doesn't justify any of it. > > Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - > the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a > newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of > Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, > Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental > orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism > and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is > slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting > scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads > in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. > > I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who > are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - > with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity > director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological > Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against > psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at > the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing > articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, > etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and > prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who > are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are > primarily torturing People of Color). > > On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign > petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old > white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here > is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, > but now I make sure I identify myself. > > I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take > action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the > broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among > whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are > seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a > really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us > to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in > movements has been pretty clear. > > Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a > "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES > have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of > Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist > movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't > part of the current agenda. > > Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the > white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he > mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but > use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, > and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk > defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white > progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am > one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? > I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. > > Can you send the source? > > Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing > from others. > In solidarity, nancy arvold > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Dara Silverman > *To:* White Anti-racist Summit > *Sent:* Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM > *Subject:* [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks > > Hey All, > > I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some > perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his > resignation. > > I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and > we travel in similar circles. > > This website highlights ways to support him individually- > http://standwithvan.com/ > > I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises > for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. > > Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this > situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? > > Percolating, > > dara silverman > > > Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? > 9/6/09 at 2:42am > > If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about > 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' > > I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness > and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation > is yet another example. > > As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change > explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. > Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who > together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals > money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently > let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America > deserves better greens. > > For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect > Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we > gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In > other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, > Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. > > Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about > racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted > stupidly. That didn't go so well. > > In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal > organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist > groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations > on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like > the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, > are white liberals any better on racism now? > > Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their > issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying > are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting > the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR > prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying > 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national > white groups listening to him. > > If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although > whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if > we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose > racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. > > If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our > hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, > if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important > issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think > these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to > fail miserably. > > And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more > failures. > > yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the > world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From llyates at shentel.net Mon Sep 7 17:14:56 2009 From: llyates at shentel.net (Larry Yates) Date: Mon, 7 Sep 2009 19:14:56 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] contact info for Caucasians United for Reparations and Emancipation In-Reply-To: <6CA6FBE68FAB4CEC8597F0B63C19686E@OWNERPC> References: <6CA6FBE68FAB4CEC8597F0B63C19686E@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <58D860D4-3D44-4196-A54C-257A3E22F185@shentel.net> > . > PS, for those of us white folks who stand for reparations, can you > send a link to the group. I'm interested and don't know about it. > In solidarity, nancy This responds to Nancy's suggestion. Larry Yates ========== www.reparationsthecure.org Statement of belief We, an organization of white Americans, express our deep remorse for the ongoing wrongs committed by our people against Black men, women and children in the U.S. and throughout the Diaspora who are descendants of enslaved Africans. We see the United States of America as immoral from its very foundation because of the lie of white superiority and the commission of the crime of slavery, and we dedicate our lives to fundamental change within ourselves, and in our society. We dedicate our time, energy, talent and resources to support and advocate, without reservation, the movement for full and complete reparations to the descendants of enslaved Africans in the U.S. and throughout the Diaspora. We support and advocate reparations proposals put forward by Black leaders, recognizing that white Americans have no part in deciding what is required to repair and restore the descendants of enslaved Africans individually and collectively, and that these decisions belong to Black people alone. We state that full and complete reparations must be paid not only for slavery and the atrocities that flowed from slavery, but for the ongoing effects of slavery that exist today. We mourn the fact that many things can never be restored to the descendants of enslaved Africans: the lives of countless people, the connection to family lineage and home, and the mother tongue and original identity. We appreciate the efforts of white abolitionists toward emancipation, while realizing that true emancipation of the enslaved Africans will not be achieved until their descendants enjoy the freedoms that reparations will provide. We state that the U.S. Government is obligated to provide financial and other support for citizenship choices of the descendants of enslaved Africans, whether they choose full and equal U.S. citizenship, semi-autonomous or autonomous self-government, dual citizenship or migration/repatriation. We call upon the families of the white American aristocracy that directly benefited from slavery to voluntarily pay their fair share of the reparations debt with wealth gained from slavery, the slave trade, and slavery related enterprises. We are truly grateful to the Black community for allowing us an opportunity through the reparations movement to make amends, however inadequate, for the crimes of chattel slavery and slavery's ongoing effects - crimes most unconscionable, most damaging, and most burdensome to the human spirit. We express remorse for all crimes committed in the name of white supremacy and we pray for justice to be done in the United States of America and around the earth. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 01:31:26 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:31:26 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our first year in existence. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? Share Yesterday at 2:42am UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better on racism now. Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many more white failures. And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 01:39:28 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 00:39:28 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: [D2K-D] Van Jones resigns from White House [1 Attachment] Message-ID: FYI - if you haven't seen it - Here is the actual resignation letter from Van Jones. I hope he finds a really great new position to do his work, and just shines. ----- Original Message ----- From: kimberly rosa To: D2K-D at yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 5:05 PM Subject: [D2K-D] Van Jones resigns from White House [1 Attachment] [Attachment(s) from kimberly rosa included below] THIS SUCKS! From: "Quail Springs" Date: September 6, 2009 8:57:53 AM PDT To: Subject: [Ccpg] Van Jones resigns from White House Reply-To: info at quailsprings.org Dear friends, As a friend and supporter of Van Jones and progressive government, hearing of his resignation from the White House - I am sad today, again, at the state of our country, and yet so inspired by Van Jones' courage, and happy and proud that he is part of our movement for healing the planet and human communities. Below is what I found of his resignation statement, and a few links that help get to the story. ~ Kolmi Majumdar kolmi at quailsprings.org >From Van Jones' resignation statement: I am resigning my post at the Council on Environmental Quality, effective today. On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide. I have been inundated with calls - from across the political spectrum - urging me to "stay and fight." But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future. It has been a great honor to serve my country and my President in this capacity. I thank everyone who has offered support and encouragement. I am proud to have been able to make a contribution to the clean energy future. I will continue to do so, in the months and years ahead. Van Jones Resigns (at Think Progress.org) http://thinkprogress.org/2009/09/06/van-jones-resigns/ Van Jones.net http://www.vanjones.net/ NAACP Supports Van Jones http://www.naacp.org/news/press/2009-09-04/ to read a speech from Van Jones we reprinted in hopedance, please visit: http://www.hopedance.org/soul/van-jones-spiritually-fulfilling-ecologically-sustainable-and-socially-just __________________ Bob Banner Publisher & Director HopeDance Celebrating Transition, Opportunity and Resilience . 2500 Oakview Rd. . Templeton, CA 93465 . 805.434.3950 http://www.hopedance.org/cms HopeDance at Transition CA: http://transitioncalifornia.ning.com/group/hopedance Follow us at twitter: http://twitter.com/hopedance edibleSLO: Celebrating Local Food, Farmers and Healthy Food in SLO County 2500 Oakview Rd. . Templeton, CA 93465 . 805.434.3950 http://www.ediblesanluisobispo.com http://www.wiserearth.org/group/edibleslo http://transitioncalifornia.ning.com/group/ediblesanluisobispo Follow us on TWITTER: http://twitter.com/edibleslo FiLMs, PRiNT & Web: info at hopedance.org / http://www.hopedance.org / 805.369-0203 TRANSITION: Transition Initiative PORTAL: http://www.hopedance.org/cms/content/view/535/1 Transition CA: http://transitioncalifornia.ning.com/ Disclaimer: The information we send out originates from reliable sources which we believe to be accurate; but this cannot be guaranteed. We are not responsible for any errors or omissions and we disclaim any liability incurred as a consequence of any of the content. No virus found in this incoming message. 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URL: From marycapps at earthlink.net Tue Sep 8 08:00:10 2009 From: marycapps at earthlink.net (Mary Capps) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 09:00:10 -0500 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: <07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> <07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> Message-ID: Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or disrupt political debate & discussion. That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: > Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal > wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger > issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the > 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat > certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I > want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue > meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 > Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached > by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our > first year in existence. nancy > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Dara Silverman > To: White Anti-racist Summit > Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM > Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones > attacks > > FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please > acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version > with a few new links: > > UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism > comes a knockin? > Share > Yesterday at 2:42am > UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism > comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh > > Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on > Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read > Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http:// > bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? > Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva > Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did > so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) > > I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' > unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The > inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet > another example. > > The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely > supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, > Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. > But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and > NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly > liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual > contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive > because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let > the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way > America deserves better greens. > > UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of > Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa > responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of > Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad > politics. > > Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white > liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their > issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white > fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist > organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the > racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger > white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and > other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing > whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm > setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their > eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? > > It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not > defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front > of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House > for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and > Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. > > Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure > about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop > acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's > racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. > > In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of > color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on > mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by > white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white > communications organizations on any number of issues including > California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 > (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are > from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any > better on racism now. > > Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to > survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't > oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive > funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals > continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist > attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. > > If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger > disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's > commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent > us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like > climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, > rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. > > And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more > failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't > take many more white failures. > > And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given > mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to > make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. > And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat > rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments > because they'll lose every time. > > > On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: > Hey Nancy, > I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his > work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay > Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short > program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth > of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of > the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If > you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through > www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the > world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) > > I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white > activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, > and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always > done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list > serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate > anti-racist action. > > I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. > Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to > train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for > collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take > inspiration and lessons from. > > However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is > incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary > members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a > member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs > are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct > is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members > participated at one time or another in the Challenging White > Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It > is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful > multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing > strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. > > But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful > and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst > Project collective members, not to me. > > Just wanted to set the record straight. > > much love and respect to all, sharon > > > > On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: > >> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right >> wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It >> is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our >> individual actions are enough. >> >> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice >> from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. >> When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - >> probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard >> of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >> >> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more >> indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this >> country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How >> and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it >> be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? >> Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it >> uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional >> responses. >> >> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every >> 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks >> Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal >> work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is >> limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White >> Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is >> the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, >> and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >> >> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to >> be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is >> struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants >> to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups >> from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, >> universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been >> associated with are generally unconscious about their racism >> and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is >> slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without >> getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers >> shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. >> >> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up >> their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are >> the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group >> within the American Psychological Association that is struggling >> to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement >> in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, >> and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in >> professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. >> Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money >> and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white >> psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, >> of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). >> >> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I >> make sure I identify myself. >> >> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of >> Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't >> have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of >> it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read >> and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >> movements has been pretty clear. >> >> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have >> a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic >> pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full >> employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. >> >> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some >> of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection >> to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this >> message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about >> what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I >> know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive >> reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white >> progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people >> and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do >> beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to >> examine that as well. >> >> Can you send the source? >> >> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >> hearing from others. >> In solidarity, nancy arvold >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Dara Silverman >> To: White Anti-racist Summit >> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >> attacks >> >> Hey All, >> >> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >> and and his resignation. >> >> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >> years, and we travel in similar circles. >> >> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http:// >> standwithvan.com/ >> >> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >> below. >> >> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just >> in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be >> the last? >> >> Percolating, >> >> dara silverman >> >> >> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a >> knockin? >> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >> >> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all >> of us.' >> >> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This >> Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >> >> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change >> explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist >> did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, >> and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of >> mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van >> is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of >> debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. >> >> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white >> lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for >> being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >> >> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >> about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the >> white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >> >> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national >> liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform >> by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white >> communications organizations on any number of issues including >> cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. >> and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white >> liberals any better on racism now? >> >> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit >> to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note >> here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the >> racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can >> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >> right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no >> national white groups listening to him. >> >> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do >> something better in order to make it that far. >> >> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on >> our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to >> white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from >> dealing with the other important issues of the day, like >> climate change. As long as white liberals think these are >> parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to >> fail miserably. >> >> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many >> more failures. >> >> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >> failures." >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > > > -- > ---- > Dara Silverman > RISE Consulting > dara at riseup.net > 917-327-6528 > > http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lalbrech at umn.edu Tue Sep 8 08:43:47 2009 From: lalbrech at umn.edu (Lisa Albrecht) Date: Tue, 08 Sep 2009 09:43:47 -0500 Subject: [WAsummit] WAsummit Digest, Vol 15, Issue 14 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <4AA66DA3.2010100@umn.edu> hello all can someone kindly post the entire taj james piece about van jones? i have not been able to access it. thank you. i'm planning on teaching about this entire debacle in my social justice program. thanks, lisa wasummit-request at lists.wacan.org wrote: > Send WAsummit mailing list submissions to > wasummit at lists.wacan.org > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > wasummit-request at lists.wacan.org > > You can reach the person managing the list at > wasummit-owner at lists.wacan.org > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of WAsummit digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks > (Mary Capps) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 09:00:10 -0500 > From: Mary Capps > Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones > attacks > To: White Anti-racist Summit > Message-ID: > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"; Format="flowed"; > DelSp="yes" > > Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. > > Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white > supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or > disrupt political debate & discussion. > That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. > I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control > by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The > right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & > disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. > Killings would not surprise me. > I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is > there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got > two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) > > I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, > first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and > racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle > against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; > and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, > lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we > need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a > resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. > > Mary Capps > > On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: > > >> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal >> wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger >> issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the >> 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat >> certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I >> want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue >> meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 >> Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached >> by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our >> first year in existence. nancy >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Dara Silverman >> To: White Anti-racist Summit >> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM >> Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >> attacks >> >> FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please >> acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version >> with a few new links: >> >> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism >> comes a knockin? >> Share >> Yesterday at 2:42am >> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism >> comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh >> >> Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on >> Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read >> Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http:// >> bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? >> Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva >> Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did >> so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) >> >> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The >> inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet >> another example. >> >> The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely >> supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, >> Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. >> But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and >> NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly >> liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual >> contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive >> because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let >> the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way >> America deserves better greens. >> >> UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of >> Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa >> responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of >> Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad >> politics. >> >> Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white >> liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their >> issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white >> fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist >> organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the >> racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger >> white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and >> other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing >> whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm >> setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their >> eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? >> >> It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not >> defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front >> of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House >> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >> >> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >> about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop >> acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's >> racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. >> >> In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of >> color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on >> mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by >> white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white >> communications organizations on any number of issues including >> California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 >> (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are >> from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any >> better on racism now. >> >> Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to >> survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't >> oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive >> funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals >> continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist >> attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. >> >> If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger >> disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's >> commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent >> us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like >> climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, >> rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. >> >> And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more >> failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't >> take many more white failures. >> >> And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given >> mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to >> make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. >> And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat >> rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments >> because they'll lose every time. >> >> >> On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: >> Hey Nancy, >> I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his >> work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay >> Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short >> program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth >> of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of >> the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If >> you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through >> www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the >> world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) >> >> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white >> activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, >> and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always >> done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list >> serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate >> anti-racist action. >> >> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. >> Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to >> train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for >> collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take >> inspiration and lessons from. >> >> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is >> incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary >> members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a >> member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs >> are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct >> is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members >> participated at one time or another in the Challenging White >> Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It >> is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful >> multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing >> strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. >> >> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful >> and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst >> Project collective members, not to me. >> >> Just wanted to set the record straight. >> >> much love and respect to all, sharon >> >> >> >> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >> >> >>> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >>> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >>> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >>> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right >>> wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It >>> is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our >>> individual actions are enough. >>> >>> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >>> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >>> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >>> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice >>> from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. >>> When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - >>> probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard >>> of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >>> >>> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more >>> indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this >>> country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How >>> and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it >>> be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? >>> Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it >>> uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional >>> responses. >>> >>> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >>> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >>> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every >>> 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks >>> Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal >>> work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is >>> limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White >>> Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is >>> the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, >>> and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >>> >>> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to >>> be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is >>> struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants >>> to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups >>> from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, >>> universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been >>> associated with are generally unconscious about their racism >>> and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is >>> slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without >>> getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers >>> shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. >>> >>> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >>> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up >>> their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are >>> the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group >>> within the American Psychological Association that is struggling >>> to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement >>> in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, >>> and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in >>> professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. >>> Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money >>> and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white >>> psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, >>> of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). >>> >>> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >>> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >>> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >>> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >>> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I >>> make sure I identify myself. >>> >>> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >>> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >>> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >>> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of >>> Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't >>> have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of >>> it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read >>> and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >>> movements has been pretty clear. >>> >>> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have >>> a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >>> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >>> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic >>> pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full >>> employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. >>> >>> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some >>> of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection >>> to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this >>> message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about >>> what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I >>> know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive >>> reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white >>> progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people >>> and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do >>> beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to >>> examine that as well. >>> >>> Can you send the source? >>> >>> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >>> hearing from others. >>> In solidarity, nancy arvold >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Dara Silverman >>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >>> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>> attacks >>> >>> Hey All, >>> >>> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >>> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >>> and and his resignation. >>> >>> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >>> years, and we travel in similar circles. >>> >>> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http:// >>> standwithvan.com/ >>> >>> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >>> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >>> below. >>> >>> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just >>> in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be >>> the last? >>> >>> Percolating, >>> >>> dara silverman >>> >>> >>> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a >>> knockin? >>> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >>> >>> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >>> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all >>> of us.' >>> >>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This >>> Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >>> >>> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change >>> explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist >>> did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, >>> and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of >>> mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van >>> is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of >>> debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. >>> >>> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >>> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >>> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white >>> lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for >>> being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>> >>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >>> about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the >>> white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >>> >>> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national >>> liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform >>> by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white >>> communications organizations on any number of issues including >>> cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. >>> and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white >>> liberals any better on racism now? >>> >>> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit >>> to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note >>> here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the >>> racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can >>> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >>> right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >>> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no >>> national white groups listening to him. >>> >>> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >>> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >>> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do >>> something better in order to make it that far. >>> >>> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on >>> our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to >>> white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from >>> dealing with the other important issues of the day, like >>> climate change. As long as white liberals think these are >>> parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to >>> fail miserably. >>> >>> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many >>> more failures. >>> >>> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >>> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >>> failures." >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> >> >> >> -- >> ---- >> Dara Silverman >> RISE Consulting >> dara at riseup.net >> 917-327-6528 >> >> http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > End of WAsummit Digest, Vol 15, Issue 14 > **************************************** > -- Lisa Albrecht, Ph.D. Morse-Mn. Alumni Association Distinguished Professor of Teaching School of Social Work 193 Peters Hall St. Paul, MN. 55108 612 624 3669 Social Justice Minor - http://ssw.cehd.umn.edu/Programs/socialjustice.html From llyates at shentel.net Tue Sep 8 09:14:03 2009 From: llyates at shentel.net (Larry Yates) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 11:14:03 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] thoughts on the old and new Klan and on my generation of white folks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> <07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <3237376C-534D-4CAF-B40B-C5320F958D8E@shentel.net> One point I have been making to friends is that millions of USAns (including myself) were born at a time when Jim Crow was the law of the land (overtly in the South, but accepted by the North & West). Anyone my age (59) or older was an adult when the last of the big civil rights bills, the Fair Housing Act, was passed, and AFrican- Americans were once again given full constitutional recognition. In those days, racist images, jokes and comments were not only acceptable, but expected. African-Americans were not only not elected officials (outside of Northern urban areas), they weren't astronauts, anchors and editors of major media, sitcom stars, etc. So white USAns my age and older were raised in an environment in which having a Black President was not only unthinkable, but, I would suggest, grotesque and bizarre. Those ideas don't just vanish. For many of these people, while the outside environment has changed drastically, their day to day world has not changed that much. They still have little personal contact with people of color, and they have been subjected to the active recruitment efforts ever since 1968 of the Republican Party's ongoing "Southern Strategy," key to which has been a constant barrage of justification of racist prejudices. (Race card, law and order, personal responsibility, being only a few of the code phrases used.) Given these facts, it is inevitable that some substantial number of people in this white cohort are going to have intense negative reactions to a Black President. Inevitably, some of them will be highly irrational and even violent. This doesn't mean we accept this, but that we understand it. We have not all experienced the same changes over the last 40 years. And those of us who are older are not starting from the same place as a white person born after the civil rights movement, or a younger person for whom hip-hop has been there since her childhood. I think we need to point out these facts, so it is clear that we are not simply making easy accusations of racism. We can easily find social science research and historical fact that will back this up. Of course, as anti-racist whites, we should also state that we ourselves as white people also sometimes have similar feelings -- at least that an African-American might not be a good leader, might not be 'up to the job.' I know that what I learned then -- even in a very liberal family -- has not vanished, any more than the deep homophobic feelings of those days have vanished. On the positive side, we have learned that it is possible to change to some degree, and to be glad you did. Based on this, we can urge our fellow white folks, esp. those who were raised in an overtly racist environment, to examine their own feelings and minds, to respect the positive pride that African-Americans and people of color feel, and to be careful not to overreact. Would this help with the extreme teabaggers? No. But I would suggest many of this tiny minority are unreachable, perhaps psychotic. However, I think this message could reach the larger group that does not want to be disruptive, and that is open to the idea that they themselves can grow and change. It would help them to self-knowledge, and it might help us all to have conversations about our history. The reality is that we have, as a nation, tried to ignore these facts, that millions of us were raised with an apartheid ideology. Perhaps this is the moment when we can no longer avoid the conversation. The Klan shrank substantially during the 1970s and since. I would suggest this is not only because of a successful attack on its core membership and illegal activities, but because its passive supporters saw an alternative -- not liberalism, not activism, but at least an accommodation with an uncomfortable reality. I think we can use the same two approaches with what amounts to a new Klan. I hope this is helpful Larry Yates Maurertown VA www.user.shentel.net/llyates On Sep 8, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Mary Capps wrote: > Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. > > Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white > supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or > disrupt political debate & discussion. > That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. > I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control > by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The > right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating > & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. > Killings would not surprise me. > I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is > there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got > two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) > > I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, > first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and > racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle > against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; > and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, > lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we > need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a > resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. > > Mary Capps > > On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: > >> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal >> wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger >> issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the >> 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat >> certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I >> want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue >> meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 >> Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached >> by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our >> first year in existence. nancy >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Dara Silverman >> To: White Anti-racist Summit >> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM >> Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >> attacks >> >> FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please >> acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version >> with a few new links: >> >> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism >> comes a knockin? >> Share >> Yesterday at 2:42am >> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism >> comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh >> >> Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on >> Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read >> Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 >> and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO >> . (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice >> Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is >> therefore covered below) >> >> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The >> inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet >> another example. >> >> The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely >> supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, >> Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. >> But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and >> NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly >> liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual >> contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive >> because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let >> the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way >> America deserves better greens. >> >> UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of >> Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa >> responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of >> Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad >> politics. >> >> Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white >> liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their >> issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white >> fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist >> organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the >> racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger >> white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and >> other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing >> whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm >> setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their >> eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? >> >> It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not >> defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front >> of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House >> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >> >> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >> about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop >> acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's >> racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. >> >> In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of >> color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on >> mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by >> white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white >> communications organizations on any number of issues including >> California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 >> (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are >> from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any >> better on racism now. >> >> Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to >> survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't >> oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive >> funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals >> continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist >> attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. >> >> If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger >> disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's >> commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent >> us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like >> climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, >> rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. >> >> And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more >> failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't >> take many more white failures. >> >> And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given >> mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to >> make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. >> And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat >> rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments >> because they'll lose every time. >> >> >> On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: >> Hey Nancy, >> I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his >> work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay >> Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short >> program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth >> of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of >> the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If >> you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org >> . Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was >> aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) >> >> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white >> activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, >> and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always >> done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list >> serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate >> anti-racist action. >> >> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. >> Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to >> train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for >> collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take >> inspiration and lessons from. >> >> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is >> incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary >> members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a >> member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs >> are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct >> is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members >> participated at one time or another in the Challenging White >> Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It >> is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful >> multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing >> strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. >> >> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful >> and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst >> Project collective members, not to me. >> >> Just wanted to set the record straight. >> >> much love and respect to all, sharon >> >> >> >> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >> >>> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >>> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >>> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >>> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right >>> wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It >>> is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our >>> individual actions are enough. >>> >>> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >>> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >>> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >>> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice >>> from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. >>> When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - >>> probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard >>> of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >>> >>> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more >>> indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this >>> country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How >>> and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it >>> be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? >>> Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it >>> uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional >>> responses. >>> >>> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >>> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >>> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every >>> 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks >>> Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal >>> work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is >>> limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White >>> Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is >>> the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, >>> and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >>> >>> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to >>> be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is >>> struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants >>> to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups >>> from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, >>> universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been >>> associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and >>> it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is >>> slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without >>> getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers >>> shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white >>> folx. >>> >>> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >>> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up >>> their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are >>> the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group >>> within the American Psychological Association that is struggling >>> to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement >>> in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, >>> and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in >>> professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. >>> Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money >>> and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white >>> psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, >>> of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). >>> >>> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >>> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >>> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >>> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >>> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I >>> make sure I identify myself. >>> >>> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >>> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >>> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >>> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of >>> Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't >>> have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of >>> it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read >>> and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >>> movements has been pretty clear. >>> >>> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have >>> a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >>> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >>> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic >>> pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full >>> employment for the population. That isn't part of the current >>> agenda. >>> >>> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some >>> of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection >>> to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this >>> message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about >>> what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I >>> know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive >>> reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white >>> progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people >>> and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do >>> beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to >>> examine that as well. >>> >>> Can you send the source? >>> >>> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >>> hearing from others. >>> In solidarity, nancy arvold >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Dara Silverman >>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >>> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>> attacks >>> >>> Hey All, >>> >>> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >>> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >>> and and his resignation. >>> >>> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >>> years, and we travel in similar circles. >>> >>> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ >>> >>> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >>> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >>> below. >>> >>> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just >>> in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be >>> the last? >>> >>> Percolating, >>> >>> dara silverman >>> >>> >>> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a >>> knockin? >>> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >>> >>> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >>> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all >>> of us.' >>> >>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This >>> Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >>> >>> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change >>> explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist >>> did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, >>> and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of >>> mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van >>> is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of >>> debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. >>> >>> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >>> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >>> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white >>> lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for >>> being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>> >>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >>> about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the >>> white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >>> >>> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national >>> liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform >>> by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white >>> communications organizations on any number of issues including >>> cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. >>> and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white >>> liberals any better on racism now? >>> >>> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit >>> to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note >>> here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the >>> racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can >>> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >>> right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >>> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no >>> national white groups listening to him. >>> >>> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >>> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >>> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do >>> something better in order to make it that far. >>> >>> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on >>> our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to >>> white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from >>> dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate >>> change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather >>> than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. >>> >>> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many >>> more failures. >>> >>> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >>> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >>> failures." >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> >> >> >> -- >> ---- >> Dara Silverman >> RISE Consulting >> dara at riseup.net >> 917-327-6528 >> >> http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pattymaher at igc.org Tue Sep 8 10:03:35 2009 From: pattymaher at igc.org (Patricia Maher) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 12:03:35 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] thoughts on the need for a national white anti racist presence In-Reply-To: <3237376C-534D-4CAF-B40B-C5320F958D8E@shentel.net> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> <07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> <3237376C-534D-4CAF-B40B-C5320F958D8E@shentel.net> Message-ID: <93F929EC-0C35-45DA-AB09-6670B844204D@igc.org> Hi folks -- Although I have been part of this list serve and read most of what's posted, I have not yet been a contributor. I have never found it easy to do anti-racist organizing via email and I applaud those of you who have made this a lively forum. So I'm stepping into the fray. I am moved to weigh in on the thread started by Dara this weekend, because the right's attack on President Obama, on health care reform, on Van Jones and countless other events has me deeply disturbed. I live in Boston, and for weeks since the cambridge police's stunning display of institutionalized racism earlier this summer, people of color around me have been saying what Ludovic Blain articulated in his piece: where are the white progressives? Needless to say, my letter to the Boston Globe was not printed, and in any case, writing letters is good but a different level of organizing is clearly needed. I have Ron Chisom's statement echoing in my brain and heart: what would it take to get 50 whites to stand up publicly and denounce racism? I think we are in for a spate of white supremacist organizing the likes of which we haven't seen for a while, or ever. The attacks are intense, well funded, media-facilitated, and are likely to escalate against President Obama and other people of color in leadership. I am really heartened by AWARE's continued work, that of Challenging White Supremacy, and other anti racist groups organizing with whites in different parts of the country. I know people are doing great work. I believe that local work needs to be strengthened, and that there also needs to be a national response including a set of strategies to take on/work with some of the large liberal white organizations that work on a range of issues. We need to act as a collective -- and god knows, deal with our stuff about individualism, competition, and internalized superiority. What if we pulled together a national white anti racist summit of some sort to develop some strategies or at least to figure out who our allies are and who may already be organizing. Let's get out those people's institute strategy charts and start working. Some risk taking and transcending our comfort zones is definitely in order. I will be seeing some folks from the People's Institute this weekend and I will check in with them about what they and European Dissent are thinking. Thoughts? best regards, Pat Maher Boston On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:14 AM, Larry Yates wrote: > One point I have been making to friends is that millions of USAns > (including myself) were born at a time when Jim Crow was the law of > the land (overtly in the South, but accepted by the North & West). > Anyone my age (59) or older was an adult when the last of the big > civil rights bills, the Fair Housing Act, was passed, and AFrican- > Americans were once again given full constitutional recognition. In > those days, racist images, jokes and comments were not only > acceptable, but expected. African-Americans were not only not > elected officials (outside of Northern urban areas), they weren't > astronauts, anchors and editors of major media, sitcom stars, etc. > So white USAns my age and older were raised in an environment in > which having a Black President was not only unthinkable, but, I > would suggest, grotesque and bizarre. > > Those ideas don't just vanish. > > For many of these people, while the outside environment has changed > drastically, their day to day world has not changed that much. They > still have little personal contact with people of color, and they > have been subjected to the active recruitment efforts ever since > 1968 of the Republican Party's ongoing "Southern Strategy," key to > which has been a constant barrage of justification of racist > prejudices. (Race card, law and order, personal responsibility, > being only a few of the code phrases used.) > > Given these facts, it is inevitable that some substantial number of > people in this white cohort are going to have intense negative > reactions to a Black President. Inevitably, some of them will be > highly irrational and even violent. > > This doesn't mean we accept this, but that we understand it. We have > not all experienced the same changes over the last 40 years. And > those of us who are older are not starting from the same place as a > white person born after the civil rights movement, or a younger > person for whom hip-hop has been there since her childhood. > > I think we need to point out these facts, so it is clear that we are > not simply making easy accusations of racism. We can easily find > social science research and historical fact that will back this up. > > Of course, as anti-racist whites, we should also state that we > ourselves as white people also sometimes have similar feelings -- at > least that an African-American might not be a good leader, might not > be 'up to the job.' I know that what I learned then -- even in a > very liberal family -- has not vanished, any more than the deep > homophobic feelings of those days have vanished. On the positive > side, we have learned that it is possible to change to some degree, > and to be glad you did. > > Based on this, we can urge our fellow white folks, esp. those who > were raised in an overtly racist environment, to examine their own > feelings and minds, to respect the positive pride that African- > Americans and people of color feel, and to be careful not to > overreact. > > Would this help with the extreme teabaggers? No. But I would suggest > many of this tiny minority are unreachable, perhaps psychotic. > However, I think this message could reach the larger group that does > not want to be disruptive, and that is open to the idea that they > themselves can grow and change. It would help them to self- > knowledge, and it might help us all to have conversations about our > history. The reality is that we have, as a nation, tried to ignore > these facts, that millions of us were raised with an apartheid > ideology. Perhaps this is the moment when we can no longer avoid the > conversation. > > The Klan shrank substantially during the 1970s and since. I would > suggest this is not only because of a successful attack on its core > membership and illegal activities, but because its passive > supporters saw an alternative -- not liberalism, not activism, but > at least an accommodation with an uncomfortable reality. I think we > can use the same two approaches with what amounts to a new Klan. > > I hope this is helpful > > Larry Yates > Maurertown VA > www.user.shentel.net/llyates > > > > On Sep 8, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Mary Capps wrote: > >> Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. >> >> Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white >> supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or >> disrupt political debate & discussion. >> That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. >> I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control >> by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. >> The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in >> generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is >> getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. >> I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is >> there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got >> two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) >> >> I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, >> first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and >> racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle >> against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; >> and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, >> lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we >> need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a >> resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. >> >> Mary Capps >> >> On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: >> >>> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal >>> wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger >>> issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the >>> 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat >>> certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I >>> want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue >>> meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 >>> Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached >>> by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our >>> first year in existence. nancy >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Dara Silverman >>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM >>> Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van >>> jones attacks >>> >>> FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please >>> acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version >>> with a few new links: >>> >>> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when >>> racism comes a knockin? >>> Share >>> Yesterday at 2:42am >>> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when >>> racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh >>> >>> Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack >>> on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read >>> Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 >>> and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO >>> . (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice >>> Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and >>> is therefore covered below) >>> >>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The >>> inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet >>> another example. >>> >>> The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely >>> supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, >>> Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. >>> But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and >>> NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly >>> liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual >>> contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive >>> because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let >>> the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way >>> America deserves better greens. >>> >>> UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of >>> Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa >>> responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of >>> Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad >>> politics. >>> >>> Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white >>> liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their >>> issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate >>> white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist >>> organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the >>> racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger >>> white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and >>> other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing >>> whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as >>> I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep >>> their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? >>> >>> It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not >>> defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front >>> of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House >>> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>> >>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >>> about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop >>> acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's >>> racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. >>> >>> In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of >>> color have been let down by white national liberal organizations >>> on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by >>> white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by >>> white communications organizations on any number of issues >>> including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) >>> and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some >>> examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white >>> liberals are any better on racism now. >>> >>> Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to >>> survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't >>> oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive >>> funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals >>> continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist >>> attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>> >>> If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a >>> bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because >>> America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, >>> will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of >>> the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think >>> these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will >>> continue to fail miserably. >>> >>> And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more >>> failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't >>> take many more white failures. >>> >>> And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given >>> mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to >>> make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. >>> And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't >>> combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good >>> investments because they'll lose every time. >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: >>> Hey Nancy, >>> I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his >>> work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay >>> Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short >>> program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income >>> youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the >>> formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs >>> for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be >>> accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of >>> 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day >>> on KALW in SF.) >>> >>> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white >>> activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, >>> and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always >>> done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list >>> serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate >>> anti-racist action. >>> >>> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. >>> Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to >>> train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for >>> collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take >>> inspiration and lessons from. >>> >>> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" >>> is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the >>> visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am >>> not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the >>> programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is >>> historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst >>> Project collective members participated at one time or another in >>> the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and >>> which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and >>> continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti- >>> racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from >>> their wisdom. >>> >>> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the >>> powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to >>> Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. >>> >>> Just wanted to set the record straight. >>> >>> much love and respect to all, sharon >>> >>> >>> >>> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >>> >>>> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >>>> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >>>> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >>>> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right >>>> wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. >>>> It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our >>>> individual actions are enough. >>>> >>>> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >>>> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >>>> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >>>> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one >>>> voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of >>>> Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - >>>> probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've >>>> heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan >>>> site. >>>> >>>> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one >>>> more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in >>>> this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. >>>> How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? >>>> What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or >>>> series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't >>>> be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the >>>> public's emotional responses. >>>> >>>> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >>>> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >>>> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings >>>> every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years >>>> (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive >>>> personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and >>>> outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group >>>> attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this >>>> continuing group is the best connection I have which includes >>>> activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >>>> >>>> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem >>>> to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club >>>> is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who >>>> wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue >>>> groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, >>>> universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been >>>> associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and >>>> it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is >>>> slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without >>>> getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers >>>> shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white >>>> folx. >>>> >>>> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >>>> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake >>>> up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they >>>> are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a >>>> group within the American Psychological Association that is >>>> struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists >>>> involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the >>>> base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing >>>> articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at >>>> APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - >>>> there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. >>>> (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the >>>> military around torture, of course, but we are primarily >>>> torturing People of Color). >>>> >>>> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >>>> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >>>> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >>>> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >>>> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but >>>> now I make sure I identify myself. >>>> >>>> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >>>> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >>>> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >>>> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of >>>> Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't >>>> have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of >>>> it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read >>>> and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >>>> movements has been pretty clear. >>>> >>>> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet >>>> have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >>>> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >>>> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic >>>> pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to >>>> full employment for the population. That isn't part of the >>>> current agenda. >>>> >>>> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with >>>> some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a >>>> connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply >>>> forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful >>>> statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to >>>> challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk >>>> defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good >>>> white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my >>>> people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna >>>> do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to >>>> examine that as well. >>>> >>>> Can you send the source? >>>> >>>> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >>>> hearing from others. >>>> In solidarity, nancy arvold >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Dara Silverman >>>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >>>> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>>> attacks >>>> >>>> Hey All, >>>> >>>> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >>>> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >>>> and and his resignation. >>>> >>>> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >>>> years, and we travel in similar circles. >>>> >>>> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ >>>> >>>> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >>>> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >>>> below. >>>> >>>> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just >>>> in this situation, but for future situations because this won't >>>> be the last? >>>> >>>> Percolating, >>>> >>>> dara silverman >>>> >>>> >>>> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes >>>> a knockin? >>>> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >>>> >>>> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >>>> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all >>>> of us.' >>>> >>>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. >>>> This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >>>> >>>> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of >>>> Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger >>>> and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, >>>> Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 >>>> million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive >>>> because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the >>>> terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves >>>> better greens. >>>> >>>> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >>>> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >>>> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our >>>> white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH >>>> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>>> >>>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >>>> about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the >>>> white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >>>> >>>> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national >>>> liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform >>>> by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white >>>> communications organizations on any number of issues including >>>> cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and >>>> on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white >>>> liberals any better on racism now? >>>> >>>> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit >>>> to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note >>>> here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the >>>> racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can >>>> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >>>> right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >>>> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no >>>> national white groups listening to him. >>>> >>>> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>>> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >>>> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >>>> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do >>>> something better in order to make it that far. >>>> >>>> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster >>>> on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to >>>> white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from >>>> dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate >>>> change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, >>>> rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail >>>> miserably. >>>> >>>> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many >>>> more failures. >>>> >>>> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >>>> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >>>> failures." >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> ---- >>> Dara Silverman >>> RISE Consulting >>> dara at riseup.net >>> 917-327-6528 >>> >>> http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit Patricia Maher Homeopathy 33 Moultrie Street Dorchester MA 02124 617-407-1604 www.patriciamaherhomeopathy.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 17:07:23 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 16:07:23 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: Tuesday's Daily Brief Message-ID: <839715F4470E408E85640696E571DE1D@OWNERPC> Arianna Huffington: Thank You, Glenn Beck!FYI ----- Original Message ----- From: The Huffington Post To: narvold at sfo.com Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 10:34 AM Subject: Tuesday's Daily Brief 2009-09-08 The Daily Brief Arianna Huffington: Thank You, Glenn Beck! AP/Carlos Osorio Arianna Huffington: Thank you, Glenn Beck. By helping force the resignation of Van Jones, you have done a great service to your country. But in the exact opposite way than you intended. Your vile and vicious smear campaign has helped reverse one of the worst examples of miscasting since John Wayne took on the role of Genghis Khan in The Conqueror. Don't get me wrong: Van Jones was the best person for the job he just gave up. But the job was not the best use of Van Jones. Van is a truly gifted speaker who knows how to use words to move people to action. To stick him behind a desk with a sock in his mouth was a major waste. Now, thanks to Beck, he is freed to do what he does best: inspire and educate and energize people all across America. Click here to read more. Drew Westen: Why the President Has Been Losing on Health Care, and What He Needs to Say At this historic moment, the White House has determined that the best way to win the center is to tack right. But sometimes, the best way to win the center is not to move to the center, but to move the center. Brian Levin, J.D.: Despite Van Jones Controversy, Credibility is President's Key Asset President Obama faces two kinds of nasty, but related smears: one for who he is, and the other on the issues. Lorelei Kelly: Is "Escalation" the Right Word? Seeking an alternative to the word "escalation" to describe U.S. involvement in Afghanistan, I asked deployed or recently back friends and they each offered a different answer. Michael Kaiser: The Biggest Problem Facing the Arts The main challenge facing the arts world is the lack of a trained corps of managers who know how to find resources, attract audiences and other constituents and provide support to our artists. Mike Miley: Quentin Tarantino and Morally Responsible Cinema Tarantino gets singled out as being morally vacant because he makes violence funny, and he's successful because he's really good at it. HuffPost News Obama School Speech: Every Student Has Something To Offer Laura Bush Praises Obama, Defends Back-To-School Speech (VIDEO) Roadside Bombs Kill 4 US Troops In Iraq Max Baucus Plan: No Public Option, Non-Profit Insurance Jon Gosselin: I Despise Kate, She Abused Me Get HuffPost on your iPhone! ?2008 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved. 560 Broadway, Suite 308, NY, NY 10012 Add dailybrief at huffingtonpost.com to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us. User Agreement Privacy Policy Unsubscribe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 17:13:54 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 16:13:54 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC><07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> Message-ID: Mary - your view from the heart of the Reps is very powerful. I'd like to forward it to another listserve i'm on - a group of diversity trainers who are very progressive and who are engaged in a similar dialogue - let me know. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Capps To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 7:00 AM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or disrupt political debate & discussion. That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our first year in existence. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? Share Yesterday at 2:42am UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better on racism now. Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many more white failures. And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." -------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 17:14:33 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 16:14:33 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC><07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <57FB63ABDDA746D6AFB9813C55FF6D81@OWNERPC> I'd be interested in your sharing what your are learning. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Capps To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 7:00 AM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or disrupt political debate & discussion. That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our first year in existence. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? Share Yesterday at 2:42am UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better on racism now. Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many more white failures. And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." -------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cws at igc.org Tue Sep 8 18:02:20 2009 From: cws at igc.org (Sharon Martinas) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 17:02:20 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fwd: What would Van do? References: <1128679340.1632794849@org.orgDB.mail.democracyinaction.org> Message-ID: <4932FC2E-DC0B-44DB-9C19-0AF6993A777B@igc.org> Hi to all, In case you are looking for a simple, and highly organized, way to respond to the racist Right's attacks on Van Jones and the justice work he stands for, here's a way to do it. In my message box, I linked the racist Right's attacks with the silence of the white dominated environmental organizations and ended with "Silence is consent to racist attacks on Van and his environmental and racial justice work." Hope you'll sign the open letter/petition and pass it on to your friends. xx sharon m Begin forwarded message: > From: "Jakada Imani, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights" > > Date: September 8, 2009 3:54:46 PM PDT > To: cws at igc.org > Subject: What would Van do? > Reply-To: EBC at mail.democracyinaction.org > > > > Dear Sharon , > > You've probably heard the news that Ella Baker Center co-founder Van > Jones stepped down from his post as Special Adviser on Green Jobs, > Innovation, and Enterprise for President Obama this weekend. It's a > dark day when attacks based in half-truths, full lies, and old news > deny the nation its most talented advocate in the fight to rebuild > our economy and combat climate change. While the Ella Baker Center > family is deeply saddened by the smear campaigns of those who wish > to sabotage our movement for an equitable, green economy, we are > incredibly proud of Van, and we're inspired all over again by his > commitment to what really matters: saving the planet and its people. > > The attacks on Van were desperate attempts to distract people from > what really matters: building a future that is green and just for > everyone. Van recognized that, and it's critical that we all learn > the lesson offered by the events that transpired over the last > couple weeks. Our opponents are threatened by our shared vision, > and they're not going down without a fight. And because the > solutions we've crafted are gaining traction, our opponents must > resort to fear-mongering and sensationalism to drown out important > discussions about the real issues of the day. We can't let that > happen. > > Now, more than ever, we must redouble our efforts to create a green- > collar economy that truly creates opportunity for all. Are you with > us? Stand up and be counted, and show our opponents that their > misguided attempts to derail our movement have failed -- click here. > > Following Van's lead, we're staying focused on solutions that will > unite communities and ultimately create real, lasting change in > people's lives. The focus of Ella Baker Center has always been -- > and will remain -- fighting for cutting-edge policies that lift > people up rather than tearing them down. Our goal -- and Van's -- is > simple: justice in the system; opportunity in our cities; and peace > on our streets. We hope we can count on you to stand with us as we > continue the fight. > > Forward Ever, > > Jakada Imani > Executive Director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights > > > > > Ella Baker Center can't survive without the support of people like > you. Please take a moment to support us today:www.ellabakercenter.org/donate > > Not on our list-serve yet? (Maybe this message was forwarded to > you.) Sign up to get e-mail updates directly:www.ellabakercenter.org/subscribe > > To unsubscribe from this list, please click here: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/EBC/unsubscribe.jsp?unsubscribe > > Update your preferences or contact information here: www.ellabakercenter.org/profile > (NOTE: The first time you update your preferences, you must first > create a password.) > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 18:13:21 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 17:13:21 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] thoughts on the need for a national white antiracist presence In-Reply-To: <93F929EC-0C35-45DA-AB09-6670B844204D@igc.org> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC><07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC><3237376C-534D-4CAF-B40B-C5320F958D8E@shentel.net> <93F929EC-0C35-45DA-AB09-6670B844204D@igc.org> Message-ID: <722DE077FC2A480184F50839E837378A@OWNERPC> Yes, Patricia - Part of AWARE's agenda was to organize white resistance groups across the country, but found it a daunting task. It looks like we have the makings of it - there are so many of us who are connected to communities across the country - if we could decide on a particular action we could all take - together - we could see how to collaborate and if one action was successful we could do others. There are way more than 50 of us. Could you source Ron Chisom's statement - I missed it. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Patricia Maher To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 9:03 AM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] thoughts on the need for a national white antiracist presence Hi folks -- Although I have been part of this list serve and read most of what's posted, I have not yet been a contributor. I have never found it easy to do anti-racist organizing via email and I applaud those of you who have made this a lively forum. So I'm stepping into the fray. I am moved to weigh in on the thread started by Dara this weekend, because the right's attack on President Obama, on health care reform, on Van Jones and countless other events has me deeply disturbed. I live in Boston, and for weeks since the cambridge police's stunning display of institutionalized racism earlier this summer, people of color around me have been saying what Ludovic Blain articulated in his piece: where are the white progressives? Needless to say, my letter to the Boston Globe was not printed, and in any case, writing letters is good but a different level of organizing is clearly needed. I have Ron Chisom's statement echoing in my brain and heart: what would it take to get 50 whites to stand up publicly and denounce racism? I think we are in for a spate of white supremacist organizing the likes of which we haven't seen for a while, or ever. The attacks are intense, well funded, media-facilitated, and are likely to escalate against President Obama and other people of color in leadership. I am really heartened by AWARE's continued work, that of Challenging White Supremacy, and other anti racist groups organizing with whites in different parts of the country. I know people are doing great work. I believe that local work needs to be strengthened, and that there also needs to be a national response including a set of strategies to take on/work with some of the large liberal white organizations that work on a range of issues. We need to act as a collective -- and god knows, deal with our stuff about individualism, competition, and internalized superiority. What if we pulled together a national white anti racist summit of some sort to develop some strategies or at least to figure out who our allies are and who may already be organizing. Let's get out those people's institute strategy charts and start working. Some risk taking and transcending our comfort zones is definitely in order. I will be seeing some folks from the People's Institute this weekend and I will check in with them about what they and European Dissent are thinking. Thoughts? best regards, Pat Maher Boston On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:14 AM, Larry Yates wrote: One point I have been making to friends is that millions of USAns (including myself) were born at a time when Jim Crow was the law of the land (overtly in the South, but accepted by the North & West). Anyone my age (59) or older was an adult when the last of the big civil rights bills, the Fair Housing Act, was passed, and AFrican-Americans were once again given full constitutional recognition. In those days, racist images, jokes and comments were not only acceptable, but expected. African-Americans were not only not elected officials (outside of Northern urban areas), they weren't astronauts, anchors and editors of major media, sitcom stars, etc. So white USAns my age and older were raised in an environment in which having a Black President was not only unthinkable, but, I would suggest, grotesque and bizarre. Those ideas don't just vanish. For many of these people, while the outside environment has changed drastically, their day to day world has not changed that much. They still have little personal contact with people of color, and they have been subjected to the active recruitment efforts ever since 1968 of the Republican Party's ongoing "Southern Strategy," key to which has been a constant barrage of justification of racist prejudices. (Race card, law and order, personal responsibility, being only a few of the code phrases used.) Given these facts, it is inevitable that some substantial number of people in this white cohort are going to have intense negative reactions to a Black President. Inevitably, some of them will be highly irrational and even violent. This doesn't mean we accept this, but that we understand it. We have not all experienced the same changes over the last 40 years. And those of us who are older are not starting from the same place as a white person born after the civil rights movement, or a younger person for whom hip-hop has been there since her childhood. I think we need to point out these facts, so it is clear that we are not simply making easy accusations of racism. We can easily find social science research and historical fact that will back this up. Of course, as anti-racist whites, we should also state that we ourselves as white people also sometimes have similar feelings -- at least that an African-American might not be a good leader, might not be 'up to the job.' I know that what I learned then -- even in a very liberal family -- has not vanished, any more than the deep homophobic feelings of those days have vanished. On the positive side, we have learned that it is possible to change to some degree, and to be glad you did. Based on this, we can urge our fellow white folks, esp. those who were raised in an overtly racist environment, to examine their own feelings and minds, to respect the positive pride that African-Americans and people of color feel, and to be careful not to overreact. Would this help with the extreme teabaggers? No. But I would suggest many of this tiny minority are unreachable, perhaps psychotic. However, I think this message could reach the larger group that does not want to be disruptive, and that is open to the idea that they themselves can grow and change. It would help them to self-knowledge, and it might help us all to have conversations about our history. The reality is that we have, as a nation, tried to ignore these facts, that millions of us were raised with an apartheid ideology. Perhaps this is the moment when we can no longer avoid the conversation. The Klan shrank substantially during the 1970s and since. I would suggest this is not only because of a successful attack on its core membership and illegal activities, but because its passive supporters saw an alternative -- not liberalism, not activism, but at least an accommodation with an uncomfortable reality. I think we can use the same two approaches with what amounts to a new Klan. I hope this is helpful Larry Yates Maurertown VA www.user.shentel.net/llyates On Sep 8, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Mary Capps wrote: Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or disrupt political debate & discussion. That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our first year in existence. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? Share Yesterday at 2:42am UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better on racism now. Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many more white failures. And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." ---------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit Patricia Maher Homeopathy 33 Moultrie Street Dorchester MA 02124 617-407-1604 www.patriciamaherhomeopathy.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From marycapps at earthlink.net Tue Sep 8 18:18:04 2009 From: marycapps at earthlink.net (Mary Capps) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 19:18:04 -0500 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC><07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <76F628C6-258E-4443-9C3C-AC0230B45158@earthlink.net> Hi Nancy Of course you may forward this to anyone who might be interested. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 6:13 PM, Nancy wrote: > Mary - your view from the heart of the Reps is very powerful. I'd > like to forward it to another listserve i'm on - a group of > diversity trainers who are very progressive and who are engaged in > a similar dialogue - let me know. nancy > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Mary Capps > To: White Anti-racist Summit > Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 7:00 AM > Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones > attacks > > Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. > > Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white > supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or > disrupt political debate & discussion. > That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. > I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control > by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. > The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in > generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is > getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. > I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is > there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got > two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) > > I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, > first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and > racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle > against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; > and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, > lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we > need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a > resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. > > Mary Capps > > On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: > >> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal >> wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger >> issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the >> 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat >> certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I >> want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue >> meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 >> Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached >> by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our >> first year in existence. nancy >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Dara Silverman >> To: White Anti-racist Summit >> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM >> Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van >> jones attacks >> >> FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please >> acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version >> with a few new links: >> >> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when >> racism comes a knockin? >> Share >> Yesterday at 2:42am >> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when >> racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh >> >> Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack >> on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read >> Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http:// >> bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? >> Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. >> Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she >> did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) >> >> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The >> inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet >> another example. >> >> The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely >> supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, >> Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. >> But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and >> NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly >> liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual >> contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive >> because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let >> the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way >> America deserves better greens. >> >> UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of >> Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa >> responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of >> Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad >> politics. >> >> Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white >> liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their >> issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate >> white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist >> organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the >> racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger >> white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and >> other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing >> whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as >> I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep >> their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? >> >> It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not >> defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front >> of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House >> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >> >> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >> about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop >> acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's >> racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. >> >> In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of >> color have been let down by white national liberal organizations >> on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by >> white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by >> white communications organizations on any number of issues >> including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) >> and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some >> examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white >> liberals are any better on racism now. >> >> Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to >> survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't >> oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive >> funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals >> continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist >> attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. >> >> If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a >> bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because >> America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, >> will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of >> the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think >> these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will >> continue to fail miserably. >> >> And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more >> failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't >> take many more white failures. >> >> And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given >> mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to >> make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. >> And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't >> combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good >> investments because they'll lose every time. >> >> >> On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: >> Hey Nancy, >> I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his >> work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay >> Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short >> program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income >> youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the >> formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs >> for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be >> accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of >> 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day >> on KALW in SF.) >> >> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white >> activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, >> and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always >> done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list >> serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate >> anti-racist action. >> >> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. >> Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to >> train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for >> collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take >> inspiration and lessons from. >> >> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" >> is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the >> visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several >> years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions >> and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is >> historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst >> Project collective members participated at one time or another in >> the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and >> which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and >> continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti- >> racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from >> their wisdom. >> >> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the >> powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to >> Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. >> >> Just wanted to set the record straight. >> >> much love and respect to all, sharon >> >> >> >> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >> >>> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >>> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >>> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >>> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right >>> wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. >>> It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our >>> individual actions are enough. >>> >>> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >>> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >>> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >>> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one >>> voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of >>> Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - >>> probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've >>> heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >>> >>> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one >>> more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in >>> this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. >>> How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What >>> would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of >>> actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard >>> because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's >>> emotional responses. >>> >>> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >>> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >>> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings >>> every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years >>> (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive >>> personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and >>> outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group >>> attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this >>> continuing group is the best connection I have which includes >>> activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >>> >>> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem >>> to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club >>> is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who >>> wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue >>> groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, >>> universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been >>> associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and >>> it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is >>> slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without >>> getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers >>> shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white >>> folx. >>> >>> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >>> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake >>> up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they >>> are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a >>> group within the American Psychological Association that is >>> struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists >>> involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the >>> base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing >>> articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA >>> conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - >>> there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. >>> (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the >>> military around torture, of course, but we are primarily >>> torturing People of Color). >>> >>> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >>> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >>> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >>> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >>> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I >>> make sure I identify myself. >>> >>> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >>> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >>> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >>> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of >>> Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't >>> have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of >>> it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read >>> and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >>> movements has been pretty clear. >>> >>> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet >>> have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >>> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >>> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic >>> pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to >>> full employment for the population. That isn't part of the >>> current agenda. >>> >>> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with >>> some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a >>> connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply >>> forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful >>> statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to >>> challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk >>> defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good >>> white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my >>> people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna >>> do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to >>> examine that as well. >>> >>> Can you send the source? >>> >>> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >>> hearing from others. >>> In solidarity, nancy arvold >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: Dara Silverman >>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >>> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>> attacks >>> >>> Hey All, >>> >>> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >>> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >>> and and his resignation. >>> >>> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >>> years, and we travel in similar circles. >>> >>> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http:// >>> standwithvan.com/ >>> >>> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >>> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >>> below. >>> >>> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just >>> in this situation, but for future situations because this won't >>> be the last? >>> >>> Percolating, >>> >>> dara silverman >>> >>> >>> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes >>> a knockin? >>> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >>> >>> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >>> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all >>> of us.' >>> >>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. >>> This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >>> >>> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of >>> Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger >>> and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, >>> Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 >>> million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive >>> because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the >>> terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves >>> better greens. >>> >>> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >>> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >>> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our >>> white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH >>> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>> >>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >>> about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the >>> white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >>> >>> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national >>> liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform >>> by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white >>> communications organizations on any number of issues including >>> cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and >>> on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white >>> liberals any better on racism now? >>> >>> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit >>> to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note >>> here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the >>> racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can >>> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >>> right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >>> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no >>> national white groups listening to him. >>> >>> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >>> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >>> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do >>> something better in order to make it that far. >>> >>> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster >>> on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to >>> white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from >>> dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate >>> change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, >>> rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. >>> >>> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many >>> more failures. >>> >>> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >>> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >>> failures." >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> >> >> >> -- >> ---- >> Dara Silverman >> RISE Consulting >> dara at riseup.net >> 917-327-6528 >> >> http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cws at igc.org Tue Sep 8 18:23:54 2009 From: cws at igc.org (Sharon Martinas) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 17:23:54 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> Message-ID: <8C51A4FE-A1E7-494A-BBD3-3437AF110E95@igc.org> Dara, Are any of these pieces you mentioned available on open blogs, or other means, that do not require joining facebook or having a log in pass code? I'd love to read them but I definitely do not want to get onto facebook because you cant get out of it once you sign into it. xx sharon On Sep 7, 2009, at 3:51 PM, Dara Silverman wrote: > FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please > acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version > with a few new links: > > UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism > comes a knockin? > Share > Yesterday at 2:42am > UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism > comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh > > Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on > Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel > Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/ > 4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? > Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva > Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so > organizationally, and is therefore covered below) > > I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' > unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The > inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet > another example. > > The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely > supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, > Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But > the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, > who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal > and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors > money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks > on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the > terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better > greens. > > UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of > Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa > responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of > Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad > politics. > > Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white > liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their > issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white > fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist > organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the > racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger > white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and > other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing > whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm > setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their > eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? > > It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not > defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of > the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for > being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and > Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. > > Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure > about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted > stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist > framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. > > In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of > color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on > mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by > white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white > communications organizations on any number of issues including > California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti-- > immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a > decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better > on racism now. > > Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to > survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't > oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive > funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals > continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist > attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. > > If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger > disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's > commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us > from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like > climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, > rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. > > And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more > failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't > take many more white failures. > > And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given > mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to > make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And > their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat > rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments > because they'll lose every time. > > > On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: > Hey Nancy, > I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his > work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay > Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short > program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth > of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of > the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If > you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org > . Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was > aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) > > I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white > activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, > and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always > done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list > serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate > anti-racist action. > > I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. > Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to > train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for > collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take > inspiration and lessons from. > > However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is > incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary > members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member > of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what > deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that > many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members > participated at one time or another in the Challenging White > Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It > is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful > multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies > in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. > > But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful > and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst > Project collective members, not to me. > > Just wanted to set the record straight. > > much love and respect to all, sharon > > > > On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: > >> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate >> with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for >> racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces >> seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for >> us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions >> are enough. >> >> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice >> from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. >> When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably >> on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his >> resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >> >> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more >> indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this >> country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and >> when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be >> to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff >> states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses >> intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. >> >> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every >> 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks >> Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal >> work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is >> limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White >> Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is >> the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and >> here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >> >> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to >> be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is >> struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to >> "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups >> from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, >> universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been >> associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it >> is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. >> Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting >> scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake >> their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. >> >> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up >> their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are >> the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group >> within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to >> get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in >> torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and >> folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in >> professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. >> Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money >> and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white >> psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of >> course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). >> >> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I >> make sure I identify myself. >> >> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color >> to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a >> clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? >> Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and >> discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >> movements has been pretty clear. >> >> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have >> a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified >> about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, >> at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment >> for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. >> >> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some >> of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to >> Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, >> which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it >> takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I >> read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not >> like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have >> to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what >> have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to >> have my white colleagues to examine that as well. >> >> Can you send the source? >> >> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >> hearing from others. >> In solidarity, nancy arvold >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Dara Silverman >> To: White Anti-racist Summit >> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >> attacks >> >> Hey All, >> >> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating >> and and his resignation. >> >> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >> years, and we travel in similar circles. >> >> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ >> >> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it >> raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain >> below. >> >> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in >> this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the >> last? >> >> Percolating, >> >> dara silverman >> >> >> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a >> knockin? >> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >> >> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of >> us.' >> >> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This >> Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >> >> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change >> explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist >> did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, >> and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of >> mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is >> black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate >> before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. >> >> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white >> lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for >> being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >> >> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >> about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the >> white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >> >> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national >> liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by >> white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white >> communications organizations on any number of issues including cali >> props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and >> although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any >> better on racism now? >> >> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to >> their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i >> am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial >> justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white >> liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism >> comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is >> great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups >> listening to him. >> >> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do >> something better in order to make it that far. >> >> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on >> our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to >> white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing >> with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As >> long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than >> continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. >> >> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more >> failures. >> >> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >> failures." >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > > > -- > ---- > Dara Silverman > RISE Consulting > dara at riseup.net > 917-327-6528 > > http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nsmith at igc.org Tue Sep 8 12:01:36 2009 From: nsmith at igc.org (Norma Smith) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 18:01:36 +0000 Subject: [WAsummit] Fwd: [spiritof1848] Van Jones Conference call for journalists, writers and bloggers References: <61a22a560909081740s300cee1ax6ea1227953f41683@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <76F2E611-B470-4462-9C09-618F1B0D194C@igc.org> Hi all- This from a (multiracial) politics and public health listserv I'm on. It's always a source of clarity without shying away from complexity. It would be good if folks in our discussion could join the conference call tomorrow, Wed, sept 9, at 3 pm Eastern time. I'll be at my job at that time. If you join, I'd suggest having ready whatever citations we've shared, and the ideas and analysis. I think this is the kind of cross organizing we should be doing between and among progressive campaigns and issues. and definitely identify yourselves as members of a predominantly white anti-racist organizing coalition. just to give people encouragement that such exists. For those who aren't familiar with conference calls, you call the number at the specified time, and when the prompt comes to enter the passcode, enter the number below the phone number. > here is the call number: > (218) 339-2500 > then enter code: 120620 Norma Begin forwarded message: > From: Brentin Mock > Date: September 9, 2009 12:40:28 AM GMT+00:00 > To: spiritof1848 at yahoogroups.com, greenthink at yahoogroups.com > Subject: [spiritof1848] Van Jones Conference call for journalists, > writers and bloggers > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: biko baker > Date: Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 7:55 PM > Subject: Help me stand up for a strong brother! > To: bmock77 at gmail.com > > Can you help me convene a meeting of writers and journalists who > might be > interested in Van Jones' cause? As you know Van has been a warrior > for > social justice and improving our communities for years. I was > wondering if > you knew of anybody that would be interested in hearing more about > Van's > work, why he is so important to our movement and what can be done to > protect > him. As you know, he isn't the radical communist as he was painted > out to > be. The right attacked him for a reason. > > I am going to be convening a conference call for writers tomorrow > Wed Sept > 9th at 3 PM EST and would appreciate if you could get some folks to > jump on. > The call shouldn't take more than 30 mins > > here is the call number: > (218) 339-2500 > 120620 > > Agenda > > - Context for call > - Who is Van Jones > - Why did he resign > - What's next? > > > -- > Robert Baker > Executive Director > League of Young Voters > League of Young Voters Education Fund > 213.925.1545 > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > ------------------------------------------------------------ > Posted from: Spirit of 1848 Listserv > ------------------------------------------------------------ > We welcome posting on social justice & public health that provide: > > a) information (e.g. about conferences or job announcements or > publications relevant to and making explicit links between social > justice & public health), and > > b) substantive queries or comments directly addressing issues > relevant to and making explicit links between social justice and > public health. > > If your posting is only about social justice/political issues, or > only about public health issues, and does not explicitly connect > issues of social justice & public health, please do not post it on > this listserv. > > Please note that the listserv does not accept attachments. For > petitions, please post only the text, accompanied by the explicit > instruction not to reply to the listserv but to reply to you > directly with signatures. > > Community email addresses: > Post message: spiritof1848 at yahoogroups.com > Subscribe: spiritof1848-subscribe at yahoogroups.com > Unsubscribe: spiritof1848-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com > List owner: spiritof1848-owner at yahoogroups.com > Web page: www.spiritof1848.org > > To subscribe or un-subscribe send an e-mail to the address specified > above with the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject > line. To change to digest mode (one daily e-mail containing the > day's postings), you need to access your account via the YahooGroups > website and select the digest option under "Message Delivery". > > For more information, please see the Spiritof1848 Listserv Semi- > Regular Reminder or e-mail the list owner.Yahoo! Groups Links > > <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritof1848/ > > <*> Your email settings: > Individual Email | Traditional > > <*> To change settings online go to: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spiritof1848/join > (Yahoo! ID required) > > <*> To change settings via email: > mailto:spiritof1848-digest at yahoogroups.com > mailto:spiritof1848-fullfeatured at yahoogroups.com > > <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > spiritof1848-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com > > <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: > http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ > Norma Smith The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project 5245 College Ave #424 Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 465-2094 The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project brings together social justice academics and community-based projects to work toward social change. The Edge Project produces community events, organizes sessions at academic conferences, and facilitates interdisciplinary, site- specific, collaboratively designed seminars, conferences, and working groups on themes related to community history, culture, and politics. It provides opportunities for scholars to learn from and with other community members. The Edge Project is inspired by poet-educator- activist Audre Lorde's vision of cross-community alliance building and organizing for social justice. The Edge of Each Other's Battles Project operates under the fiscal sponsorship of the Agape Foundation - Fund for Nonviolent Social Change. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cws at igc.org Tue Sep 8 19:04:39 2009 From: cws at igc.org (Sharon Martinas) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 18:04:39 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] thoughts on the need for a national white anti racist presence In-Reply-To: <93F929EC-0C35-45DA-AB09-6670B844204D@igc.org> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> <07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> <3237376C-534D-4CAF-B40B-C5320F958D8E@shentel.net> <93F929EC-0C35-45DA-AB09-6670B844204D@igc.org> Message-ID: <3341DCA9-1B19-4546-B2F5-5A291CDEB597@igc.org> Hey Patricia, Thanx so much for your call to action. Here are a couple of ideas your email inspired me to think about, both for individual and for group actions. Please take what you can use and leave the rest. 1. Individual learning: Acquaint myself more with what organizers of color are saying and how they are framing this situation. Here are a few leads I've been following: (1) Ella Baker Center.org has a statement and place to sign a petition or open letter. EBC was founded by Van. (2) Check out Democracy Now's interview this morning, Tuesday, with organizers from NAACP, Color of Change and Malkia Cyril of Media Justice. www.democracynow.org has transcripts and audios. (3) Check out KPFA's 'Letter to Washington' today interview with left organizers Bill Fletcher and Rosa Clemente. Archives on www.kpfa.org. 2. Individual actions I've taken: (1) Signing Color of Change's list of now 137,000 people who are demanding that advertisers on Beck's racist show drop their ads. 57 companies had dropped them before Van resigned. Today 11 more went. The power of the dollar is, I think, a very effective way to temporarily at least shut up this racist. For more on the campaign, check www.colorofchange.org. (2) Signing Ella Baker Center's new open letter protesting the racist actions but focusing on the Right's efforts of desperation to get rid of a charismatic speaker for environmental, racial and economic justice. There's a place for 'my own message' which I filled in connecting the racist Right's attack on Van with the 'silence is consent' non-actions of the majority white environmental organizations. www.ellabakercenter.org or google. 3. A brainstorm for a feasible white anti-racist group media activity for those on this list (and others) who are writers and media savvy: If a few folx would draft an open letter from white activists that many of us could sign on to, we could piece together a 'up from the grassroots' (to paraphrase Peoples Institute) media strategy: sending the letter to selected blog networks, such as: environmental blogs, general progressive blogs, media reform and media justice blogs, blogs concerned with the Right wing from a progressive perspective. as well as utube, facebook, etc. and to progressive media on line. If the letter begins to get grassroots traction it will eventually trickle up to some of the corporate media. Our letter could focus perhaps on our voice as white anti-racists: attacking both the racist Right and the 'silence is consent' white groups, especially the environmental and media watchdog groups. Focusing, yes, on the fact that Van is Black, and brilliant, and a leader -- but also a committed and accountable justice activist for 25 years. As Malkia Cyril said this morning on Democracy Now, the Right's attack is on Van's programmatic vision and practice, not just him as an individual. My own personal opinion in terms of any forms of 'national action' as in 'out of the computers and into the streets,' is that sad to say, it's premature for a national group white anti-racist activists to take this on. Personally, I believe that carefully built local organizations, with anti-racist political education, carefully done base building and leadership development; and most important, a priority of building accountable relationships with local organizations of color, needs to proceed alliance building on a national level. We do have some anti-racist white organizations like that in specific places, but I think that we on this list serve are doing 'networking' which is really valuable, but not yet organization building. Maybe this latest racist horror will speed up our work? much love, sharon On Sep 8, 2009, at 9:03 AM, Patricia Maher wrote: > Hi folks -- > > Although I have been part of this list serve and read most of what's > posted, I have not yet been a contributor. I have never found it > easy to do anti-racist organizing via email and I applaud those of > you who have made this a lively forum. > > So I'm stepping into the fray. I am moved to weigh in on the thread > started by Dara this weekend, because the right's attack on > President Obama, on health care reform, on Van Jones and countless > other events has me deeply disturbed. I live in Boston, and for > weeks since the cambridge police's stunning display of > institutionalized racism earlier this summer, people of color around > me have been saying what Ludovic Blain articulated in his piece: > where are the white progressives? Needless to say, my letter to > the Boston Globe was not printed, and in any case, writing letters > is good but a different level of organizing is clearly needed. I > have Ron Chisom's statement echoing in my brain and heart: what > would it take to get 50 whites to stand up publicly and denounce > racism? > > I think we are in for a spate of white supremacist organizing the > likes of which we haven't seen for a while, or ever. The attacks > are intense, well funded, media-facilitated, and are likely to > escalate against President Obama and other people of color in > leadership. > > I am really heartened by AWARE's continued work, that of Challenging > White Supremacy, and other anti racist groups organizing with whites > in different parts of the country. I know people are doing great > work. > > I believe that local work needs to be strengthened, and that there > also needs to be a national response including a set of strategies > to take on/work with some of the large liberal white organizations > that work on a range of issues. We need to act as a collective -- > and god knows, deal with our stuff about individualism, competition, > and internalized superiority. > > What if we pulled together a national white anti racist summit of > some sort to develop some strategies or at least to figure out who > our allies are and who may already be organizing. Let's get out > those people's institute strategy charts and start working. Some > risk taking and transcending our comfort zones is definitely in order. > > I will be seeing some folks from the People's Institute this weekend > and I will check in with them about what they and European Dissent > are thinking. > > Thoughts? > > best regards, > > Pat Maher > Boston > > > > > > On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:14 AM, Larry Yates wrote: > >> One point I have been making to friends is that millions of USAns >> (including myself) were born at a time when Jim Crow was the law of >> the land (overtly in the South, but accepted by the North & West). >> Anyone my age (59) or older was an adult when the last of the big >> civil rights bills, the Fair Housing Act, was passed, and AFrican- >> Americans were once again given full constitutional recognition. In >> those days, racist images, jokes and comments were not only >> acceptable, but expected. African-Americans were not only not >> elected officials (outside of Northern urban areas), they weren't >> astronauts, anchors and editors of major media, sitcom stars, etc. >> So white USAns my age and older were raised in an environment in >> which having a Black President was not only unthinkable, but, I >> would suggest, grotesque and bizarre. >> >> Those ideas don't just vanish. >> >> For many of these people, while the outside environment has changed >> drastically, their day to day world has not changed that much. They >> still have little personal contact with people of color, and they >> have been subjected to the active recruitment efforts ever since >> 1968 of the Republican Party's ongoing "Southern Strategy," key to >> which has been a constant barrage of justification of racist >> prejudices. (Race card, law and order, personal responsibility, >> being only a few of the code phrases used.) >> >> Given these facts, it is inevitable that some substantial number of >> people in this white cohort are going to have intense negative >> reactions to a Black President. Inevitably, some of them will be >> highly irrational and even violent. >> >> This doesn't mean we accept this, but that we understand it. We >> have not all experienced the same changes over the last 40 years. >> And those of us who are older are not starting from the same place >> as a white person born after the civil rights movement, or a >> younger person for whom hip-hop has been there since her childhood. >> >> I think we need to point out these facts, so it is clear that we >> are not simply making easy accusations of racism. We can easily >> find social science research and historical fact that will back >> this up. >> >> Of course, as anti-racist whites, we should also state that we >> ourselves as white people also sometimes have similar feelings -- >> at least that an African-American might not be a good leader, might >> not be 'up to the job.' I know that what I learned then -- even in >> a very liberal family -- has not vanished, any more than the deep >> homophobic feelings of those days have vanished. On the positive >> side, we have learned that it is possible to change to some degree, >> and to be glad you did. >> >> Based on this, we can urge our fellow white folks, esp. those who >> were raised in an overtly racist environment, to examine their own >> feelings and minds, to respect the positive pride that African- >> Americans and people of color feel, and to be careful not to >> overreact. >> >> Would this help with the extreme teabaggers? No. But I would >> suggest many of this tiny minority are unreachable, perhaps >> psychotic. However, I think this message could reach the larger >> group that does not want to be disruptive, and that is open to the >> idea that they themselves can grow and change. It would help them >> to self-knowledge, and it might help us all to have conversations >> about our history. The reality is that we have, as a nation, tried >> to ignore these facts, that millions of us were raised with an >> apartheid ideology. Perhaps this is the moment when we can no >> longer avoid the conversation. >> >> The Klan shrank substantially during the 1970s and since. I would >> suggest this is not only because of a successful attack on its core >> membership and illegal activities, but because its passive >> supporters saw an alternative -- not liberalism, not activism, but >> at least an accommodation with an uncomfortable reality. I think we >> can use the same two approaches with what amounts to a new Klan. >> >> I hope this is helpful >> >> Larry Yates >> Maurertown VA >> www.user.shentel.net/llyates >> >> >> >> On Sep 8, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Mary Capps wrote: >> >>> Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a >>> lot. >>> >>> Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white >>> supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or >>> disrupt political debate & discussion. >>> That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. >>> I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing >>> control by defining people in & proposals from the Obama >>> administration. The right wing media, national & local, plays a >>> huge part in generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among >>> whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. >>> I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is >>> there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got >>> two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) >>> >>> I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, >>> first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and >>> racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle >>> against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; >>> and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, >>> lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we >>> need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of >>> a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. >>> >>> Mary Capps >>> >>> On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: >>> >>>> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal >>>> wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger >>>> issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the >>>> 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat >>>> certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I >>>> want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue >>>> meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 >>>> Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached >>>> by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our >>>> first year in existence. nancy >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: Dara Silverman >>>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>>> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM >>>> Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van >>>> jones attacks >>>> >>>> FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please >>>> acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated >>>> version with a few new links: >>>> >>>> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when >>>> racism comes a knockin? >>>> Share >>>> Yesterday at 2:42am >>>> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when >>>> racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh >>>> >>>> Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack >>>> on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read >>>> Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 >>>> and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO >>>> . (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice >>>> Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and >>>> is therefore covered below) >>>> >>>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The >>>> inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet >>>> another example. >>>> >>>> The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely >>>> supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, >>>> Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. >>>> But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and >>>> NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of >>>> mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and >>>> individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took >>>> a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they >>>> incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before >>>> entering. Either way America deserves better greens. >>>> >>>> UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of >>>> Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa >>>> responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of >>>> Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes >>>> bad politics. >>>> >>>> Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white >>>> liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to >>>> their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I >>>> appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white >>>> anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic >>>> Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no >>>> influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, >>>> Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be >>>> clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on >>>> issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can >>>> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >>>> right's racism comes a calling? >>>> >>>> It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not >>>> defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front >>>> of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House >>>> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>>> >>>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure >>>> about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop >>>> acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's >>>> racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. >>>> >>>> In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of >>>> color have been let down by white national liberal organizations >>>> on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 >>>> by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by >>>> white communications organizations on any number of issues >>>> including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) >>>> and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some >>>> examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white >>>> liberals are any better on racism now. >>>> >>>> Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to >>>> survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't >>>> oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive >>>> funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals >>>> continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's >>>> racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>>> >>>> If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a >>>> bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because >>>> America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, >>>> will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of >>>> the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think >>>> these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will >>>> continue to fail miserably. >>>> >>>> And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many >>>> more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races >>>> can't take many more white failures. >>>> >>>> And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have >>>> given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org >>>> peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political >>>> lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups >>>> can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't >>>> good investments because they'll lose every time. >>>> >>>> >>>> On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas >>>> wrote: >>>> Hey Nancy, >>>> I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his >>>> work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay >>>> Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a >>>> short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low >>>> income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and >>>> the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green >>>> Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be >>>> accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of >>>> 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor >>>> day on KALW in SF.) >>>> >>>> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white >>>> activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, >>>> and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always >>>> done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list >>>> serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate >>>> anti-racist action. >>>> >>>> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst >>>> Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden >>>> program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist >>>> organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other >>>> organizations take inspiration and lessons from. >>>> >>>> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" >>>> is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the >>>> visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am >>>> not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the >>>> programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is >>>> historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst >>>> Project collective members participated at one time or another in >>>> the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and >>>> which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and >>>> continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about >>>> anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much >>>> from their wisdom. >>>> >>>> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the >>>> powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to >>>> Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. >>>> >>>> Just wanted to set the record straight. >>>> >>>> much love and respect to all, sharon >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >>>> >>>>> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >>>>> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >>>>> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >>>>> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The >>>>> right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate >>>>> mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and >>>>> think our individual actions are enough. >>>>> >>>>> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch >>>>> who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by >>>>> his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and >>>>> was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one >>>>> voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of >>>>> Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest >>>>> - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've >>>>> heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan >>>>> site. >>>>> >>>>> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one >>>>> more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in >>>>> this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. >>>>> How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What >>>>> would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of >>>>> actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard >>>>> because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's >>>>> emotional responses. >>>>> >>>>> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, >>>>> and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization >>>>> in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings >>>>> every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years >>>>> (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive >>>>> personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and >>>>> outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group >>>>> attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this >>>>> continuing group is the best connection I have which includes >>>>> activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >>>>> >>>>> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem >>>>> to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club >>>>> is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who >>>>> wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single- >>>>> issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation >>>>> groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've >>>>> been associated with are generally unconscious about their >>>>> racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white >>>>> racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is >>>>> challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all >>>>> influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations >>>>> trying to deal with the white folx. >>>>> >>>>> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >>>>> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake >>>>> up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if >>>>> they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in >>>>> a group within the American Psychological Association that is >>>>> struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists >>>>> involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at >>>>> the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, >>>>> writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at >>>>> APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - >>>>> there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. >>>>> (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the >>>>> military around torture, of course, but we are primarily >>>>> torturing People of Color). >>>>> >>>>> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >>>>> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >>>>> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >>>>> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who >>>>> doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I >>>>> make sure I identify myself. >>>>> >>>>> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues >>>>> to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm >>>>> part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as >>>>> effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with >>>>> groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the >>>>> right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a >>>>> really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was >>>>> trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The >>>>> record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. >>>>> >>>>> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet >>>>> have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. >>>>> the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >>>>> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic >>>>> pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to >>>>> full employment for the population. That isn't part of the >>>>> current agenda. >>>>> >>>>> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with >>>>> some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a >>>>> connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply >>>>> forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful >>>>> statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to >>>>> challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk >>>>> defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good >>>>> white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking >>>>> about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and >>>>> am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white >>>>> colleagues to examine that as well. >>>>> >>>>> Can you send the source? >>>>> >>>>> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >>>>> hearing from others. >>>>> In solidarity, nancy arvold >>>>> >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>> From: Dara Silverman >>>>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>>>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >>>>> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>>>> attacks >>>>> >>>>> Hey All, >>>>> >>>>> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >>>>> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape- >>>>> goating and and his resignation. >>>>> >>>>> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >>>>> years, and we travel in similar circles. >>>>> >>>>> This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ >>>>> >>>>> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what >>>>> it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic >>>>> Blain below. >>>>> >>>>> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just >>>>> in this situation, but for future situations because this won't >>>>> be the last? >>>>> >>>>> Percolating, >>>>> >>>>> dara silverman >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes >>>>> a knockin? >>>>> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >>>>> >>>>> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent >>>>> piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all >>>>> of us.' >>>>> >>>>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' >>>>> unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. >>>>> This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >>>>> >>>>> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of >>>>> Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger >>>>> and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, >>>>> Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 >>>>> million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive >>>>> because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set >>>>> the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves >>>>> better greens. >>>>> >>>>> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really >>>>> expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty >>>>> heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our >>>>> white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH >>>>> for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and >>>>> Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >>>>> >>>>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national >>>>> figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama >>>>> saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. >>>>> >>>>> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white >>>>> national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on >>>>> welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay >>>>> groups, by white communications organizations on any >>>>> number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel >>>>> like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are >>>>> froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? >>>>> >>>>> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit >>>>> to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note >>>>> here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the >>>>> racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can >>>>> organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the >>>>> right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >>>>> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no >>>>> national white groups listening to him. >>>>> >>>>> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. >>>>> Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, >>>>> that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white >>>>> progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to >>>>> do something better in order to make it that far. >>>>> >>>>> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster >>>>> on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment >>>>> to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from >>>>> dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate >>>>> change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, >>>>> rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail >>>>> miserably. >>>>> >>>>> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many >>>>> more failures. >>>>> >>>>> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write >>>>> "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white >>>>> failures." >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> ---- >>>> Dara Silverman >>>> RISE Consulting >>>> dara at riseup.net >>>> 917-327-6528 >>>> >>>> http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> WAsummit mailing list >>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> WAsummit mailing list >>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > Patricia Maher Homeopathy > 33 Moultrie Street > Dorchester MA 02124 > 617-407-1604 > www.patriciamaherhomeopathy.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From dara at riseup.net Tue Sep 8 20:36:43 2009 From: dara at riseup.net (Dara Silverman) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 22:36:43 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: <8C51A4FE-A1E7-494A-BBD3-3437AF110E95@igc.org> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC> <8C51A4FE-A1E7-494A-BBD3-3437AF110E95@igc.org> Message-ID: Here's the piece by Taj James: Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us. Sun at 1:48am Don't be confused. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on hope, change, and all progressive values. It is an attempt to return to the politics of fear as a way of slowing the momentum for real change and real solutions that the movement has built. We must stand up for Van and for all the values we hold dear or we will be handing the country back to the racist extremists who have brought the world the brink of economic and ecological collapse. Some thought that the election was the time to fight hard for our vision for change but now is our real test and the real time to prove that we have solutions for a world that works for everyone. We were too slow and too weak to turn back the attack on Van but let us use this wake up call to start fighting the way we should have been all along. That means victories on health care, climate and defending Van and all other warriors for change who are being made into symbols of fear. SOME OTHER THOUGHTS : ANALYSIS: 1) Progressives need get out bleachers on the field and fight like hell for what we want. (see above!) 2) If the Right can continue to use racism to stoke fear and divide progressives while white allies stay silent we are cooked. (Ludovic) http://tinyurl.com/n3ynnu 3) The White house needs a new strategy to fight the lunatic right that is paralyzing their agenda (Grist) http://tinyurl.com/mo3z4w ACTION 1) Van is coming home but the fight is just starting. Join the I Stand With Van Facebook group: http://tinyurl.com/mjyt4s and http://standwithvan.com/ 2) Glen Beck needs a pink slip. http://colorofchange.org/beck/ 3) The White House needs to hear that caving to right wing extremist and letting Van go is weak, dumb and just emboldens the crazies. White House Comments: 202-456-1111 4) AND they need to hear we are going to double our efforts to move health care and the climate bill because there is too much at stake and if we don?t get victories here we will be handing the country back to the hateful extremist Right. White House Comments: 202-456-1111 and http://www.greenforall.org/. Progressive strategy for health care http://tinyurl.com/nzd2ed On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 8:23 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: > Dara, > Are any of these pieces you mentioned available on open blogs, or other > means, that do not require joining facebook or having a log in pass code? > I'd love to read them but I definitely do not want to get onto facebook > because you cant get out of it once you sign into it. > xx sharon > > On Sep 7, 2009, at 3:51 PM, Dara Silverman wrote: > > FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge > that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: > > UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a > knockin? > Share > Yesterday at 2:42am > UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes > a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh > > Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is > an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's > "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff > Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation > http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal > Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is > therefore covered below) > > I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness > and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green > groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. > > The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported > Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a > few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental > Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than > $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and > individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive > because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right > set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better > greens. > > UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, > Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and > Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must > say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. > > Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that > can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right > attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim > Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and > Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no > influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, > Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing > whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting > the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR > prize when the right's racism comes a calling? > > It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending > Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? > It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without > attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as > well. > > Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about > racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The > left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's > articulation of a racist incident. > > In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color > have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s > welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who > blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations > on any number of issues including California propositions 187 > (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. > Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white > liberals are any better on racism now. > > Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive > that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then > we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do > something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling > to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to > fascism. > > If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger > disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to > white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the > other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white > liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will > continue to fail miserably. > > And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more > failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many > more white failures. > > And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea > culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to > never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should > pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they > certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. > > > On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: > >> Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on >> his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in >> 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program >> interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the >> movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he >> headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the >> interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask >> for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor >> day on KALW in SF.) >> >> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can >> and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks >> of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much >> from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some >> forms of appropriate anti-racist action. >> >> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. >> Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white >> social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation >> is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. >> >> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is >> incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members >> of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their >> collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the >> 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the >> Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in >> the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended >> in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful >> multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this >> era. I learn so much from their wisdom. >> >> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and >> path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective >> members, not to me. >> >> Just wanted to set the record straight. >> >> much love and respect to all, sharon >> >> >> >> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >> >> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. >> I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are >> saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been >> more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the >> hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our >> individual actions are enough. >> >> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been >> assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to >> connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the >> national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community >> who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote >> letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first >> I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >> >> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more >> indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country >> remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we >> collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large >> inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the >> progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than >> appealing to the public's emotional responses. >> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they >> have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call >> Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has >> been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining >> provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, >> and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended >> The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is >> the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we >> are. Doesn't justify any of it. >> >> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key >> - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a >> newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of >> Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, >> Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental >> orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism >> and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is >> slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting >> scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads >> in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. >> >> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who >> are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - >> with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity >> director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological >> Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against >> psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at >> the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing >> articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, >> etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and >> prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who >> are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are >> primarily torturing People of Color). >> >> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I >> sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year >> old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - >> here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small >> thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. >> >> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take >> action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the >> broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among >> whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are >> seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a >> really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us >> to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in >> movements has been pretty clear. >> >> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a >> "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES >> have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of >> Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist >> movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't >> part of the current agenda. >> >> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the >> white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he >> mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but >> use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, >> and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk >> defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white >> progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am >> one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? >> I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. >> >> Can you send the source? >> >> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing >> from others. >> In solidarity, nancy arvold >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> *From:* Dara Silverman >> *To:* White Anti-racist Summit >> *Sent:* Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >> *Subject:* [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks >> >> Hey All, >> >> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some >> perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his >> resignation. >> >> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and >> we travel in similar circles. >> >> This website highlights ways to support him individually- >> http://standwithvan.com/ >> >> I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises >> for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. >> >> Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this >> situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? >> >> Percolating, >> >> dara silverman >> >> >> Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a >> knockin? >> 9/6/09 at 2:42am >> >> If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about >> 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' >> >> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness >> and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation >> is yet another example. >> >> As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change >> explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. >> Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who >> together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals >> money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently >> let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America >> deserves better greens. >> >> For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect >> Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we >> gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In >> other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, >> Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. >> >> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about >> racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted >> stupidly. That didn't go so well. >> >> In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal >> organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist >> groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations >> on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like >> the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, >> are white liberals any better on racism now? >> >> Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their >> issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying >> are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting >> the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR >> prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying >> 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national >> white groups listening to him. >> >> If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although >> whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if >> we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose >> racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. >> >> If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our >> hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, >> if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important >> issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think >> these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to >> fail miserably. >> >> And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more >> failures. >> >> yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the >> world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> WAsummit mailing list >> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org >> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit >> >> > > > -- > ---- > Dara Silverman > RISE Consulting > dara at riseup.net > 917-327-6528 > > http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > > > _______________________________________________ > WAsummit mailing list > WAsummit at lists.wacan.org > http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit > > -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 22:14:56 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 21:14:56 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: What would Van do? Message-ID: The Ella Baker Center for Human Rightsone opportunity - ----- Original Message ----- From: Jakada Imani, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights To: narvold at california.com Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 3:55 PM Subject: What would Van do? Dear Nancy, You've probably heard the news that Ella Baker Center co-founder Van Jones stepped down from his post as Special Adviser on Green Jobs, Innovation, and Enterprise for President Obama this weekend. It's a dark day when attacks based in half-truths, full lies, and old news deny the nation its most talented advocate in the fight to rebuild our economy and combat climate change. While the Ella Baker Center family is deeply saddened by the smear campaigns of those who wish to sabotage our movement for an equitable, green economy, we are incredibly proud of Van, and we're inspired all over again by his commitment to what really matters: saving the planet and its people. The attacks on Van were desperate attempts to distract people from what really matters: building a future that is green and just for everyone. Van recognized that, and it's critical that we all learn the lesson offered by the events that transpired over the last couple weeks. Our opponents are threatened by our shared vision, and they're not going down without a fight. And because the solutions we've crafted are gaining traction, our opponents must resort to fear-mongering and sensationalism to drown out important discussions about the real issues of the day. We can't let that happen. Now, more than ever, we must redouble our efforts to create a green-collar economy that truly creates opportunity for all. Are you with us? Stand up and be counted, and show our opponents that their misguided attempts to derail our movement have failed -- click here. Following Van's lead, we're staying focused on solutions that will unite communities and ultimately create real, lasting change in people's lives. The focus of Ella Baker Center has always been -- and will remain -- fighting for cutting-edge policies that lift people up rather than tearing them down. Our goal -- and Van's -- is simple: justice in the system; opportunity in our cities; and peace on our streets. We hope we can count on you to stand with us as we continue the fight. Forward Ever, Jakada Imani Executive Director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Ella Baker Center can't survive without the support of people like you. Please take a moment to support us today: www.ellabakercenter.org/donate Not on our list-serve yet? (Maybe this message was forwarded to you.) Sign up to get e-mail updates directly: www.ellabakercenter.org/subscribe To unsubscribe from this list, please click here: http://www.demaction.org/dia/organizations/EBC/unsubscribe.jsp?unsubscribe Update your preferences or contact information here: www.ellabakercenter.org/profile (NOTE: The first time you update your preferences, you must first create a password.) -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Tue Sep 8 22:22:15 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2009 21:22:15 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks In-Reply-To: <76F628C6-258E-4443-9C3C-AC0230B45158@earthlink.net> References: <6A9786B767AA4800B38E17C2B09CCE96@OWNERPC><07468AA7671B49BBA805533EC8AE8E32@OWNERPC> <76F628C6-258E-4443-9C3C-AC0230B45158@earthlink.net> Message-ID: <45ECEF4CD1DE416B9778C2FE188E6EB0@OWNERPC> thanks - it is very powerful and informative. best regards, nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Capps To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 5:18 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hi Nancy Of course you may forward this to anyone who might be interested. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 6:13 PM, Nancy wrote: Mary - your view from the heart of the Reps is very powerful. I'd like to forward it to another listserve i'm on - a group of diversity trainers who are very progressive and who are engaged in a similar dialogue - let me know. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Mary Capps To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 7:00 AM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white supremacists are using threats and intimidation to dominate or disrupt political debate & discussion. That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control by defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The right wing media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & disseminating lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not surprise me. I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is there much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got two-thirds of the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, first, the right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and racism; second, that there are whites who reject (and struggle against) racism, white supremacy, white threats & racist violence; and, third, we need to quickly and specifically counter attacks, lies and smears such as those used against Van Jones. I believe we need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger issue of a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. Mary Capps On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal wave - hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger issue - Van Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the 1960's - they haven't killed the leaders - yet - but that threat certainly seems to loom over us. I will acknowledge Ludovic - I want to distribute the article at the next Saturday Dialogue meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - Sept 26 Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our first year in existence. nancy ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new links: UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? Share Yesterday at 2:42am UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so organizationally, and is therefore covered below) I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's articulation of a racist incident. In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including California propositions 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication that white liberals are any better on racism now. Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are truly on the path to fascism. If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take many more white failures. And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll lose every time. On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: Hey Nancy, I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through www.thepromisedland.org. Ask for audio of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day on KALW in SF.) I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist action. I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take inspiration and lessons from. However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members participated at one time or another in the Challenging White Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project collective members, not to me. Just wanted to set the record straight. much love and respect to all, sharon On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual actions are enough. I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional responses. AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations trying to deal with the white folx. I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group within the American Psychological Association that is struggling to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I identify myself. I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has been pretty clear. Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my white colleagues to examine that as well. Can you send the source? Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to hearing from others. In solidarity, nancy arvold ----- Original Message ----- From: Dara Silverman To: White Anti-racist Summit Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones attacks Hey All, I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones scape-goating and and his resignation. I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for years, and we travel in similar circles. This website highlights ways to support him individually-http://standwithvan.com/ I'm more interested in the systemic questions, especially what it raises for white people highlighted by my colleague Ludovic Blain below. Any thoughts about action to take that could be useful? Not just in this situation, but for future situations because this won't be the last? Percolating, dara silverman Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes a knockin? 9/6/09 at 2:42am If you want a more collective approach go read Taj's excellent piece about 'Wake up call. The attack on Van is an attack on all of us.' I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. This Van Jones resignation is yet another example. As i can see, the NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely supported him. On the white side, treehugger and Grist did. Where's Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who together must represent more than $100 million of mostly white liberals money. They either took a dive because Van is black, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. For those who attack Obama for not defending Van--do you really expect Obama to be out in front of $100 million of white lefty heft? How are we gunna complain about him not doing what our white lefties won't even do? In other words, don't attack the WH for being spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for being spineless as well. Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about racism (not race) in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. That didn't go so well. In my political lifetime POC have been let down by white national liberal organizations on this by white greens, on welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups, by white communications organizations on any number of issues including cali props 187 and 209, and i feel like the list can go on and on. and although some examples are froma decade ago, are white liberals any better on racism now? Are there organized white liberals that can be trusted to commit to their issue when the right attacks with racist wedges? Note here i am NOT saying are there white fellow travelers on the racial justice path. i am setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? And do note, i'm saying 'organized'--tim wise is great (and cc'd here), but there's no national white groups listening to him. If the answer is no then we are truly on the path to fascism. Although whites will be a minority in most of our lifetimes, that'll only be true if we make it that far. And if white progressives won't and can't oppose racism, then we'll have to do something better in order to make it that far. If white liberals can't oppose racism we have a bigger disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. And the world and it's humans of all races can't take too many more failures. yes, that was a kumbaya ending because i really wanted to write "and the world and all it's races can't take many more white failures." ---------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -- ---- Dara Silverman RISE Consulting dara at riseup.net 917-327-6528 http://www.infovisions.org/rise/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ WAsummit mailing list WAsummit at lists.wacan.org http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From narvold at sfo.com Wed Sep 9 02:05:52 2009 From: narvold at sfo.com (Nancy) Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 01:05:52 -0700 Subject: [WAsummit] Fw: Speak Up on Van Jones' Resignation Message-ID: this entire video is really good. ----- Original Message ----- From: Robert Greenwald To: narvold at california.com Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 6:10 PM Subject: Speak Up on Van Jones' Resignation To ensure delivery of our emails, please add info at bravenewfoundation.org to your address book. Dear Nancy, 1. Watch the video 2. Speak Up! This weekend, an environmental justice hero resigned from the White House. Van Jones was the victim of a vicious smear campaign led by FOX News hatemonger Glenn Beck. Van's career as a voice for the poor is legendary, which is why Beck sought to destroy his career in the Obama administration. To see who the real Van Jones is, watch this video from our series "This Brave Nation" We can never allow this to happen again. FOX will continue its witch hunt. We must be prepared to speak out and fight back. We want to hear from you. Join our Facebook page to help Brave New Foundation strategize how to resist the rightwing smear machine. Yours, Robert Greenwald and the Brave New Foundation team Follow us: You can get our latest videos via email, RSS, iTunes or YouTube. And, if you prefer, follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To stop receiving updates from us, click here. Brave New Foundation | 10510 Culver Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From louisaldavis at verizon.net Wed Sep 9 08:15:16 2009 From: louisaldavis at verizon.net (Louisa Davis) Date: Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:15:16 -0400 Subject: [WAsummit] thoughts on the need for a national white anti racist presence In-Reply-To: <3341DCA9-1B19-4546-B2F5-5A291CDEB597@igc.org> Message-ID: Hi there, this is my first post also...I?m an old WPC 06-07 person but got on wrong WACAN list until sent here by Laura White. I?m connecting what you all/we are doing with our regional Washington DC area interfaith antiracism alliance, Greater Washington Allies in Reconciliation (GWAIR). (www.gwair.org is our fledgling website). I sent Ludovic?s letter out (and a bit about how it was a TOTAL wake up call for me) to our email list of 400 folks and my environmentalist-thick cohousing community on Monday night. But these action items are GREAT. I?m inclined to support Color of Change?s lead on this since they are most connected to Jones and hope NAACP might step forward with some new guts...but a WACAN parallel action/letter to the POST might work?showing/saying that this is not a fight people of color have a whole lot of extra time/energy to fight in addition for their health, lives and jobs.....SO working, middle and professional class white allies need to step up for the kind of world they also long for...that treats everyone with the respect of truth, balance and difference. Otherwise, silence is consent...argument. So toward a strategy... I agree we are not organized to do any specific action but a babystep could be a 1-4th page ad in the Washington Post. I?d be glad to try to raise... say....$500 toward an ad. I think I recall it?s $5000 but will have to check that. Might others join us???? Sharon, your letter is half the work. I also grooved to Tim Wise?s walk through/translation of the complaints?perhaps to start. Larry?I totally loved your bringing Noemeller up to conclude.... Would you/all agree to let us use some of your stuff? (There?s been so much good stuff...these just pop up from my efforts....) Jeff/WACAN?where are you???? To....NYTimes and Post and ...every editorial page we can muster contact with????? Personal note, my deepest spiritual commitment these days is to Nonviolent Communication as another antiracist strategy?to move this conversation toward fewer ENEMY-IZING images and less violent DEMAND language...and more concrete OBESERVATIONS, connections to our common human NEEDS longings and doable REQUESTS. Maybe I?ll write my own version of this...and post later. So glad to be connected to all of your integrity, energy, determination to learn and grow and care for the world.... -- Louisa L. Davis, M.Div., PhD 11330 Dockside Circle Reston, VA 20191 home: (703) 860-1203 cell: (240) 338-5156 When the book and the bird disagree, always believe the bird. --John Audubon From: Sharon Martinas Reply-To: White Anti-racist Summit Date: Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:04:39 -0700 To: White Anti-racist Summit Subject: Re: [WAsummit] thoughts on the need for a national white anti racist presence Hey Patricia, Thanx so much for your call to action. Here are a couple of ideas your email inspired me to think about, both for individual and for group actions. Please take what you can use and leave the rest. 1. Individual learning: Acquaint myself more with what organizers of color are saying and how they are framing this situation. Here are a few leads I've been following: (1) Ella Baker Center.org has a statement and place to sign a petition or open letter. EBC was founded by Van. (2) Check out Democracy Now's interview this morning, Tuesday, with organizers from NAACP, Color of Change and Malkia Cyril of Media Justice. www.democracynow.org has transcripts and audios. (3) Check out KPFA's 'Letter to Washington' today interview with left organizers Bill Fletcher and Rosa Clemente. Archives on www.kpfa.org . 2. Individual actions I've taken: (1) Signing Color of Change's list of now 137,000 people who are demanding that advertisers on Beck's racist show drop their ads. 57 companies had dropped them before Van resigned. Today 11 more went. The power of the dollar is, I think, a very effective way to temporarily at least shut up this racist. For more on the campaign, check www.colorofchange.org . (2) Signing Ella Baker Center's new open letter protesting the racist actions but focusing on the Right's efforts of desperation to get rid of a charismatic speaker for environmental, racial and economic justice. There's a place for 'my own message' which I filled in connecting the racist Right's attack on Van with the 'silence is consent' non-actions of the majority white environmental organizations. www.ellabakercenter.org or google. 3. A brainstorm for a feasible white anti-racist group media activity for those on this list (and others) who are writers and media savvy: If a few folx would draft an open letter from white activists that many of us could sign on to, we could piece together a 'up from the grassroots' (to paraphrase Peoples Institute) media strategy: sending the letter to selected blog networks, such as: environmental blogs, general progressive blogs, media reform and media justice blogs, blogs concerned with the Right wing from a progressive perspective. as well as utube, facebook, etc. and to progressive media on line. If the letter begins to get grassroots traction it will eventually trickle up to some of the corporate media. Our letter could focus perhaps on our voice as white anti-racists: attacking both the racist Right and the 'silence is consent' white groups, especially the environmental and media watchdog groups. Focusing, yes, on the fact that Van is Black, and brilliant, and a leader -- but also a committed and accountable justice activist for 25 years. As Malkia Cyril said this morning on Democracy Now, the Right's attack is on Van's programmatic vision and practice, not just him as an individual. My own personal opinion in terms of any forms of 'national action' as in 'out of the computers and into the streets,' is that sad to say, it's premature for a national group white anti-racist activists to take this on. Personally, I believe that carefully built local organizations, with anti-racist political education, carefully done base building and leadership development; and most important, a priority of building accountable relationships with local organizations of color, needs to proceed alliance building on a national level. We do have some anti-racist white organizations like that in specific places, but I think that we on this list serve are doing 'networking' which is really valuable, but not yet organization building. Maybe this latest racist horror will speed up our work? much love, sharon On Sep 8, 2009, at 9:03 AM, Patricia Maher wrote: > Hi folks -- > > Although I have been part of this list serve and read most of what's posted, I > have not yet been a contributor. I have never found it easy to do > anti-racist organizing via email and I applaud those of you who have made this > a lively forum. > > So I'm stepping into the fray. I am moved to weigh in on the thread started > by Dara this weekend, because the right's attack on President Obama, on health > care reform, on Van Jones and countless other events has me deeply disturbed. > I live in Boston, and for weeks since the cambridge police's stunning display > of institutionalized racism earlier this summer, people of color around me > have been saying what Ludovic Blain articulated in his piece: where are the > white progressives? Needless to say, my letter to the Boston Globe was not > printed, and in any case, writing letters is good but a different level of > organizing is clearly needed. I have Ron Chisom's statement echoing in my > brain and heart: what would it take to get 50 whites to stand up publicly > and denounce racism? > > I think we are in for a spate of white supremacist organizing the likes of > which we haven't seen for a while, or ever. The attacks are intense, well > funded, media-facilitated, and are likely to escalate against President Obama > and other people of color in leadership. > > I am really heartened by AWARE's continued work, that of Challenging White > Supremacy, and other anti racist groups organizing with whites in different > parts of the country. I know people are doing great work. > > I believe that local work needs to be strengthened, and that there also needs > to be a national response including a set of strategies to take on/work with > some of the large liberal white organizations that work on a range of issues. > We need to act as a collective -- and god knows, deal with our stuff about > individualism, competition, and internalized superiority. > > What if we pulled together a national white anti racist summit of some sort to > develop some strategies or at least to figure out who our allies are and who > may already be organizing. Let's get out those people's institute strategy > charts and start working. Some risk taking and transcending our comfort > zones is definitely in order. > > I will be seeing some folks from the People's Institute this weekend and I > will check in with them about what they and European Dissent are thinking. > > Thoughts? > > best regards, > > Pat Maher > Boston > > > > > > On Sep 8, 2009, at 11:14 AM, Larry Yates wrote: > >> One point I have been making to friends is that millions of USAns (including >> myself) were born at a time when Jim Crow was the law of the land (overtly in >> the South, but accepted by the North & West). Anyone my age (59) or older was >> an adult when the last of the big civil rights bills, the Fair Housing Act, >> was passed, and AFrican-Americans were once again given full constitutional >> recognition. In those days, racist images, jokes and comments were not only >> acceptable, but expected. African-Americans were not only not elected >> officials (outside of Northern urban areas), they weren't astronauts, anchors >> and editors of major media, sitcom stars, etc. So white USAns my age and >> older were raised in an environment in which having a Black President was >> not only unthinkable, but, I would suggest, grotesque and bizarre. >> >> Those ideas don't just vanish. >> >> For many of these people, while the outside environment has changed >> drastically, their day to day world has not changed that much. They still >> have little personal contact with people of color, and they have been >> subjected to the active recruitment efforts ever since 1968 of the >> Republican Party's ongoing "Southern Strategy," key to which has been a >> constant barrage of justification of racist prejudices. (Race card, law and >> order, personal responsibility, being only a few of the code phrases used.) >> >> Given these facts, it is inevitable that some substantial number of people in >> this white cohort are going to have intense negative reactions to a Black >> President. Inevitably, some of them will be highly irrational and even >> violent. >> >> This doesn't mean we accept this, but that we understand it. We have not all >> experienced the same changes over the last 40 years. And those of us who are >> older are not starting from the same place as a white person born after the >> civil rights movement, or a younger person for whom hip-hop has been there >> since her childhood. >> >> I think we need to point out these facts, so it is clear that we are not >> simply making easy accusations of racism. We can easily find social science >> research and historical fact that will back this up. >> >> Of course, as anti-racist whites, we should also state that we ourselves as >> white people also sometimes have similar feelings -- at least that an >> African-American might not be a good leader, might not be 'up to the job.' I >> know that what I learned then -- even in a very liberal family -- has not >> vanished, any more than the deep homophobic feelings of those days have >> vanished. On the positive side, we have learned that it is possible to change >> to some degree, and to be glad you did. >> >> Based on this, we can urge our fellow white folks, esp. those who were raised >> in an overtly racist environment, to examine their own feelings and minds, to >> respect the positive pride that African-Americans and people of color feel, >> and to be careful not to overreact. >> >> Would this help with the extreme teabaggers? No. But I would suggest many of >> this tiny minority are unreachable, perhaps psychotic. However, I think this >> message could reach the larger group that does not want to be disruptive, and >> that is open to the idea that they themselves can grow and change. It would >> help them to self-knowledge, and it might help us all to have conversations >> about our history. The reality is that we have, as a nation, tried to ignore >> these facts, that millions of us were raised with an apartheid ideology. >> Perhaps this is the moment when we can no longer avoid the conversation. >> >> The Klan shrank substantially during the 1970s and since. I would suggest >> this is not only because of a successful attack on its core membership and >> illegal activities, but because its passive supporters saw an alternative -- >> not liberalism, not activism, but at least an accommodation with an >> uncomfortable reality. I think we can use the same two approaches with what >> amounts to a new Klan. >> >> I hope this is helpful >> >> Larry Yates >> Maurertown VA >> www.user.shentel.net/llyates >> >> >> >> On Sep 8, 2009, at 10:00 AM, Mary Capps wrote: >> >>> Thanks to everyone who has written on this topic. I'm learning a lot. >>> >>> Here in Mississippi and, it appears, around the country, white supremacists >>> are using threats and intimidation to dominate or disrupt political debate & >>> discussion. >>> That part (white supremacists) does feel like the 60s. >>> I am very concerned that the white supremacists are seizing control by >>> defining people in & proposals from the Obama administration. The right wing >>> media, national & local, plays a huge part in generating & disseminating >>> lies & paranoia among whites. It is getting scarier. Killings would not >>> surprise me. >>> I don't see much difference between Glen Beck & David Duke. Nor is there >>> much difference in their white followers. (Remember Duke got two-thirds of >>> the white vote when he ran for governor of Louisiana.) >>> >>> I believe we need to directly organize a counterattack to show, first, the >>> right wing attacks are rooted in white supremacy and racism; second, that >>> there are whites who reject (and struggle against) racism, white supremacy, >>> white threats & racist violence; and, third, we need to quickly and >>> specifically counter attacks, lies and smears such as those used against Van >>> Jones. I believe we need to act in specific cases and on the ongoing, larger >>> issue of a resurgent virulent & violent manifestation of white supremacy. >>> >>> Mary Capps >>> >>> On Sep 8, 2009, at 2:31 AM, Nancy wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Dara - thanks - it looks like this whole thing has become a tidal wave - >>>> hopefully will lead to some mobilized action on the larger issue - Van >>>> Jones is one of many - but this sure looks like the 1960's - they haven't >>>> killed the leaders - yet - but that threat certainly seems to loom over us. >>>> I will acknowledge Ludovic - I want to distribute the article at the next >>>> Saturday Dialogue meeting - an open meeting for white folx in Oakland, CA - >>>> Sept 26 Sat if any of you locals would like to come. We have been coached >>>> by Cameron and his group from AWARE, and have just celebrated our first >>>> year in existence. nancy >>>> >>>>> >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>> >>>>> From: Dara Silverman >>>>> >>>>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>>>> >>>>> Sent: Monday, September 07, 2009 3:51 PM >>>>> >>>>> Subject: Re: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>>>> attacks >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> FYI- the piece I sent was written by Ludovic Blain. Please acknowledge >>>>> that if you forward it out. Here's an updated version with a few new >>>>> links: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism >>>>> comes a knockin? >>>>> >>>>> Share >>>>> >>>>> Yesterday at 2:42am >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> UPDATED: Can white liberals keep their eye on the prize when racism comes >>>>> a knockin? at firedoglake- http://bit.ly/1iHYWh >>>>> >>>>> Please also read Taj's excellent piece 'Wake up call. The attack on Van >>>>> is an attack on all of us.' http://bit.ly/NXIib Also read Michel >>>>> Gelobter's "First they came for Willie Horton..." http://bit.ly/4s8Lt3 and >>>>> Jeff Chang's Time To Knuckle Up :: On Van Jones? Resignation >>>>> http://bit.ly/xYlSO. (yes, i know these are 3 guys. Eva Paterson of >>>>> Equal Justice Society also wrote a piece, but she did so >>>>> organizationally, and is therefore covered below) >>>>> >>>>> I've been disappointed by white liberals and progressives' unwillingness >>>>> and incompetence combating racism for 20 years. The inaction of large >>>>> green groups on Van Jones resignation is yet another example. >>>>> >>>>> The NAACP, Equal Justice Society and Color of Change explicitely >>>>> supported Van Jones before his resignation. On the white side, >>>>> Treehugger, Grist and a few other small white organizations did. But the >>>>> Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, Greenpeace, and NRDC, who >>>>> together must represent more than $100 million of mostly liberal and >>>>> progressive foundations, big donors, and individual contributors money, >>>>> were MIA. These groups either took a dive because the attacks on Van >>>>> were racist, or they incompetently let the right set the terms of debate >>>>> before entering. Either way America deserves better greens. >>>>> >>>>> UPDATE: On Sunday, Carl Pope of the Sierra Club, Justin Rubin of Moveon, >>>>> Andy Stern of SEIU, and John Podesta gave mea culpa responses, with Carl >>>>> and Justin actually mentioning the racism of Van's political lynching. I >>>>> must say that Caucasian time makes bad politics. >>>>> >>>>> Here's today's Color Line Question: are there organized white liberals >>>>> that can be trusted to maintain their commitment to their issue when the >>>>> right attacks with racist wedges? I appreciate white fellow travelers, >>>>> like Tim Wise, and small white anti-racist organizations like Jews for >>>>> Racial and Economic Justice, on the racial justice path. But they seem >>>>> to have no influence on larger white groups like the Sierra Club, NOW, >>>>> Common Cause, Moveon, and other staples of the white left. To be clear, >>>>> I'm not discussing whether white groups will take on issues of people of >>>>> color, as I'm setting the bar much lower--can organized white liberals >>>>> keep their eye on THEIR prize when the right's racism comes a calling? >>>>> >>>>> It's been easy for progressives to attack President Obama for not >>>>> defending Van--but do they really expect Obama to be out in front of the >>>>> white left? It seem hypocritical to attack the White House for being >>>>> spineless without attacking NRDC, Sierra Club, EDF and Greeenpeace for >>>>> being spineless as well. >>>>> >>>>> Lets remember--the most radical thing said by any national figure about >>>>> racism in the recent past was Obama saying the white cop acted stupidly. >>>>> The left certainly didn't counter the right's racist framing of Obama's >>>>> articulation of a racist incident. >>>>> >>>>> In addition to this situation, in my political lifetime people of color >>>>> have been let down by white national liberal organizations on mid-1990s >>>>> welfare deform by white feminist groups, on prop 8 by white gay groups >>>>> who blamed black voters for it's passage, by white communications >>>>> organizations on any number of issues including California propositions >>>>> 187 (anti-affirmative action) and 209 (anti--immigrant), and many other >>>>> times. Although some examples are from a decade ago, I see no indication >>>>> that white liberals are any better on racism now. >>>>> >>>>> Although whites will be a minority by around 2050, America has to >>>>> survive that long. If white progressives either can't or won't oppose >>>>> racism, then we'll need a new set of white progressive funders and >>>>> leaders to do something better. And if white liberals continue to be >>>>> unable or unwilling to challenge the right's racist attacks then we are >>>>> truly on the path to fascism. >>>>> >>>>> If white liberals ultimately fail to oppose racism we have a bigger >>>>> disaster on our hands than climate change, because America's commitment >>>>> to white supremacy, if left unchallenged, will prevent us from dealing >>>>> with the other important issues of the day, like climate change. As long >>>>> as white liberals think these are parallel, rather than continuous >>>>> tracks, they will continue to fail miserably. >>>>> >>>>> And the world and its humans of all races can't take too many more >>>>> failures. Or, more accurately, the world and all its races can't take >>>>> many more white failures. >>>>> >>>>> And now that the SEIU, Moveon, the Sierra Club, and CAP have given mea >>>>> culpas, maybe they can gather their white beltway org peers to make >>>>> plans to never again be silent during a political lynching. And their >>>>> funders should pay attention-if white groups can't combat rightwingnut >>>>> racist attacks, they certainly aren't good investments because they'll >>>>> lose every time. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Sep 7, 2009 at 3:28 PM, Sharon Martinas wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Hey Nancy, >>>>>> I appreciate your comments about Van and some background on his work. >>>>>> I've known and admired him since he first came to the Bay Area in >>>>>> 1992. For those who don't know him, I just heard a short program >>>>>> interviewing Van about his work connecting low income youth of color >>>>>> to the movement for a cleaner planet, and the formation of the >>>>>> organization he headed up recently 'Green Jobs for All.' (If you >>>>>> want to hear the interview, it might be accessible through >>>>>> www.thepromisedland.org . Ask for audio >>>>>> of 'Visionaries in the world of work.' It was aired today, labor day >>>>>> on KALW in SF.) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> I also appreciate the dialogue about what anti-racist white >>>>>> activists can and ought to do to address the race-baiting of Van, and >>>>>> the vicious attacks of the progressive work has has always done. As >>>>>> always, I learn so much from all of you on this list serve. And I >>>>>> hope the dialogue leads to some forms of appropriate anti-racist >>>>>> action. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> I also want to agree with Nancy's praise of the Catalyst Project. >>>>>> Catalyst does extraordinary work and its Anne Braden program to train >>>>>> white social justice activists as anti-racist organizers for >>>>>> collective liberation is a model I hope other organizations take >>>>>> inspiration and lessons from. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> However, Nancy's comment in parentheses "thanks Sharon Martinas" is >>>>>> incorrect. While I know and have worked with many of the visionary >>>>>> members of The Catalyst Project for several years, I am not a member >>>>>> of their collective, and their decisions and the programs are what >>>>>> deserve the 'thanx,' not me. What is historically correct is that >>>>>> many, not all, of the Catalyst Project collective members >>>>>> participated at one time or another in the Challenging White >>>>>> Supremacy workshop which I coordinated and which ended in 2005. It >>>>>> is also true that many of us had and continue to have wonderful >>>>>> multi-generational dialogues about anti-racist organizing strategies in >>>>>> this era. I learn so much from their wisdom. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> But I am not responsible, nor should I be praised, for the powerful >>>>>> and path-breaking work they do. That praise goes to Catalyst Project >>>>>> collective members, not to me. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Just wanted to set the record straight. >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> much love and respect to all, sharon >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Sep 6, 2009, at 1:21 PM, Nancy wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Dara - I think Labor Day weekend is a perfect time for your >>>>>>> communication. I think you are dead on. As a white woman I >>>>>>> resonate with what you are saying, for sure. Organizing white >>>>>>> folks for racial justice has never been more important. The right wing >>>>>>> forces seem to be just warming up with the hate mongering. It is easy >>>>>>> for us whiteys to just go "tsk tsk" and think our individual >>>>>>> actions are enough. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I've followed Van Jones for years, sent students to Cop Watch who >>>>>>> had been assaulted by police, heard him and was inspired by his >>>>>>> "cross-over" to connecting race and ecological issues - and was >>>>>>> thrilled he was on the national team. I had hoped he was one voice >>>>>>> from the progressive community who would have the ear of Obama. >>>>>>> When he began to be attacked, I wrote letters of protest - >>>>>>> probably on Color Lines and Truthout. This is the first I've heard >>>>>>> of his resignation. I'll follow up with the standwithvan site. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> His treatment by the popular media and his resignation is one more >>>>>>> indication of how skewed politics and stands for justice in this >>>>>>> country remain. Loud statement about who runs this country. How >>>>>>> and when do we collectively throw down the gauntlet? What would it >>>>>>> be to launch a large inclusive movement or series of actions? >>>>>>> Lakoff states that the progressive voice can't be heard because it >>>>>>> uses intellect rather than appealing to the public's emotional >>>>>>> responses. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> AWARE has been trying to organize white folks for some years, and >>>>>>> they have supported the beginning of a similar organization in >>>>>>> Oakland we call Saturday Dialogues which has public meetings every >>>>>>> 6 weeks. And Catalyst has been doing great work for years (thanks >>>>>>> Sharon Martinas). And the UNtraining provides extensive personal >>>>>>> work with white people. But we are small groups, and outreach is >>>>>>> limited. Our UNtraining/Saturday Dialogue group attended The White >>>>>>> Anti-racist Summit for that reason, and this continuing group is >>>>>>> the best connection I have which includes activist white folks, >>>>>>> and here we are. Doesn't justify any of it. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Predominantly white liberal organizations and institutions seem to >>>>>>> be key - the "white field" is hard to penetrate. Sierra Club is >>>>>>> struggling with a newly elected Asian female president who wants >>>>>>> to "reach out to People of Color." Progressive single-issue groups >>>>>>> from old lesbians, Marxists, Buddhist meditation groups, universities, >>>>>>> non-profits and governmental orgs I've been associated with are >>>>>>> generally unconscious about their racism and it is hard to pin down. >>>>>>> White privilege and white racism is slipperty. Effective action in >>>>>>> those orgs is challenging without getting scapegoated and losing all >>>>>>> influence. Diversity trainers shake their heads in corporations >>>>>>> trying to deal with the white folx. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I'm not currently active in any of those orgs, but the whites I >>>>>>> know who are (Greenpeace, Zen Centers) are working hard to wake up >>>>>>> their colleagues - with sometimes sparce results, even if they are >>>>>>> the designated diversity director. I am newly active in a group >>>>>>> within the American Psychological Association that is struggling >>>>>>> to get the APA to take a stand against psychologists involvement >>>>>>> in torture. Clearly an ethical issue with race at the base of it, >>>>>>> and folx are refusing to pay dues, resigning, writing articles in >>>>>>> professional journals, holding symposiums at APA conventions, etc. >>>>>>> Yet the power base refuses to move on it - there is lots of money >>>>>>> and prestige involved, and there you go. (It isn't all white >>>>>>> psychologists who are involved with the military around torture, >>>>>>> of course, but we are primarily torturing People of Color). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On a personal level, a friend of mine recently reminded me that >>>>>>> when I sign petitions or write letters, to make sure I am >>>>>>> identified as a 66 year old white woman, or my comments just go >>>>>>> into the hopper, and doesn't say - here is one white woman who doesn't >>>>>>> support any of the BS. That is a small thing, but now I make sure I >>>>>>> identify myself. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I will continue to write, sign petitions, encourage colleagues to >>>>>>> take action on all of this and work within organizations I'm part >>>>>>> of for the broader anti-racist agenda. But as far as effective >>>>>>> organized action among whites - and solidarity with groups of >>>>>>> Color to counter the power we are seeing from the right, I don't have a >>>>>>> clue. Anyone in our list-serve have a really good sense of it? Isn't >>>>>>> this why Sharon Martinas was trying to get us to read and discuss >>>>>>> "Reluctant Reformers"? The record of white folx in movements has >>>>>>> been pretty clear. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Effective intervention still seems unclear. And we do not yet have >>>>>>> a "movement" in the sense of the Civil Rights era, etc. the >>>>>>> Rightwing DOES have an effective movement afoot. I too am >>>>>>> terrified about the rise of Fascism. Even worse, as one academic pointed >>>>>>> out, at least the Fascist movements were committed to full employment >>>>>>> for the population. That isn't part of the current agenda. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Dara, I would like to use your colleague Blain's article with some >>>>>>> of the white groups I'm connected with. (As well as a connection >>>>>>> to Taj whom he mentions). I don't want to simply forward this >>>>>>> message, which I will do, but use it as a powerful statement about >>>>>>> what it takes to step up as white folx, and to challenge us. I >>>>>>> know when I read it, I have an initial knee jerk defensive reaction >>>>>>> - "I'm not like that, I'm one of the good white progressives" but then I >>>>>>> have to see he is talking about my people and I am one of them, so what >>>>>>> have I done, and am I gonna do beyond what I am doing? I want to have my >>>>>>> white colleagues to examine that as well. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Can you send the source? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Thank you for your provocative communication. I look forward to >>>>>>> hearing from others. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> In solidarity, nancy arvold >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>>>> >>>>>>> From: Dara Silverman >>>>>>> >>>>>>> To: White Anti-racist Summit >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, September 06, 2009 8:16 AM >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Subject: [WAsummit] white anti-racist response to the van jones >>>>>>> attacks >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Hey All, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I know it's a holiday weekend and all, but I would love to hear >>>>>>> some perspective from others on the whole Van Jones >>>>>>> scape-goating and and his resignation. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I haven't worked with Van closely, but I've heard about him for >>>>>>> yea