[WAsummit] Using the language of privilege

[Louisa Davis]

I¹m increasingly cutting to the chase with language of white ³supremacy?
³ Has a fairly concrete observable-ness to it, if you ask me‹as in Congress,
court system, education.

I too wonder what they¹d choose if given the choice?  I¹ve also heard from
more than a few activists of color that they find the word privilege
unhelpful also‹because it obfuscates the possibility of greater working
class solidarity vs the color of wealth.

I also like the NVC distinction between internal and external resources‹as
the power to meet needs.  We ALL have ialmost nfinite internal resources,
but some of us have a lot more external resources, including access to
services, credit, etc. Does ³greater access² work‹if linked with concrete
numbers?
-- 
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: Hillary Stephenson <emptytemple at gmail.com>
Reply-To: White Anti-racist Summit <wasummit at lists.wacan.org>
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:37:55 -0600
To: White Anti-racist Summit <wasummit at lists.wacan.org>
Subject: Re: [WAsummit] Using the language of privilege

Hi Francie-

I agree with you about the word 'privilege' putting white folks off. Can you
say more about their argument? Is it the class thing? (how sometimes people
hear "privilege" and think WASPS in the Hamptons), or is it some other
argument?  

What other word are they suggesting? (or are they leaving that dilemma to
you? :) )

That might help me give you feedback.

Hope you are well,
Hillary

(AWARE-L.A.)

Hillary Stephenson
Doctoral Student, Transformative Studies
California Institute of Integral Studies

Lenz Fellow, Naropa University

The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you
are out there.  -Yasutani Roshi




On Mon, Sep 21, 2009 at 2:05 PM, Frances Kendall
<francie at franceskendall.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello folks,
> I need some feedback, please. For the third time in 2 weeks, I have heard
> people say that ³privilege² is no longer a useful word (when related to
> oppression, I guess) and that they would prefer me to use another word. My
> belief is that people are scared that the word puts whites off. Anybody else
> heard about this?
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Francie
> 
> On 9/21/09 12:49 PM, "Sharon Martinas" <cws at igc.org <http://cws@igc.org> >
> wrote:
> 
>> Larry,
>> I hope your health and work issues have improved since you last posted.
>> 
>> I agree with you that this list serve, as a list serve, is unlikely to
>> INITIATE an organizational action. Most of us has not worked together, nor do
>> we necessarily have shared strategies about how best to challenge racism.
>>  Many of the people on this list, myself included, just attended a white
>> privilege conference and that's how we elected to participate in this list
>> serve.
>> 
>>  But I believe the list serve is an excellent place for people to RESPOND to
>> an action that is initiated by others who have and are actually working
>> together-- often in the 'real' world.  People on this list serve can sign
>> petitions, donate to ads, forward the action info to our own networks, raise
>> the issues at events or meetings or classes or workshops we participate in.
>>  In organizing language, we can help to build an 'anti-racist movement.' Or,
>> in the powerful language of The People's Institute, we can 'network:'   we
>> can help to build a net that works.
>> 
>> Personally, I think it is helpful to know what a computer-based communication
>> network can and cannot do.  In my view, we can help to 'mobilize' around
>> anti-racist issues.  But not necessarily, as a list serve, to 'organize'.
>>   For many of us, our capacities to 'organize' reside in our home-bases, the
>> communities in which we live.
>> 
>> much love and respect,  sharon
>> 
>> On Sep 21, 2009, at 7:12 AM, Larry Yates wrote:
>> 
>>> Sorry folks, to have dropped a somewhat large message and then disappeared.
>>> I was dealing with a combination of work and health issues, and just had to
>>> put this "volunteer" email list to the back of the line.
>>> 
>>> I very much appreciated Tema Okun's input that Highlander is taking some
>>> action somewhat similar to what we discussed. Former Pres Jimmy Carter's
>>> words have also changed the discussion substantially. And someone had a
>>> contact with Color of Change, I believe.
>>> 
>>> I guess at this point my gut feeling is that we aren't going to organize
>>> something on this email list -- I counted 3-4 responses with a desire to be
>>> active, and I don't think it's enough -- but that this can be a good place
>>> for us to check in with each other about what is being done and what we
>>> ourselves try to stimlulate.
>>> 
>>> I have heard that one Virginia group is considering assembling various white
>>> groups to speak up on the racism ex and implicit in teabagging. Joe Wilson's
>>> outburst is one catalyst. When there is more to say on that, I will share
>>> it. 
>>> 
>>> I am grateful to have this place to discuss these matters, though we are not
>>> an organization.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>  
>>> Larry Yates
>>> PO Box 245
>>> Maurertown VA 
>>> 540 436 3432
>>> llyates at shentel.net <http://llyates@shentel.net>
>>> www.user.shentel.net/llyates <http://www.user.shentel.net/llyates>
>>> <http://www.user.shentel.net/llyates>
>>> ==================================
>>> 
>>> "Better, I thought, for me in my rough being
>>> to force makeshift connections,
>>> patches, encounters, rows
>>> better to swim in trouble like a muddy river rising
>>> than to become at last all thesis,
>>> correct, consistent but hollow
>>> the finished ghost
>>> of my own struggle."
>>> 
>>> from "The Homely War"
>>> in the book of poems Living in the Open
>>> by Marge PIercy
>>>  
>>> 
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> WAsummit mailing list
>>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org <http://WAsummit@lists.wacan.org>
>>> http://lists.wacan.org/listinfo/wasummit
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> WAsummit mailing list
>> WAsummit at lists.wacan.org <http://WAsummit@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: <http://lists.wacan.org/pipermail/wasummit/attachments/20090921/8c4952b0/attachment-0001.html>