Read Less Basic Book Club: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Discussion Highlights Include:

• Passages that resonated with us - insights, challenges, surprises, and takeaways

• Discussion around the  idea that “Racism is a structure, not an event,” (J. Kēhaulani Kauanui)

• Colorblindness and associated issues

• White women’s tears

• Personal experiences dealing with racism as perpetrators or bystanders and how white people must disrupt racism to make any meaningful change

• Lessons from the book that we can apply to our everyday lives and next steps

Listener To Do List:

• Read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo so this episode makes sense

• Reach out to IWL on social media if you have questions for Robin DiAngelo - we’re interviewing her in early March!

• Become a subscribing member of Channel 253

• Borrow or buy (at your favorite local bookstore) our next #readlessbasic book - White Rage by Carol Anderson

Ep. 23: Summer 2-for-One: Beat the Heat AND Nazis

EQ: What’s the best way to beat the summer heat while also handily dismantling racist, sexist, misogynistic hetero-patriarchal white supremacy?

We start this episode channel in our inner basic NW white lady with suggestions for how to stay literally cool thi summer. From cold brew to boozy slurpees, find ways to have a little fun and do a little self-care. Go enjoy a glacier while we still have them - i.e. go to a higher altitude and meditate on global warming.

We note that it seems that summer time not only emboldens bad outfit choices, it strengthens white supremacists. What’s up with Washington attracting white supremacists? Read more here:

• National Resurgence: Thousands of Fliars sent to “Patriotic” homes
• Renton: Puget Sound Anarchists No Sanctuary for Nazis
• BWT, Charlotteville Organizer application for permit to March on WA (Anniversary of Charlotteville protest)
• Seattle Times on the Atomwoffen Division, a Neo-Nazi group that houses its largest cell in Washington.
• The Northwest Territorial Imperative
• Inside Seattle’s white nationalist groups
• UW Tacoma/other college campuses inundated with fliers

Hot Tips for beating the Nazis:

• Educate yourself about white supremacist and white nationalist language and symbology so you can identify it when you see it. Educate others.
• Address issues in your neighborhood directly (or indirectly, if you’re concerned for your safety or the safety of others).
• Take action online - share information on social media so that others can access it.  Look for dismissive language and know how to respond. For example, if someone says “Nazi is a misnomer.  They were a political party and they no longer exist” on Twitter, prepare a snappy comeback, like “the ideology still exists regardless of labels,” or “Delete your account.”
• Disconnect White Power Tacoma or join Tacoma Against Nazis on Facebook
• What’s Going on With America’s White People

Do Your Fudging Homework:

• Annie: Go read “So You Want to Fight White Supremacy” by Ijeoma Oluo from the Establishment. Preferably while you drink a boozy slurpee on some covered patio while misting yourself with one of those spray bottle fans.
• Hope: Educate yourself on the rise of white supremacists in the NW and take action---if you need ideas, send us a DM

Episode 1: An Introduction

This episode of IWL is brought to you by cardigans, the uniform staple of interchangeable white ladies everywhere. Today’s essential question: what’s an IWL and why does it matter?

Annie & Hope discuss where the term “Interchangeable White Lady” comes from and what the challenge is for white female teachers working with diverse students. The term original defined as “smiling, 20-something in her Target cardigan standing in front of a Smartboard” in Hope’s blog post The Interchangeable White Lady: An Introduction. In actuality, this label refers to the way students view their teachers. The concept was created in the context that 80% of educators are white women, teaching students of color (stats vary depending on source). Student perception is key. Relationships are crucial. White female teachers need to consider how students perceive them and accept the challenge this creates. It's a challenge to:

1. To teach in a culturally responsive way based on the students before us.
2. To view our instruction through the lens of traditionally marginalized youth.
3. To distinguish ourselves as allies in the fight against institutional racism as we equip young men and women through the power of education.

Annie explains her own reactions to being an IWL. Paraphrases Roxanne Gay’s idea that you don’t need to apologize for being born white or wealthy, but to acknowledge how those traits are favored in society and how they make your movement through life different and often easier (and how you should use that privilege to help others move more easily).  Annie also shared her deep, fangirl-like appreciation for the illustrious and fabulous Mary Yu.

Timeless or Terrible: Annie and Hope weigh in on the staples of interchangeable white women everywhere. Today’s topics:
 

Ugg Boots

LuLaroe Leggings

Kombucha w/ the mother

Do Your Fudging Homework: Go read Jeff Raikes’ article “Color-Blindness Is a Cop-Out” and “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh.

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