Developing a Positive White Identity
Rev. Dr. William Gardiner (billgardiner@verizon.net)

The Rev. Dr. William Gardiner is a Unitarian Universalist minister who leads anti–racism trainings and workshops on white identity – a positive white identity.

It is rare to hear the power and privileges of being white discussed as frankly as they are in this article by Dr. Rev. Bill Gardiner. He takes a frank look at these realities, and offers some practical and proactive advice for white people who want to shed deep-seated prejudices, stop relying on inherent privileges, and form collective action with others to create a more anti-racist society.

I want to have a racial identity that is not based on the oppression of people of color or the deification of whiteness. I know that I can’t reject my white skin color; I can’t take off my white skin. And white society will continue to give me unearned privilege.

The challenge I face as a white person is to feel good about being white without asserting that, as a white person, I am superior to other people or oppressing people of color. Here are some steps I think we who are white can take to enable us to move in that direction. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but a starting point for further reflection.

Be an ally accountable to people of color

A good white ally tries to be in accountable relations with people of color.

An important question is: Are we willing to follow people of color as they provide leadership in the struggle for racial justice?

A good white ally does not see whiteness as the only norm. As white people we are raised to believe that “the white way is the right way.” But people of color have other ways of viewing the world. We can learn a great deal from their perspectives. As we learn from people of color we can develop a more highly textured – multi colored – less white centered —view of the world.

A good white ally trusts the experience of people of color. Too often as whites we deny or minimize the experience of oppression which people of color experience. Please don’t discount or discredit people of color leaders just for the sake of doing so. Be open to understanding their first hand experiences of racism.

A good white ally is open to critique from people of color. In our relations we need to be engaged in deep listening. There is no need for us to be defensive. When a person makes a critique, determine what is helpful in this critique and try to learn from it. Welcome this critique.

Work to change white racist institutions

Developing accountability to people of color is critical but it is insufficient if we who are white don’t take responsibility for changing the institutions that we presently control. The institutions of our society—the schools, media, religious institutions, and family—are still controlled by those of us who are white for the benefit of those of us who are white.

If we want things to be different then we who are white need to be leaders working to dismantle white power and white supremacy in our core institutions. Here we get to the issue of power. At times those of us who are white will need to relinquish the overwhelming power that we have. At other times we will need to empower people of color in our organizations. And we need to work together across racial lines to develop new ways of sharing power and creating accountable relationships.

Learn to live as multi–racial people

We need to de–center whiteness at the same time that we need to move toward those who have been traditionally marginalized. W.E.B. DuBois talked about African–Americans living with a bi–racial awareness. This meant they had to live in their own community and navigate the world of whiteness as well.

As whites we have an opportunity to live with a multi–racial awareness. This involves learning to live in authentic relationship with people from a variety of different racial communities.

Take responsibility for our own personal racial identity journey

I must be willing to take responsibility for my whiteness. This means I must do deep personal reflection. It means trying to understand how racism has impacted on my life.

We are socialized by white institutions: the schools, religious communities, and the media. We internalize the messages of white supremacy and the notion that people of color are inferior.

It means discerning how we learned white superiority from these institutions. Understanding these patterns I can then discard old thoughts and behaviors and learn new ones.

This is work we whites must do for ourselves, and for the sake of our communities. We can’t expect people of color to take on the issues of identity and racial superiority that we as whites have. These are the pieces we must take responsibility for as white people.

Nurture a positive anti–racist identity in our children

There are many issues of racial identity that go on for all children—youth of color or white children in our schools and religious institutions. We can make a profound difference in the lives of our children by empowering them to develop a positive racial identity that is not based on the oppression of other people.

Louise Derman Sparks and Patricia Ramsey’s book: What If All the Kids Are White: Anti-Bias Multicultural Education with Young Children and Families
is a very useful resource. (2)

Work to build a white anti–racism collective

We have a responsibility as whites to work with other white people to dismantle racism and create beloved community. We can’t expect people of color to do all of this work. And we can’t expect people of color to take on the responsibility for working with our white brothers and sisters. Again this is our responsibility.

This is not about blaming or shaming other white people. It is about inviting people who are white into a different way of being in the world.

A related area of work for white people who want to live as anti–racists is to develop communities of white anti–racists. As white people, we can’t be antiracist or dismantle racism by ourselves. For one thing racism is too powerful. For another, no individual white person is smart enough, or wise enough, or strong enough to dismantle racism by themselves. Collective action by members of an anti–racist community is needed to dismantle systemic institutional and cultural racism. So one of the critical issues for those of us who are white is working to create a community of anti–racist white people to develop our collective capacity to dismantle racism. Δ

References
1.Some of this material in this article was included in an article of the same name written by Rev. Bill Gardiner for The Center Post Rowe, MA. (Fall, 2008)
2. Louise Derman Sparks and Patricia Ramsey, What If All the Kids Are White: Anti-Bias Multicultural Education with Young Children and Families, (Paperback Edition: Teachers College Press, March 2006)