Workshop 9: Ignore-ance of White Identity

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Building the World We Dream About

In This Section

Introduction
From Building the World We Dream About

To consider “Whiteness” … is not an attack on people, whatever their skin color. Instead, (it) is an attempt to think critically about how white skin preference has operated systematically, structurally and sometimes unconsciously as a dominant force in American—and indeed in global society…
Workshop-at-a-Glance
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: Putting “White” on the Table 15 Activity 2: Discovering Whiteness 35 Activity 3: Whiteness Defined 15 Activity 4: Serial Testimony 35 Closing 10 Alternate Activity 1: Exploring Race in Film 20…
Spiritual Preparation
From Building the World We Dream About

If you are a White person, meditate or journal about how you discovered your “whiteness.” What role has Whiteness played in your life? If you are a Person of Color or from a group marginalized by race or ethnicity, how did you learn about “Whiteness?” How has Whiteness impacted your life?
Welcoming and Entering
From Building the World We Dream About

Materials for Activity Sign-in sheet and pen or pencil Name tags for participants (durable or single-use) and bold markers Optional: Music and player Optional: Snacks and beverages Preparation for Activity Arrange chairs in a circle and set out name tags and markers on a table….
Opening
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 10 minutes Preparation for Activity Practice reading the chalice lighting aloud. Review participant evaluations from the previous workshop. Discuss with your co-facilitators any patterns or concerns that have emerged. Prepare to briefly share feedback with the group, while keeping…
Activity 1: Putting "White" on the Table
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Putting “White” on the Table Preparation for Activity Print Leader Resource 1 and familiarize yourself with it….
Activity 2: Discovering Whiteness
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 35 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Discovering Whiteness Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 1 for all participants. Description of Activity Distribute and read aloud Handout 1, explaining that it is a first person narrative….
Activity 3: Whiteness Defined
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 2, Whiteness Defined Brainstorming list from Activity 2 Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 2 for all participants. Post brainstorm list from Activity 2….
Activity 4: Serial Testimony
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 35 minutes Materials for Activity Workshop 2, Leader Resource 2, Serial Testimony Protocol Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Review Workshop 2, Leader Resource 2. Review the reflection group assignments you established for Workshop 2 and make changes as needed.
Closing
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Lined paper and pens/pencils Taking It Home Leader Resource 2, Instructions for the Journey Preparation for Activity Write this prompt on newsprint, and post: What ideas were most interesting or challenging to you? What powerful ideas, concerns, or…
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Building the World We Dream About

Take a few moments right after the workshop to ask each other: What went well? What didn’t? Why? What do you think was the best moment of the workshop? Why? Did anything surprise you? Do we need to make changes in the way we work together?
Alternate Activity 1: Exploring Race in Film
From Building the World We Dream About

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Film clips that show White privilege at work. Computer or DVD player or projector Preparation for Activity Obtain movies from which to select clips….
Taking It Home: Ignore-ance of White Identity
From Building the World We Dream About

To consider “Whiteness” … is not an attack on people, whatever their skin color. Instead, (it) is an attempt to think critically about how white skin preference has operated systematically, structurally and sometimes unconsciously as a dominant force in American—and indeed in global society…
Handout 1: Discovering Whiteness
From Building the World We Dream About

I was born White and have been that way for more than 60 years. The first 18 of those years can best be described as a period of “cultural encapsulation.” (J. A. Banks, 1994) Since I had never met a person who wasn’t White, I had never experienced the “other”; race for me was a nonrelevant concept.
Handout 2: Whiteness Defined
From Building the World We Dream About

By Dr. Gregory Jay, Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. March 17, 2005. Read this piece online. “Whiteness… ” is not an attack on people, whatever their skin color. Instead, [it] is an attempt to think critically about how white skin preference has operated systematically,…
Leader Resource 1: Putting White on the Table
From Building the World We Dream About

Read these sentences aloud in pairs, pausing briefly between the two items in each pair, and pausing again after each pair is read. This is my best friend, Mandy This is my best White friend, Mandy I love green beans I love green beans made by that White company, Dole Foods I live in the…
Leader Resource 2: Instructions for the Journey

Pat Schneider

From Building the World We Dream About

From Another River: New and Selected Poems (Amherst Writers and Artists Press, 2005). Used with permission. The self you leave behind is only a skin you have outgrown. Don’t grieve for it. Look to the wet, raw, unfinished self, the one you are becoming….
Find Out More
From Building the World We Dream About

The UUA Multicultural Growth & Witness staff group offers resources, curricula, trainings, and tools to help Unitarian Universalist congregations and leaders engage in the work of antiracism, antioppression, and multiculturalism. Visit…

Download all of Building the World We Dream About (Word) (PDF) to edit or print.

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Workshop 9: Ignore-ance of White Identity

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