What is white racial identity?

1. What is white racial identity?

2. Background • This presentation is based on the work of Dr. Janet E. Helms of Boston College • Helms’ work focused specifically on Whites and Blacks so in most cases I’ve kept that language, but believe that White Racial attitudes towards Blacks are also applied to other people of color. • Race, Ethnicity, and Nationality • Race is skin color • Ethnicity is cultural identification: Italian-American, Greek-American, etc • Nationality is location: A citizen of the United States • Racism = Racial Prejudice + Power What is White Racial Identity?

3. Goals • Move beyond guilt, fear, shame, and fragmentation/compartmentalization • Recognize the damaging aspects of racism to White people • Achieve a positive White racial identity • A positive recognition and understanding of how Whiteness as a social construct and cultural entity affects one’s sense of self What is white racial identity?

4. Helm’s Stages of White Racial Identity Phase One Phase Two Dr. Beverly Daniels Tatum, President of Spelman College (1992): “Though the process for racial identity as been presented in linear form, in fact, it is probably more accurate to think of it in a spiral form…[a person may] revisit an earlier stage as a result of new encounter experiences, though the later experience of the stage may be different form the original. “

5. Phase One CONTACT

6. Contact: Active or Passive involvement with the notion of other Characteristics • Naïve curiosity or timidity and trepidation toward Blacks • Limited White Consciousness • No awareness of systemic or cultural racism • Focus on colorblindness Examples: • “I don’t see race.” • “I’m not White, I’m just a person.” • “You don’t act like a Black person.”

7. Phase One Disintegration

8. Disintegration: a conflict of self Characteristics • Recognition of racism • Recognition of moral dilemmas associated with racism (conscious or subconscious) • “Incongruence” or “dissonance” results from needing to adapt self or reconcile conflicting ideas Examples of dilemmas • Sense of morality vs. immoral system that asks Whites to treat Black people immorally • Belief in freedom and democracy vs. belief in racial inequality • Desire for love and compassion vs. need to keep Blacks ‘in their place’ • Desire to treat others with dignity and respect vs. belief that Blacks are not worthy of dignity and respect • Belief that White person should be treated according to individual merits vs. belief that Blacks should be evaluated as a group

9. Two-Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstage (2007) by Leslie HoutsPicca and Joe Faegin 626 White students 28 colleges (the same institutions our students continue on to) Journal every day for 6-8 weeks to record racialized events 7500 blatant racist actions recorded Disintegration: two-faced racism

10. DISINTEGRATION: TwO-faced racism FRONTSTAGE – multi-racial spaces • White students demonstrate a desire not to be seen as racist. • They claim to be “colorblind”. • They act politely and cordially around people of color. • They usually avoid overtly racist language, emotion, and behavior (But, be sure, overt racism still exists). BACKSTAGE – all White spaces • Whites participate in racist discussions, jokes, and viewpoints – either as the main actors (protagonists), assistants, bystanders, and, rarely, dissenters. • Whites demean the very groups and people of color with whom they are cordial or even claim to have friendships.

11. Disintegration Characteristics • Looks for remedy • Finds ‘normalcy’ in White Culture • OR • Over-identification with people of color (Acting paternalistically) Examples • From Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

12. Phase One Reintegration

13. Reintegration: Retreat into white Culture Characteristics • Fear of and anger toward Black people • A retreat from situations involving race • Defensiveness about White Culture Example: • “I sometimes get angry and feel like I am being attacked. I guess my anger toward a minority group would enter me in to the next stage of Reintegration, where I am once again starting to blame the victim. This is all very trying for me and has been on my mind a lot.”

14. Reintegration: Movement into Anti-racism Characteristics • Examination of White self living in racist society • Resistance of racism • Anger at self and White society Example: • From Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

15. Phase Two Pseudo-Independence

16. Pseudo-independence Characteristics • Consciously act to combat racism externally while working internally to recognize beliefs shaped by White Privilege • Redefine what it means to be White • Acknowledge responsibility to end racism Example • “I can clearly remember the resentment I had for people of color. I think I am finally out of the Retreat stage. I am beginning to make a conscious effort to seek out information about people of color and accept their criticism…I still feel guilty about the feeling I had about people of color and I always feel bad about being privileged as a result of racism.”

17. Phase Two Immersion/Emersion

18. Immersion/emersion Characteristic • Seek out accurate information from White people and people of color • Learn about White historical, political, and cultural contributions to develop a positive White identity

19. Phase Two Autonomy

20. autonomy Characteristics • A self-actualized sense of White identity • Work with other Whites and people of color to change systemic system Example: • From Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

21. Black and White Racial Identity: Theory, Research, and Practice edited by Janet E. Helms White Awareness: Handbook for Anti-Racism Training by Judith H. Katz Teaching/Learning Anti-Racism by Durman Sparks and Branson Phillips Preventing Prejudice: A Guide for Counselors and Educators by J.G. Ponerotto Two-Faced Racism: Whites in the Backstage and Frontstageby Leslie HoutsPicca and Joe R. Feagin Sources