Whether you are confused, outraged or unaware of growing racial tensions in America, workshops March 1 at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offer a compelling invitation to learn more about racialized patterns and breaking down barriers.
Debby Irving, racial justice educator and writer, will lead workshops for community members, faculty and staff members and students. She will share her personal journey of "waking up" in matters involving race, and how policies and actions sculpt views of race.
If you have ever tried to "fix" a situation only to see it worsen, or offended the very people you wanted to befriend, you will learn from Irving's shift in worldview.
She wrote "Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race," sharing her at times cringe-worthy struggle to understand racism and racial tensions. In her book and workshops, Irving unpacks her own long-held beliefs about colorblindness, being a good person and wanting to help people of color. She reveals how each of these well-intentioned mindsets actually perpetuated her ill-conceived ideas about race.
She now helps other white people learn to transform confusion into curiosity and anxiety into action. Irving will lead two-hour workshops beginning at 1 and 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, in the Dreyfus University Center Alumni Room.
Sessions are titled "I'm a good person, isn't that enough?" and "Leveling the playing field." Using historical and media images, Irving will examine how she used her white-skewed belief system to interpret the world around her, reaffirming harmful racial patterns instead of questioning racial disparities and tensions.
The sessions are free and open to anyone interested in learning more about systems of oppression, breaking down barriers and creating a more inclusive community. Goals are to develop awareness of identity in the context of socialization of many white Americans in the 21st century, explore systemic issues including racism and inequality on campus and in the larger community, and collaborate as a community to identify action steps to serve all populations.
With an increase in hate and bias-related incidents on and near the UW-Stevens Point campus, bringing Irving to campus is part of an ongoing strategic effort to strengthen the relationship between UW-Stevens Point students and the Stevens Point community, said Michelle Fournier, gender and sexuality outreach coordinator, an event organizer.
"It is our hope by reading Debby Irving's book and attending the workshops, community members will engage in conversations about dismantling oppressive systems and addressing racism in our community, which can then turn into action steps to make Stevens Point a welcoming and affirming place for all its residents," Fournier said.
The program is sponsored by UW-Stevens Point's Diversity and College Access Department and Diversity Council, in collaboration with 13 campus groups. For more information and registration, visit www.uwsp.edu/citl/Pages/WakingUpWhite.aspx.
Readers + Writers Journal described "Waking Up White" as "one of the most important books on race in recent memory." It is available in the University Store.
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