White Women Doing White Supremacy in Nonprofit Culture

White Women Doing White Supremacy in Nonprofit Culture Concerns & Antidotes

Disavowal of Power • We regularly deny/ignore/downplay how much power we hold. • We invite other people’s feedback and then proceed with our version of what’s best. • Too often, we “faux-collaborate, ” or say “I don’t know” a lot.

The Antidote • Deep self-reflection about the power we hold • Reflect on what healthy power looks like • Cultivate relationships with people who will give us honest feedback about how we wield power

Obsession with the Future • A focus on growing often trumps what is happening in the moment • Relationships aren’t cultivated • Feedback is dismissed • Obsession with what is coming leads us to overlook challenges that need tending in the current moment

The Antidote • Grounding practices • Regular check-ins with people who will share honest feedback • Take deep care to build relationships that center people’s present needs

Performative Anti-Racism • Competing for who is the best white ally in the room • A deep desire to distance ourselves from white supremacy (rather than wrestling with our role in sustaining white supremacy) leads to performative anti-racism

The Antidote • Checking our egos by reflecting about our desires to generate kudos • Resist anti-racist self-promotion • Share honestly and humbly about our antiracist efforts • Practice anti-racism in all white groups with our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers

Overdelivering • Working beyond capacity – leads to resentment • We may outburst, lash out, blame, and people of color disproportionately pay the consequences of our overwork

The Antidote • Cultivate somatic awareness of our own limits and boundaries • Stop when we are at capacity • Resist the glorification of busy-ness

Niceness Above All Else • Patriarchy seeds a deep fear of conflict in women • Retaining a tight grasp on “niceness” often leads to passive-aggressive feedback, indirect communication, or downright lying • We often prioritize niceness by neutralizing discomfort (“look on the bright side” instead of deep listening

The Antidote • Deep listening through discomfort • Build capacity to navigate conflict • Prioritize authenticity over niceness

Confusing Informality with Equity • Our low self worth often leads us not to set limits or boundaries • Too much people-pleasing and trying to be everything to everyone leads to shape-shifting and obsessive thinking about what others thing about us rather than our impact

The Antidote • Suggest organizational equity audits for the boards you are on, the organizations you support • Clearly define goals and desired outcomes • Get out of the way of the work