First awakening

“No-one is asking you to apologize for being white; or apologize for the sins of your ancestors. We are asking you to help dismantle the oppressive systems they build that you still benefit from.” Paul Ladipo

The challenge for us white folk is that oppressive systems are part of the culture in which we have lived all our lives. Culture is like the air—you really don’t notice it…..unless you are Black, Latino, Indigenous, or even white but LGBTQ+ or differently abled. Then it is like breathing polluted air. Those white cultural values trigger your asthma and your allergies. So folks privileged by these values first have to become aware of the “air”. Here is the story of how I began to learn that I had no clue about the “air” I breathe; about the culture and values that are so close that they are almost part of the DNA of my identity.

I grew up in a progressive family. For example, my father, a doctor, refused to join the local country club because, he said, “it is exclusive and elitist”. My parents, contrary to public opinion in our small, rural, Colorado town, loudly supported Martin Luther King and civil rights work. My mother taught English and literacy to Mexican migrant workers because “being bilingual will help them advance and succeed in this country.” So I thought I knew “what was what”. When I began working on a project to engage Black communities in diabetes prevention, one community leader told me that I didn’t have a clue. I said, “then I need you to teach me what I need to know.” She replied, “I’m not interested in taking that on. Go do your homework!” I feel very grateful to her for her leadership and courage.

Her comment started the real and ongoing revolution in my thinking. It started me on the journey to see the white dominant culture at the core of my identity and to do the work of adopting new values and creating a new identity.