Greetings beautiful being,
I hope this finds you with peace of mind, you’re drinking water and taking care of yourself. You are receiving this because you embody being a co-conspirator of social equity. This is an invitation for people that have realized they were afforded a privilege because of your skin complexion. This is for those that have been on a journey of healing and learning how white privilege shows up and can be leveraged to assist people of the African Diaspora.
Those that identify as white or white presenting, have unapologetically taken a journey that honors your white privilege. You are constantly researching, learning, asking questions, and self-reflecting on what you can do to assist in the liberation of those suffering from the impacts of institutional racism. The interpersonal work you do manifests in the work you do in the world, we grateful for your work.In the wake of what’s happening in the world.
People of the African Diaspora are dying at a higher rate from COVID-19 and suffering from modern day lynchings. In an effort to provide rest, opportunities to pause and heal while forced to fight for justice there is an invitation. An invitation for people that identify as white or white presenting to be a cultivator of social equity.
What is a co-conspirator of social equity? A co-conspirator of social equity is someone that acknowledges and comprehends the impact of slavery and racism and how it manifests in institutional racism. A co-conspirator of social equity is a person that conspires with people systematically oppressed by institutional racism to transform systems for the future generations of survivors of institutional racism. This person willingly participates in an act, while intentionally acknowledging their white privilege, and utilizes their white privilege to create sustainable impacts within communities historically subjected to institutional racism.
Get involved:
Being a co-conspirator of social equity can manifest through various actions. In effort to cultivate a cohort of people willing to invest time and energy into learning how to be a cultivator of social equity you’re invited to fill out this form. You are also invited to participate in our efforts to get white bodied people to educate and engage with fellow white bodied people. You are invited to write a Dear Fellow White ______ Letter. You are invited to write a letter to your fellow white neighbors, your fellow white coworkers, your fellow white teachers, your fellow white parents, your fellow white members of the LGBTQIAA community.
However you identify, you are invited to write to your fellow white members of your community.Prior to writing your letter, you're invited to read this Dear White People PDF, it has great practices and examples that we will be incorporating into our engagements with people that benefit from white privilege. If you are a leader of a business, an organization, and/or corporation. We invite you to write this letter as the C-Suite leader acknowledging how your organization leverages its privilege and access to resources to assist others.
Here are some suggestive reflective questions to place in your letter to fellow white people:
- What does white privilege mean to you, and when and how were you awaken to your white privilege?
- Once you realized you were afforded white privilege, what discomforts did you experience and how did you lean into and/or try to escape this discomfort?
- What harms do you feel you may have caused prior to acknowledging and accepting your white fragility?
- How have you committed to utilizing your privilege to assist people not afforded white privilege?
- What advice would you give your younger self that did not intentionally invest in utilizing your white privilege to help others?
- What do you wish you knew more about, and what preferred method would you like to learn? (i.e. zoom calls, articles, in person group discussion, videos)
- What biases do you have/or have you had that you're willing to reflect on and have insight?
Co-conspirators of social equity act in a manner illustrative of the knowing that mere empathy is not enough. Co-conspirators of social equity are able to identify their systemically granted privilege, and collaborate with people that endure institutionalized racism in ending those institutions. Ending institutional racism must be grounded in cultural mindfulness, healing and human centered language, actions, and planning.You are invited to help us end institutional racism so that people of the African Diaspora can stop being killed, mistreated, denied access, and ignored because of the color of their skin.
Writing a “Dear Fellow White” person is the beginning. After you write your letter, tag and share with your fellow white friends. You are encouraged to use the hashtag(S) #dearfellowwhiteperson #DFWP2020 when posting your letters on social media.
Feel free to tag our organization in your posts.
Thank you for being you.
Birther & Founder
Fatima Mann, JD.
