Why Empathetically Listening to Racism Skeptics Should Be the Work of White Allies

People who think that racism is a problem often get frustrated or even agree when people in the circles of influence demonstrate views that are overtly racist or are notably racially problematic.  These comments create a dilemma for the ally.

If they say nothing, they are subject to feeling guilty later about their unwillingness to step up to the chance to make a difference. On the other hand, if they firmly correct the person with a remark or short lecture they risk creating an awkward argument or harming their relationship with the person.

This project is aimed at engaging, empowering, and equipping anti-racism allies so that they can confidently lean into these moments, make good choices, and walk away with justified satisfaction that did their part in the on-going struggle against racism.

The principles Behind the RACE Method

You are invited to adopt the RACE method of managing conversations about racism; this method is explained in a separate tab on the website. This method is based on three principles.

1.     You will need to learn how to center yourself so that you can make strategic communications choices.

2.     You must learn how to shift the conversational from a focus on beliefs and facts to

3.     You will need to focus on creating a sense of alignment with your conversation partner BEFORE you try to expand their way of thinking.

Some additional points to keep in mind.

·      The anti-racism movement should not expect POCs to empathetically listen to white racism skeptics.

·      On a daily basis, POCs must endure the indirect expression of white skepticism that racism really matters, and they must do so as they are  experiencing overt and subtle racism in many parts of their lives.

·      Compared to people of color, white people are in a much better position to execute listening-based strategy with people who are skeptical about whether racism is real.

·      It is an act of privilege for a white ally to let their anger at racism skeptics drive their responses to racially problematic statements. Acting out of anger is not doing very much for people of color and in fact is harmful because the anger only entrenches the views of racism skeptics.

Engaging white folks who are skeptical of racism so they can examine and potentially revisit their views should be the primary task of white allies and not a key task for people of color.