White Privilege Conference

Daily Constituency-based and Mixed Support Groups
Support groups are a confidential place to deal with feelings coming up at the conference, to process information in a small group setting, to reclaim initiative to become more effective at the conference, and to look at the impact of white racism in one's own life. These groups will be led by experienced support group leaders from United to End Racism who will ensure that each person gets a chance to be listened to without interruption. Each support group leader will also briefly share some of the theory and techniques underlying these groups to begin to show how people can create emotional healing support systems to sustain the work of ending white racism as well as recover from the effects of racism in our lives. There will be groups for people of color, white people, mixed, and other constituency-based groups.
Included in these constituency-based support groups will be groups for youth, which will be led by young people who are trained in the skills of emotional healing.
These groups will be a place for youth to look at what its like to be at a predominantly adult conference as well as look at the issues they face as youth of color and white youth doing this work. They'll get a chance to build supportive relationships to assist them at the Conference and get assistance in taking these emotional healing, supportive skills back to their home communities.

White Caucus Groups
WPC attendees who identify as white anti-racist activists and allies are invited to take time to meet and network with other anti-racist whites. The caucus will be divided by geographic regions and by areas of focus. This will keep groups reasonable in size, allow participants to identify what is happening in their region and lend itself to creating regional networks in support of local organizing. We will explore issues of accountability, skill-building, the role of white anti-racist leadership, with a specific emphasis on the question of youth within this work. The caucus are action based spaces to offer support and challenge to one another to continue the work beyond the conference. The goal will be that individuals leave with specific action plans that they can follow when they return to their communities/ The facilitators of the people of color caucus and the white anti-racist caucus will be in daily communication to integrate accountability during the conference.

Daily Caucus for People of Color
WPC attendees who identify as people of color are welcome to process conference events each day. This informal and confidential setting will support critique and will focus primarily on the power dynamics of the conference in the framework of white supremacy through the lens of people of color. This Caucus group will provide a safe and supportive environment for People of Color to process information, feelings, experiences and interactions that occur during the conference from a position of empowerment and commmitment to continue their own process of growth and community change following the conference.