White Privilege Conference
White Privilege Conference
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
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The Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
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WPC Testimonials |
What the WPC 10 Meant to Me: Eyes White Open May 4, 2009
How do I explain a conference that changed the way I view myself, my practice as an educator in child welfare and my cross race relationships and responsibilities? I was very curious to see how such a provocative name had been received and supported in a conference as an annual event for the past 10 years! In my practice teaching Aboriginal social work delegation training I had been asked many times by ‘white’ people to give them more information on being white in Aboriginal social work practice. They wanted to know specifically how to become an Aboriginal Ally. I have been providing students with Peggy Macintosh’s ’Unpacking the Pack Sack of Privilege’ article along with others that had whetted my appetite to learn and own the full experience of who I am as a white person in relationship with Aboriginal people and how very much race matters in my practice. As Macintosh states, "I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group." I needed to learn more about that dominance and what it meant to me and how I was seen in relationship by Aboriginal people. I knew there was much more to be learned on this topic and felt that awareness of self, as a white person, had a gaping hole for people working in any helping profession - there was no specific teaching in my undergrad or graduate degree focused on ‘white privilege’. What it is and how it impacts everyone in North America. I was not aware of the over- privileged flip side of being under- privileged. One can not exist without the other. I had studied the oppression of Aboriginal people fully but did not know much about the systems that supports and maintains the status quo. When I first started in child welfare I felt like a fish out of water and realized very quickly that my life view was very different from any Aboriginal persons AND that this is a problem, especially for me to be planning for another culture of which I had no experience.. I remember sitting in my office with an Aboriginal woman and the absurdity of the practice expectation for her to trust me and bare her soul to a complete stranger, a white one at that! I have been aware of the profound differences in race relationships for almost 10 years. This conference gave me answers in each workshop. How to work with mixed race classrooms – and How to bring race into learning discussions. It was a place that I could ask questions about race and relationships and get supportive answers. The key note speakers were incredibly kind, supportive and educational in explaining the questions I had always wanted to ask.
Laurie Harding, Instructor MSW candidate
Caring for First Nations Children Society
Website: www.cfncs.com
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THANK YOU! I thought you put on an amazing, eye-opening, caring and transformative conference -- the way I feel all education ought to ultimately be. I gained a great deal from it, so I wanted you to know. I was moved by the whole conference, June Gorman
Educator/Educational Theorist Education Chair, United Nations Association of the USA (UnitedNationsAssoc.) Board Faculty Representative, International Model United Nations Assoc. (imuna.org) Steering Committee, (UN Global Compact) K-12 Sector for Sustainability Education (K-12SustainabilityEducation)
"I went to the Conference this year for the first time, with financial support from the
school...I believe that sum will be some of the most influential money spent on my professional
development, across my whole career in teaching. work with non-white colleague: (Important areas for teacher training, but much narrower than the WPC effect.) It is too recent to judge how the WPC will re-prioritize my teaching across the next decade. But I equate the effect to becoming a parent; I had no idea before how much more there is to investigate and appreciate about people. Over and over, I had the "I had never thought about that" moment. I hadn't been tuned to so much of what human experience contains, including my own. (That is my reflection on parenting also-life is dynamic now; before it was flat. That means both more pain and more joy.) WPC is more fundamental to understanding people, to promoting strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, to living within my own skin and history, and hearing how others do." Andy Dahlstrom, WPC9 Bush School graduate and teacher ....................................................................................................................................... |
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This is Ilana - anti-racism activist. I am still floating after that conference. It really challenged and inspired me. My professor, who went with me, said that this conference spoiled us- it was amazing. So thank you. Thanks, ILana ..................................................................................................................... |
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The conference was such a fantastic experience. Thanks so much for all your hard work! I am going to send a letter to the big wigs at the uni about Mary and Amana with UQ letterhead--to make it internationally snazzy. :) I learned so much while there, and feel like I processed a lot of stuff. The experience has really changed me; most importantly, it has affected my relationship with Liam (in a good way). I went out and bought a bunch of MC/ anti-racist children's books after the conference, as well as books on different family types, processing emotions, etc. And, the whole parenting/ being a kid dynamic has changed (to be more "fluid"). I noticed, however, that there are not too many books for kids that look at white race group membership and white privilege. Perhaps a challenge for future endeavors?? Sabrina ....................................................................................................... |
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The WPC was truly a transformative experience. Your conference energized my commitment to working with white people. It is very white out here, and the rainbow of people coming together to support, dialogue, transform the world reminded me of where my home is--with all the wonderful people who attended the conference. I look forward to continuing to speak with you about ways I could contribute to next year’s conference. Thank you for creating such a phenomenal event and celebrating the brilliance and power of young people. Sincerely, Joy ....................................................................................................... |
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I really wanted to thank you for all that you have done in regards to the White Privilege Conference. I really had a great time, and all of your hard work beyond paid off. I had such a good time and am so glad that such a big group got to go (hopefully even more next year!!). I felt like the conference was really focused and presented lots of good information. Every single one of the speakers was really interesting, and I definitely loved all of the “youth talent”, like the spoken word. It was also really cool to watch “Rize” and have Tommy the Clown and the other dancers come!! After the conference, I feel like I have a better understanding of what exactly white privilege is and how much it really is embedded in out society. Hopefully we all can generate some new ideas to bring to this school to make it better. I had looked forward to going and am so glad that I did get to take part in it. I can tell that you really put your heart and soul into this, and I feel so lucky to have gotten to know you. You really work hard, and I admire you and thank you for challenging me and presenting me with new ideas and opinions each day. Thank you for bringing so much to our school and to my life. The conference was a huge success, so thank you for putting it all together and getting all of us to go. Katie ..................................................................................................... |
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"Attending WPC for the last two years has instigated really important changes in my life and work.
It motivated me to help develop a workshop series with AWARE (Alliance of White Anti-Racists
Everywhere/Evolving). For the last year, we have been planning and conducting workshops around
white identity and privilege in Los Angeles. The conference also inspired me to keep developing my
skills to effectively communicate with my white community about white privilege. Those continuing
conversations have now translated into a book project. Also, the specific workshops at WPC7 I
attended resulted in me seeing through previous blind spots and encouraging my faculty department
to shift our curricula to eliminate certain texts tinged with racist and classist material. I look
forward to attending WPC every year to keep increasing my awareness in all of these areas and know
that even more important changes will come with the initiatives this conference inspires." Shelly Tochluk - AWARE My WPC experience in 2008 (Springfield Mass.) was one of the most stimulating, most challenging and most thought-provoking experiences I’ve had in recent years. Starting with a neighborhood walk where I happened on a racially charged traffic accident, to a number of gender-bending conversations with strangers, to difficult conversations with Bush School colleagues, to workshops, to poetry readings (Ariel Luckey’s ID Check), to deep discussions with students, the depth and intensity of this experience was exceptional. Listening to our students, it was clear that they were similarly challenged and engaged. If I could do one thing differently, it would be to try to do less and reflect more on what I saw, heard and did. Theo Coxe Without a doubt this is the most effective and valuable professional conference I’ve attended during the 20+ years I’ve been in education. Further, I’ve observed the impact it has had on our students as being as effective and valuable. Students, no matter what ethnicity, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation have shared and demonstrated that their lives have been changed by this experience. The unique environment of immersion and the intentional support and reflection built into the conference has allowed them to explore their own, as well as, others’ experiences and perspectives around issues of social justice and privilege. John Ganz Ed.D.
WPC is a grassroots, yearly effort to challenge the status quo of white supremacy, white privilege and oppression that exists in our society. I believe young people are equipped with the talent and willingness to believe in the possibility of justice for all. I revel in being a witness to the growth of inspirational young role models for social change.
I believe the conference to be a great educational and self-reflective space to introduce youth and those who work with them to a structural framework to better understand power and privilege. Not only in the context of race but in the context of faith, gender, language, etc.
John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas
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