What's Up with White Women?: Unpacking Sexism and White Privilege in Pursuit of Racial Justice - Paperback

by Ilsa Govan (Author), Tilman Smith (Author)

As a white woman, ask yourself: are you upholding or fighting racism?

What's Up with White Women? is a practical guide for white women who are interested in becoming more effective in their cross-cultural, anti-racist practices.

Blending real-life stories, theory, and anti-racism practices from decades of on-the-ground work, the authors invite white women to understand their gendered role in systemic racism and their unique opportunity for action. Both frank and compassionate, coverage includes:

• Stories of white women's experiences with sexism, racism, and white privilege
• How white women harm BIPOC and ourselves by colluding with systems of oppression
• Why and how white women often hijack race conversations
• A powerful six-stage identity development model for self-reflection and growth
• Guiding questions and practical actions for strengthening anti-racism practices
• Tools to cultivate genuine partnerships with BIPOC individuals and groups.

White women are positioned in a power hierarchy between white men and BIPOC. It is time for white women to step up and undertake deep reflection on their role in systemic racism and take concrete actions that support equity and justice for all people.

AWARDS

• SILVER 2022 IPPY Awards - Current Events II (Social Issues/Humanitarian)
  

Back Jacket

As a white woman, ask yourself: are you upholding or fighting racism?

This work is much needed in this time of racial reckoning.
-- Tyrone C. Howard, PhD, professor, UCLA Black Male Institute

Helps white women with two simultaneous character-forming tasks: healing from wounds of sexism and using the power we get from privilege to weaken racism in ourselves and in the world.
-- Peggy McIntosh, PhD, author, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

Blending real-life stories, theory, and anti-racism practices, What's Up with White Women? is a practical guide for white women who are interested in becoming more effective in their cross-cultural, anti-racist work. The authors invite white women to understand their gendered role in systemic racism and their unique opportunity for action. Both frank and compassionate, coverage includes:

• Stories of white women's experiences with sexism, racism, and white privilege
• How white people harm People of Color and themselves by colluding with systems of oppression
• Why and how white women often hijack race conversations
• A powerful six-stage identity development model for self-reflection and growth
• Guiding questions and practical actions for strengthening anti-racism practices
• Tools to cultivate genuine partnerships with People of Color.

Positioned in a power hierarchy between white men and People of Color, it's time for white women to step up and take concrete actions that support equity and justice for all people.

Filled with poignant, powerful, and honest stories, this book offers a toolkit for white women to become more effective racial justice allies. Highly recommended.
-- Paul Kivel, author, Uprooting Racism

Reading through the developmental process leading from Immersion to Integration, I saw decades of my interactions with white women finally making sense!
-- Dr. Debra Ren-Etta Sullivan, Seattle Black Child Development Institute

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Ilsa Govan is an anti-racist facilitator, consultant, leadership coach, activist, and the cofounder of Cultures Connecting. Tilman Smith is an educator, consultant, facilitator, and activist focused on racial justice, white privilege, internalized sexism, and internalized white superiority. They live in Seattle, WA.

Author Biography

Tilman Smith has been an educator, project manager, and racial justice consultant for over thirty-five years, serving as a classroom teacher, college instructor, caucus facilitator, trainer, and coach. She has facilitated workshops and caucuses throughout the country on the topics of racial equity, white privilege, internalized sexism, and internalized white superiority. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Ilsa Govan has extensive experience as an anti-racist facilitator, consultant, leadership coach, and activist. As co-founder of Cultures Connecting, she has helped countless organizations put their vision of racial equity into practice. Her facilitation superpower is guiding white people in examining how we've internalized racism in our assumptions and actions. She lives in Seattle, Washington.