Code of Ethics for Antiracist White Allies

By JLove Calderon and Tim Wise

Sponsored by SURJ-Showing Up For Racial Justice

Excerpted from Occupying Privilege; Conversations on Love, Race, and Liberation

We are persons classified as white who oppose racism and the system of white supremacy. As such, we are committed to challenging the individual injustices and institutional inequities that exist as a result of racism, and to speaking out whenever and wherever it exists. We are also committed to challenging our own biases, inculcated by a society that has trained all white people, including us, to one degree or another, to internalize notions of our own superiority.

As antiracist allies, we seek to work with people of color to create real multiracial democracy. We do not aspire to lead the struggle for racial justice and equity, but rather, to follow the lead of persons and communities of color and to work in solidarity with them, as a way to obtain this goal. We do not engage in the antiracist struggle on behalf of people of color, so as to “save” them, or as an act of charity. We oppose and seek to eradicate white supremacy because it is an unjust system, and we believe in the moral obligation of all persons to resist injustice. Likewise, we believe not only that a system of white supremacy damages people of color but also that it compromises our humanity, weakens the democratic bonds of a healthy society, and ultimately poses great risks to us all. Because we believe white supremacy to be a contributing force to war, resource exploitation, and economic injustice, our desire to eradicate the mindset and system of white domination is fundamentally a matter of collective preservation. Though people of color are the direct targets of this system, we believe that white people are the collateral damage, and so for our own sake as well, we strive for a new way of living.

To do this with integrity, we believe it will be helpful to operate with a code of ethics in mind, so as to remain as accountable as possible to people of color and to each other, as we challenge white supremacy. We know from experience how easy it can be to act with the best of intentions and yet ultimately do harm to the antiracist struggle by choosing tactics or methods that reinforce privilege and inequity, rather than diminish them, or by acting within the confines of an echo chamber of other antiracist white allies, while failing to ground our efforts in structures of accountability led by people of color.

In recent years, the number of white folks engaged in one form or another of public antiracist work or work around the subject of white privilege (as scholars, writers, activists, organizers and educators) has proliferated. Likewise, schools, non-profit organizations, and even some corporations have begun to look at matters of racism and white privilege within their institutions. As this work expands at many different levels, it is perhaps more necessary than ever that white people who are working to be strong antiracist allies take a good look in the mirror, analyze and critique what we do as well as how we do it, and ask: How can we, as antiracist white allies, operate ethically and responsibly as we work toward helping to dismantle white supremacy?

To this end, we propose the following code of ethics for antiracist white allies. Though it is hardly an exclusive or exhaustive list, we believe it is a start toward a more responsible and responsive antiracist practice for white persons who wish to act in solidarity with people of color in the battle against racism. The code should not be viewed as a fixed or final document, let alone as a checklist or “rulebook” for responsible antiracists. It is merely a guidepost. We hope that it will lead to productive reflection, discussion, and even healthy debate among those who are engaged in antiracist struggle.

Code of Ethics for AntiRacist White Allies

1. Acknowledge our racial privilege.

Self-reflection matters. So does public acknowledgement. Although there are many ways in which white people can be marginalized in this society (on the basis of gender, sex, sexuality, class, religion, disability, etc.), this truth does not eradicate our racial advantage relative to people of color. As white people, we can be oppressed in these other categories and still benefit from privileges extended to white people. Acknowledging racial privilege doesn’t mean that we haven’t worked hard or that there weren’t barriers we had to overcome; it simply means that our racial identity helped us along the way. Indeed, racial privilege will even work in our favor as we speak out against racism. We will often be taken more seriously in this work precisely because we are white, and we should be clear on that point.

2. Develop interpersonal connections and structures to help maintain antiracist accountability.

Accountability matters. When we engage in antiracist efforts, be they public or private, we should remember that it is people of color most affected by racism, and thus, they have the most to gain or lose as a result of how such work is done. With this in mind, we believe it is important to seek and obtain regular and ongoing feedback from people of color in our lives (friends and/or colleagues), as a way to better ground our efforts in structures of accountability. Although this kind of accountability may play out differently, depending on our specific job or profession, one general principle is that we should be in regular and ongoing contact with persons in the communities that are most impacted by racism and white supremacy—namely, people of color.

3. Be prepared to alter our methods and practices when and if people of color give feedback or offer criticism about our current methods and practices.

Responsive listening matters. It’s not enough to be in contact with people of color as we go about our work. We also need to be prepared to change what we’re doing if and when people of color suggest there may be problems, practically or ethically, with our existing methods of challenging racism. Although accountability does not require that we agree with and respond affirmatively to every critique offered, if people of color are telling us over and over again that something is wrong with our current practices, accountability requires that we take it seriously and correct the practice. And, all such critiques should be seen as opportunities for personal reflection and growth.

4. Listening to constructive feedback from other white people, too.

Community matters. Particularly as we work to reach a broad base of white people, we need to listen to feedback from the people we are working with. White privilege tends to breed individualism, and this plays out in the form of white antiracists distancing ourselves from other white people and competition between antiracist whites to be the “most down.” Listening to feedback from each other as white people helps to counter that tendency, and encourages us to collectivity.

5. If we speak out about white privilege, racism, and/or white supremacy, whether in a public forum or in private discussions with friends, family, or colleagues, we should acknowledge that people of color have been talking about these subjects for a long time and yet have been routinely ignored in the process.

Giving credit matters. Because many white people have tuned out or written off the observations of people of color, when another white person speaks about social and racial injustice it can be a huge “aha!” moment for the previously inattentive white listener. The speaker may be put on a pedestal. We should make sure people know that whatever wisdom we possess on the matter is only partially our own: it is also the collective wisdom of people of color, shared with us directly or indirectly. Likewise, beyond merely noting the general contribution of people of color to our own wisdom around matters of race, we should make the effort to specify those people of color and communities of color from whom we’ve learned. Encourage others to dig deeper into the subject matter by seeking out and reading/listening to the words/work of those people of color, so as to further their own knowledge base.

6. Share access and resources with people of color whenever possible.

Networking matters. As whites, we often enjoy access to various professional connections, resources, or networks from which people of color are typically excluded. The ability to act as a gatekeeper comes with the territory of privilege. The only question is, will we help open the gates wider or keep them closed? As allies, we should strive to share connections and resources with people of color whenever possible. So, for instance, we may have inroads for institutional funding or grant monies that could be obtained for people of color-led community organizations. We may have connections in media, educational institutions, or even the corporate world, which if shared with people of color could provide opportunities for those people of color to gain a platform for their own racial justice efforts.

7. If you get paid to speak out about white privilege, racism, and/or white supremacy or in some capacity make your living from challenging racism, donate a portion of your income to organizations led principally by people of color.

Giving back matters. Although it is important to speak out about racism and to do other types of antiracism work (organizing, legal work, teaching, etc.) and necessary for people to be paid for the hard work they do, whites who do so still have to admit that we are able to reap at least some of the financial rewards we receive because of racism and white privilege. Because so much of our own understanding of race and racism comes from the collective wisdom of people of color, it is only proper that we should give back to those who have made our own “success” possible. Although there is no way to ascertain the real value of the shared and collective wisdom of people of color on the understanding that white allies have about racism, it seems fair to suggest that at least 10 percent of our honorariums, royalties, salaries, or other forms of income should be shared with people-of- color-led organizations with a commitment to racial and social justice. It would be especially helpful if at least some of that money goes to locally-based, grassroots organizations that oftenhave a hard time getting funding from traditional sources.

8.Get involved in a specific, people of color-led struggle for racial justice. 

Organizing matters. If we are not fighting against police brutality, against environmental dumping in communities of color, or for affirmative action, for immigrant rights, for access to health care, or for antiracist policies and practices within our own institutions and communities, what are we modeling? How are we learning? What informs our work? Can we be accountable to communities of color if we are not politically involved ourselves in some aspect of antiracist struggle? 

9. Stay Connected to White Folks, Too

Base-building matters. In addition to our roles in active solidarity with people of color, white people involved racial justice work also need to reach out to other white people to broaden the base of antiracist white people. Unless we do the latter, we fall short in our accountability. Accountability means showing up, not just with ourselves, but with more white people each time.

10. Connect antiracism understanding to current political struggles, and provide suggestions or avenues for white people to get involved

Accessibility matters. We can connect the participants in our networks, classes, and trainings to opportunities for ongoing political work. We can bring current grassroots political struggles into our activism, education, and organizing by addressing the issues that people of color tell us most directly affect their lives. We can give tools and resources for getting involved in the issues the participants identify as most immediate for them, whether those be public policy issues such as immigration, affirmative action, welfare, or health care; or workplace, neighborhood, and community issues, such as jobs, education, violence, and toxic waste. After contact with us, people who we come into contact with should be able to connect directly and get involved with specific current struggles led by individuals and groups with a clear antiracist analysis. 

The premise of this code is simple: White people have a moral and practical obligation to challenge racism in a responsible and responsive manner. To this end, we believe that the principles of self-reflection, accountability, responsive listening, building community, giving credit, resource sharing, giving back, organizing, base building, and accessibility are important starting points for whites who are engaged in any kind of efforts to eradicate racism and white supremacy. We hope that this code, devised as a set of suggestions and guideposts for white allies, will prompt constructive dialogue and discussion regarding how white allyship can best be developed and deployed for the purpose of building true multiracial democracy.

This generations is more proactive, innovative and socially-conscious than ever, with an increasing desire to shape the world they thrive in– a world that is equitable, just and free.

Book the Crossing Borders Tour, and bring an inside-look into the lives of professionals who are working to eliminate barriers and cross borders to new possibilities. We will bring to your city award-winning media-makers, grassroots organizers, social critics, and public intellectuals with decades of combined experience in creating social change and taking action. Meet Rosa Clemente, Jared Ball, JLove Calderon and Kali Akuno below.

For booking information or media requests contact Rosa A. Clemente at 413-345-4018 or at clementerosa@gmail.com.

EDUCATION ACTION TOOLKIT

CAMPAIGN: NO ROOM FOR RACISM

Who isn’t tired of the barrage of negative assumptions, assertions and allusions to people and communities of color in this presidential election season? We at SURJ want to re-focus this campaign on the real issues that matter to us—education, the economy, immigration—not the thinly-veiled attacks on communities of color, poor people and women that prove so distracting and damaging well beyond Election Day.

In the month of October, organizations and individuals from around the country are acting in solidarity to actively engage more white people in viewing the elections through a racial justice lens. By taking part in a series of actions (online and offline) designed to elevate the visibility of white people publicly asking white candidates, key media outlets and others, we aim to Show Up for Racial Justice and call out positions that reinforce racial and social inequities.

Throughout this month and up through Election Day we will shine a light on key issues (i.e. Education, Immigration, Criminal Justice System, Voter Suppression, the Economy) which you can help amplify with your communities online, at work and even in your own home. We’ve crafted these actions to fit into your lifestyle and allow you to Show Up for Racial Justice this election season because every little bit counts.

Week 1= Education

Issue at hand: The disproportionate numbers of children of color and poor children who are not graduating from high school, and the systemic pattern of a school to prison pipeline for young black and Latino youth are destroying the futures of millions.

What we can do: As white people showing up for racial justice we want to use this week to show that we believe all children and youth deserve an education that honors and respects who they are, are provided with equal and fair classroom settings, and who are given the tools to be successful, active citizens of the world.

1-2 MINUTE ACTION: In just 1 click you can spread the word

Twitter: http://bit.ly/surj-nrfr-edu

(Or copy/paste in twitter and make sure to use our #noroomforracism tag) Education is as important as the economy. Youth deserve a future, not incarceration. #schooltoprisonpipeline #noroomforracism

FB: Post this image on your facebook page and share your thoughts on the mis-education of our youth, and the perils of systemic racism in our education system.

5 MINUTE ACTION: Download, print and snap

Using our ready-made sign, just print it out and use your cell phone or built-in webcam to snap a pic of you holding it and upload it to our website/fb/twitter.

You can do it on your lunch break, or even when you get home from work–taking a photo with your whole family is a great reason for starting a dialogue about critical issues of race. Be bold and share via facebook too. Feel free to get creative and make your own sign too!

ONGOING:

We know it doesn’t happen a lot, but when someone does something “right” around race  in the election make a note of it.  Hold it up as how we want to see the issue of race communicated during this campaign. If you notice someone doing it right, or someone doing it wrong, we want to hear about it! Write a short post on our Tumblr, or share on twitter and use our campaign, or our facebook page. Using social media consider the following steps:

“Thanks for Doing It Right!”

1. First, state what the person/media campaign did that was positive
2. Use the positivity to point out issues of “fairness”
3. Use comparisons of when people haven’t been “fair” about race
4. Reiterate this is what everyday Americans want

ON A WEEKEND OR AFTERNOON:

 Hold a house party to discuss race and the election: Use a short movie, or the presidential debates to spark the conversation. Use the Ballots and Beyond Toolkit for ideas for how to structure the house party and conversation. This is a toolkit put together by Catalyst Project as a fundraising tool and can be adapted to your locale.

On a Saturday with Your Friends:

1. Go to a public place with two people, a big sign and a video camera.

2. Signage reads: Does it Matter if Your Black or White? Education, Race, and the Elections  2012

3. Interview people on camera after engaging with them the way the racism is being used during this campaign.

4. If they AGREE with you, ask them to say the following on camera:

My name is _________ and I want a fair campaign, where all Americans are unified—not divided—by race and culture. No Room 4 Racism

 HELP US CREATE THE MOVEMENT OF NO ROOM FOR RACISM!

Your Actions are important! We want to shine the light on people who care! So please document your action and do the following:

Post on our facebook: ShowinUpForRacialJustice

Post on our website: showingupforracialjustice.org

Share on our Twitter Feed: @ShowupforRJ

For more information on how to get involved, or media inquiries please contact JLove: 917-753-0186; jlove@jlovecalderon.com

We don’t all agree, but that’s what makes a good panel, right?

To be published on May 31

JLove Calderon: Author, Activist, White Girl
Self-Publishing
By Calvin Reid
May 28, 2012

Jennifer Calderon’s panelist bio at the recent National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y., said she was “a white woman, an author, activist, and social entrepreneur”—not your usual conference introduction. But Calderon, better known to the hip-hop community as JLove, uses her race as well as her books to challenge white supremacy and racism and to mobilize a multicultural audience around issues of social justice.

After publishing two books with conventional publishers and self-publishing two others, Calderon is about to self-publish her latest book, Occupying White Privilege: Conversations on Love, Race & Liberation, an anthology focused on demystifying white privilege, through Amazon CreateSpace. The book features 30 artists and others—among them poet Sonia Sanchez, hip-hop journalist Jeff Chang, hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, and many others—addressing white privilege and racism and what to do about it. The book will be released May 31; 100% of the book’s proceeds will go to six nonprofit multicultural organizations that fight for racial justice.

Calderon’s not your average antiracist activist. She grew up in Denver, Colo., in the 1980s and fell under the sway of hip-hop—rapping, DJ-ing, graffiti-ing, and break dancing—but also the darker side of the urban scene: gangs, guns, and drug dealing. She loved the thrill of hanging with gangbangers and, despite her race, was able to gain the trust of the Rolling 30’s, a local version of the Crips—she was the first female graffiti writer in Denver—only to find herself caught between the worlds of her white middle-class family and her black gang friends.

JLove Calderon

It may sound like a movie—more on that later—but it’s a true story that began its literary life as a novel, That White Girl, published by Atria in 2007, essentially a fictionalized version of Calderon’s life story. Eventually she graduated cum laude from San Diego State University with a degree in Africana studies and a passion to fight for social justice. Since that time she’s worked as a counselor in teen shelters, taught and lectured at colleges around the country, and appeared on stage with a host of celebrated rappers and hip-hop artists.
“I was transformed because of my white privilege,” she says in a phone interview about her escape to college. Enrolling in African-American studies, she “learned about white supremacy. I began to understand my whole life; hip-hop, graffiti, gangs and why they exist, and the insidious impact of white supremacy on life and how it impacts the poor and black people.”

Calderon said, “I gave up a life of partying and sef-destruction to stand up for my friends and family. Hip-hop became my vehicle.” The result is a hip-hip-driven life focused on social activism and activist publishing.

Calderon has written or co-written four books, beginning with her novel, which was originally intended to be a memoir. “Atria asked me to change it to a novel,” she said. “I wanted a book deal, so I did it.” The book has sold about 15,000 copies, but it is being developed into a feature film, coproduced by Calderon and to be directed by Heidi Miami Marshall. The filmmakers visited Denver to interview the real people behind the fictional characters. Calderon said, “It’s going to be about a year in my life. It’s a coming of age story and it’s not meant to glamorize gang life.”

Among her other books are We Got Issues: A Young Woman’s Guide to a Bold, Corageous and Empowered Life, co-edited with writer RHA Goddess (New World, 2006), a collection of “rants” by a wide range of women on social problems they face; the self-published Conscious Women Rock the Page: Using Hip Hop Fiction to Incite Social Change (2008), a book of lesson plans designed to integrate hip hop-influenced fiction into the curriculum, created by JLove and three collaborators; and Race, Love and Liberation: til the White Day is Done, an antiracism curriculum guide produced in collaboration with another education/activist, Marcella Runell Hall, also self-published, via Lulu.com.

On stage at the National Black Writers Conference, JLove spoke to audience about her new book, Occupying Privilege, and said the book was a “roller-coaster ride.” Calderon said the book was initally planned to go to a traditional publisher but she clashed with her agent over the book’s “vision,” so she decided to self-publish. “It took longer to finish, but it’s my book, I didn’t have to compromise, and I get a better royalty,” she said.

“We want to raise money for groups that are doing what’s right,” she told PW. “The book is a tool for racial justice. It’s an experiment, but it feels right with my heart and with my politics.”

Click here to view original article

JLove Calderon: Author, Activist, White Girl
Self-Publishing
By Calvin Reid
May 28, 2012

Jennifer Calderon’s panelist bio at the recent National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y., said she was “a white woman, an author, activist, and social entrepreneur”—not your usual conference introduction. But Calderon, better known to the hip-hop community as JLove, uses her race as well as her books to challenge white supremacy and racism and to mobilize a multicultural audience around issues of social justice.

After publishing two books with conventional publishers and self-publishing two others, Calderon is about to self-publish her latest book, Occupying White Privilege: Conversations on Love, Race & Liberation, an anthology focused on demystifying white privilege, through Amazon CreateSpace. The book features 30 artists and others—among them poet Sonia Sanchez, hip-hop journalist Jeff Chang, hip-hop artist Talib Kweli, and many others—addressing white privilege and racism and what to do about it. The book will be released May 31; 100% of the book’s proceeds will go to six nonprofit multicultural organizations that fight for racial justice.

Calderon’s not your average antiracist activist. She grew up in Denver, Colo., in the 1980s and fell under the sway of hip-hop—rapping, DJ-ing, graffiti-ing, and break dancing—but also the darker side of the urban scene: gangs, guns, and drug dealing. She loved the thrill of hanging with gangbangers and, despite her race, was able to gain the trust of the Rolling 30’s, a local version of the Crips—she was the first female graffiti writer in Denver—only to find herself caught between the worlds of her white middle-class family and her black gang friends.

JLove Calderon

It may sound like a movie—more on that later—but it’s a true story that began its literary life as a novel, That White Girl, published by Atria in 2007, essentially a fictionalized version of Calderon’s life story. Eventually she graduated cum laude from San Diego State University with a degree in Africana studies and a passion to fight for social justice. Since that time she’s worked as a counselor in teen shelters, taught and lectured at colleges around the country, and appeared on stage with a host of celebrated rappers and hip-hop artists.

“I was transformed because of my white privilege,” she says in a phone interview about her escape to college. Enrolling in African-American studies, she “learned about white supremacy. I began to understand my whole life; hip-hop, graffiti, gangs and why they exist, and the insidious impact of white supremacy on life and how it impacts the poor and black people.”

Calderon said, “I gave up a life of partying and sef-destruction to stand up for my friends and family. Hip-hop became my vehicle.” The result is a hip-hip-driven life focused on social activism and activist publishing.

Calderon has written or co-written four books, beginning with her novel, which was originally intended to be a memoir. “Atria asked me to change it to a novel,” she said. “I wanted a book deal, so I did it.” The book has sold about 15,000 copies, but it is being developed into a feature film, coproduced by Calderon and to be directed by Heidi Miami Marshall. The filmmakers visited Denver to interview the real people behind the fictional characters. Calderon said, “It’s going to be about a year in my life. It’s a coming of age story and it’s not meant to glamorize gang life.”

Among her other books are We Got Issues: A Young Woman’s Guide to a Bold, Corageous and Empowered Life, co-edited with writer RHA Goddess (New World, 2006), a collection of “rants” by a wide range of women on social problems they face; the self-published Conscious Women Rock the Page: Using Hip Hop Fiction to Incite Social Change (2008), a book of lesson plans designed to integrate hip hop-influenced fiction into the curriculum, created by JLove and three collaborators; and Race, Love and Liberation: til the White Day is Done, an antiracism curriculum guide produced in collaboration with another education/activist, Marcella Runell Hall, also self-published, via Lulu.com.

On stage at the National Black Writers Conference, JLove spoke to audience about her new book, Occupying Privilege, and said the book was a “roller-coaster ride.” Calderon said the book was initally planned to go to a traditional publisher but she clashed with her agent over the book’s “vision,” so she decided to self-publish. “It took longer to finish, but it’s my book, I didn’t have to compromise, and I get a better royalty,” she said.

“We want to raise money for groups that are doing what’s right,” she told PW. “The book is a tool for racial justice. It’s an experiment, but it feels right with my heart and with my politics.”