Accountability and White Anti-Racist Organizing Stories from Our Work

A growing number of white people are working for racial justice, but experienced organizers caution that, to be effective, white activists need to develop accountable relationships with people of color. Though easy to understand in concept, this advice is sometimes more difficult to apply in practice. Now a select group of white-identified anti-racist organizers from around the country tell personal stories and offer lessons from their everyday experiences that reveal how the notion of accountability informs their work. Eleven chapters offer a panorama of personal styles, perspectives, organizing traditions and approaches. Locations range from post-Katrina New Orleans to the New York City school system, from a Washington, DC-based advocacy group to a faith community in Seattle. The stories describe cutting edge work, available to a larger audience for the first time. Through the eyes of seasoned activists, readers learn practical approaches and best practices, identify mistakes and pitfalls to avoid, and understand how they might participate in the growing multiracial movement for racial justice. For the reader not yet inclined to join the work, the book documents a rising social phenomenon. Some white people are moving beyond limited and simplistic models of colorblindness, diversity and multiculturalism to developing accountable relationships with people of color.

Bonnie Cushing is a social worker, a celebrant and an anti-racist organizer and educator. She has worked in the mental health field for over 22 years as a psychotherapist and group facilitator. She sits on the board of the Center for the Study of White American Culture and the diversity and cultural competency committee of the NJ chapter of the National Association for Social Workers. Bonnie co-facilitates workshops for clinicians on issues of white culture, white privilege and white identity.