MONDAY, OCTOBER 26th
5:00-8:00 PM (PACIFIC)
Have you ever avoided multi-racial direct action spaces
for fear of “messing up” or offending people?
Have you ever struggled to respond to someone accusing you of racism or related behavior?
White fragility, often painful for White folks experiencing it and the people witnessing it, is especially injurious for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), whose experience is again invalidated. Educating ourselves on white supremacy and allyship is important for White folks, but additional tools may be needed in handling situations of tension with BIPOC people. In these unstable political times, this is especially important for the White allies planning on being in election-related direct action with BIPOC people.
When accused of racism, how can we respond in a way that is empowering for BIPOC people while being present with our feelings? How can we effectively repair after “messing up” in a multi-racial direct action space?
In this workshop, White-identifying folks will:
- Learn powerful techniques of finding and validating another's truth to build greater connection and understanding even in the midst of conflict, hurt and anger.
- Practice speaking one's own truth in respectful, feeling-centered and embodied ways, so that others can hear it without feeling threatened or oppressed.
- Practice reflective listening and respectful appreciative engagement.
- Gain comfort in validating another’s feelings and opening space for difficult feelings like anger while encouraging dialogue.
In preparation for this workshop, please listen to the following podcasts which explore basic skills, though not in a context of conflict regarding issues of oppression and othering.
https://feelinggood.com/2016/12/12/014-the-five-secrets-of-effective-communication-part-1/
https://feelinggood.com/2016/12/19/015-the-five-secrets-of-effective-communication-part-2/
THE FACILITATORS
Brandon Vance, MD is a psychiatrist in Oakland and is committed to doing his best to understand and work with folks who have been othered in various ways. He is inspired by and has advanced training in various psychotherapeutic techniques to work with people in honoring where they are stuck and using tools to get unstuck from individual and relationship problems within mind-body-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual contexts - www.brandonvancemd.com. Brandon is also passionate about social justice and the arts, cofounding and playing in Justice Arts Collective - www.JusticeArtsCollective.org.
astrid montuclard is a multicultural activist from a Pacific Island called Tahiti. astrid currently studies integral counseling therapy at the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) in the hope of working with folks interested in decolonizing themselves from White supremacy, racism, patriarchy... (you name it). As a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher, astrid’s vocational intention is also to activate the interpersonal and intercommunal healing potential of nonviolent civil resistant movement like the Yet-to-be-named network through making dignifying self-transformative practices more accessible to all.
HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
All events at the East Point Peace Academy are offered on a Gift Economy. This means that there is no fee to register, and everybody is welcome to attend regardless of their ability to pay. An opportunity will be offered to participants to give gifts to support the work of our organization and to support the facilitators. No amount is too small or too large.
To donate for this event, you can visit: https://www.eastpointpeace.org/brandonastriddonate
WHERE
This event will happen virtually using the Zoom online conferencing platform. If you are not familiar with this platform, click here for instructions.
