Preventing White Supremacy: An Applied Conceptualization for the Helping Professions
Preventing White Supremacy: An Applied Conceptualization for the Helping Professions
Transformative Forces: uniting social work in a dialogue of change to shatter systemic racism, break barriers, cultivate empathy, and redefine funding for a just society
Go Deeper
explore foundations and source materialGroup Work
David Bohm, On Dialogue (1996) <If this text is not in your school's course on group work yet, get it in ASAP>
University of Michigan, National Intergroup Dialogue Institute <World renowned institute for intergroup dialogue. Get some CEUs, sign up for a webinar, and watch their videos. You will not be disappointed.›
Kelly Maxwell and Mark Chesler, White Student Comfort and Conflict in Experiential Racial Dialogues (2019)
Some of my favorite scholars (in alphabetical order) applying CWS to their fields
Lynn Burnett
Cross Cultural Solidarity, (ongoing) <The whole website is unmatched, but you should specifically, navigate to the page on White Antiracist Solidaity>
Medium (ongoing) <Lynn has some incredible long-format articles that complement the extensive database of Cross Cultural Solidarity>
Kirsten Gonzalez and Patrick Grzanka
UT Arts & Sciences, From White Tears to Social Transformation: Antiracism Beyond Guilt (2020)
White Supremacy and Counseling Psychology:A Critical–Conceptual Framework (2019) <co-authored with Lisa Spanierman>
Drs Gonzalez and Grzanka also go one step further by extending prevention-method frameworks to intersectionality, gender, and sexuality.
Timothy J. Lensmire
White Folks: Race and Identity in Rural America (2017)
McIntosh as Synecdoche: How Teacher Education's Focus on White Privilege Undermines Antiracism (2013)<coauthored with the Midwest Critical Whiteness Collective>
Doesn’t Your Work Just Re-center Whiteness? The Fallen Impossibilities of White Allyship (2022) <written with some other brilliant minds>
UWSP Center for Inclusive Teaching and Learning, Race and Identity Workshop [Youtube]
Lisa Spanierman
Emotions of White Racism (2012)
Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites Scale (PCRW): Construction and Initial Validation (2004) <co-authored with Mary J Heppner>
White Men’s Fears, White Women’s Tears: Examining Gender Differences in Racial Affect Types (2012) <written with Jacquelyn C. Beard and Nathan R. Todd>
Confronting White Hegemony: A Moral Imperative for the Helping Professions (2017) and also Roles and Responsibilities of White Allies: Implications for Research, Teaching, and Practice (2017) were co-authored with Laura Smith.
Researching Diversity Podcast, S3E4: Lisa Spanierman - White racial identity || White allyship (2023) [YouTube/Podcast]
Experiences of White People and Men in Classrooms for the Helping Professions
Kyle T. Ganson, Paul Gould & Rachael Holcomb, Exploring the Experiences of Male MSW Students in the Social Work Learning Environment (2020)
Jordan I. Kosberg, Heterosexual Males: A Group Forgotten by the Profession of Social Work, (2002)
Beverely A. Crawford and Amy Hillier, Assessing the experience of dental students with an asynchronous online course about racism, cultural competence, (2022) <The incredible Amy Hillier, MSW, who was on The Spillway’s podcast, co-created this curriculum from which student feedback is aggregated>
Jeremy Ashkenas, Haeyoun Park, Adam Pearce, Even With Affirmative Action, Blacks and Hispanics Are More Underrepresented at Top Colleges Than 35 Years Ago (2017) <While the core of the article is about Affirmative Action, they include the data on students who are White, but don’t focus much on it.> →
Nonprofit Industrial Complex
INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (2017) <unparalleled and foundational work on the NPIC>
Dean Spade, Should Social Movement Work Be Paid? [Youtube] (2023)
Sidra Morgan-Montoya, Nonprofit Industrial Complex 101: a primer on how it upholds inequity and flattens resistance (2020)
Michael Haber, The New Activist Non-Profits: Four Models Breaking from the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (2019) <This article shows some great paths forward and away from the NPIC>
Application of CWS and CRT in Social Work:
The Non-Profit Industrial Complex and Racism
The Ineffectiveness of Conventional Diversity Training
Understanding and dismantling White supremacy
Group Work and Interpersonal Relationships:
The Paradox of Being White in the U.S.
Rethinking Preventative Measures to Address White Supremacy and Racism
Podcast: Beyond White Supremacy & The Spillway
Addressing Anti-White Bias:
Redefining Whiteness: Healing Through Empathy and Compassion
Honoring New Forms of Representation and Emotional Experience
Addressing the Emotional Challenges of Becoming a Racial Minority
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Reflection Questions
slow down and think, feel, and make meaningGroup Work
Consider a recent group project or discussion. How did diverse perspectives contribute to the outcome, and what role did you play in facilitating open dialogue?
Reflect on how your experiences in group settings have shaped your understanding of White culture and its impact on society today.
What is important to remember about everyone’s individual contributions to group work and how you can ensure everyone feels included?
Consider how your experiences in group settings have influenced your understanding of racial equity and inclusion.
Helping Profession Questions
How do your interactions with colleagues and clients in the helping professions shape your understanding of White culture and influence your approach to addressing systemic racism in your work?
In what ways can you leverage group dynamics in your professional role to promote inclusivity and empathy, ensuring that diverse perspectives are valued and integrated into service delivery?
Addressing Anti-White Bias
In your classes, when discussing race, do you think all perspectives, including those of White students, are heard equally? Why or why not?
How do your personal experiences influence your views on anti-White bias today, and what insights have they provided?
How do you perceive the conversation around anti-White bias in today's world, and what impact do you believe it has on community dynamics?
How do you ensure that discussions about racial bias are inclusive, allowing for a balanced representation of all perspectives, including those on anti-White bias?
Helping Profession Questions
As a professional in the helping field, how do you address and navigate discussions of anti-White bias in your practice, ensuring that you uphold ethical standards and provide equitable support to all individuals?
In what ways do you believe acknowledging and understanding anti-White bias can influence your interactions with clients or colleagues, and how might this awareness enhance your effectiveness in promoting social justice within your professional role?
The Nonprofit Industrial Complex
How do you think external funding sources influence nonprofit organizations' decisions to focus on immediate solutions rather than long-term prevention strategies? Can you identify examples in your community where this dynamic is evident?
Reflect on your own experiences with nonprofits. How does the reliance on external funding affect your perception of their ability to drive systemic change, and what expectations do you have for their role in promoting social justice?
Why might nonprofits choose to focus on providing immediate help rather than working on preventing future problems? Can you think of situations where it might be more beneficial to address issues before they arise?
Consider the balance between intervention and prevention in nonprofit work. How do you feel about this balance, and how has your perspective on it evolved over time?
Helping Profession Questions
How do you perceive the influence of external funding on your ability to prioritize prevention over intervention in your studies or professional role, and how does this impact the outcomes you aim to achieve?
In what ways have systemic funding dynamics shaped the strategies and approaches within your field of study or professional practice, and how do you navigate these challenges to focus on long-term systemic change?
Reflect on your awareness of how much of your organization's resources or your educational curriculum is dedicated to preventative measures. How does this emphasis, or lack thereof, influence your approach to your work or studies in the helping professions?