Info Session: Unconscious Whiteness in Philanthropy Cohorts
Description
Are you struggling to understand your role as a white person in philanthropic spaces centering racial equity? If you are a foundation or philanthropic-client serving staff member, board member, or trustee, join peers in a five-session cohort learning experience to deepen your understanding of how white supremacy manifests in philanthropic organizations and systems.
In this series, we peel back historical layers to review how white supremacy was created and embedded in the philanthropic sector, impacting everything from grantmaking and relationships to management and decision-making. Then we explore concrete strategies and actions to help you show up as interrupters of the status quo in philanthropic leadership and decision-making. We’ll use a blend of reading/listening/watching relevant content, interactive activities, and embodied learning. Be prepared to be uncomfortable in service of developing a greater capacity to undo patterns that sustain white-dominant norms and perpetuate racism.
The series uses a humanizing and healing approach that calls white people to be gentle and patient with ourselves while still choosing discomfort and taking meaningful action - a way of engaging that goes against everything white supremacy has taught us.
During this brief overview and Q&A session, co-facilitators Alison Traina and Ali Sirkus Brody will describe NCG’s upcoming five-session peer cohort learning experience intended to deepen your understanding of how white supremacy manifests in philanthropic organizations and systems.
The goal of this affinity group cohort is to offload the labor and burden on BIPOC folks in philanthropy. We invite BIPOC staff members to share with white colleagues they think would benefit.
Series Preview
Series Expectations
During this series cohort participants will:
- Peel back historical layers to review how white supremacy was created and embedded in the philanthropic sector, impacting everything from grantmaking and relationships to management and decision-making
- Explore concrete strategies and actions to help you show up as interrupters of the status quo in philanthropic leadership and decision-making
- Use a healing approach that calls white people to be gentle and patient with ourselves while still choosing discomfort and taking meaningful action
Series Audience
This series is for white-identifying foundation leaders, especially staff, board members and senior executives of foundations or philanthropic client-serving organizations, who understand that racism, whiteness, and habits of white supremacy create problems but are unsure how to address these huge dynamics.
This is for you if you are (still) feeling confused, overwhelmed, and intimidated by the idea of addressing how racism and white supremacy show up as you undertake philanthropic leadership and foundation work. You’re ready to learn how you can use your positional power to act in solidarity with people of color in service of advancing systems that benefit people of every racial group, and especially those who are marginalized. If you have the desire to take anti-racist action in your role as a foundation professional and white leader in the philanthropic sector, join us to grapple with white supremacy and how it shows up in your life and work.
Why an all-white space? It may seem counterintuitive to do antiracism work as an all-white group or with white facilitators. However, as many leaders, scholars, trainers, and activists of color have pointed out, it is the responsibility of white people to unlearn our internalized racism, and to help one another do so. Racial affinity spaces offer us the opportunity to speak honestly and bluntly, to support and coach one another, and to ask embarrassing questions without the risk of hurting or over-burdening people of color.
Series Cohorts
- Cohort 1: Staff/consultants of foundation and philanthropic client-serving organizations.
- Cohort 2: Foundation leadership, including board members, trustees, and Executive Directors/CEOs
Speakers
Alison Sirkus Brody
