Welcome to BH4WP

This weekend class (Friday night/Saturday day) will help participants develop a deep understanding of the United States of America’s racial history.  Focusing on the unique perspective of Descendants of Slavery in the US we will examine the historical events and cultural forces that have created extreme inequality between US whites and US Descendants of Slaves.

This hands-on, interactive, skills building workshop will:

  • create a space that encourages learning, growth, and change
  • examine US history from colonization to the present-day with the experience of Descendants of Slavery at the center. 
  • equip participants with a deeper understanding of systemic racism, and what it takes to prevent and respond to it
  • provide opportunities for participants to practice serving as advocates for addressing systemic racism with their colleagues, implementing partners, and other stakeholders
  • move beyond the people of color narrative to create an understanding of the unique justice claim that American Descendants of Slavery have, with the ultimate goal of a transformational reparations movement. 

 

Why Black History for White People?

As activists we have seen effects of ignorance about and cultural whitewashing of history.  We believe that if white US americans understood the history of DOS, then the need to act for reparations and other economic and policy changes would be clear.  

We believe that in order to solve many of the problems plaguing our society today, we must get to the heart of inequality in our culture — the enslavement and continued systemic oppression of descendants of slaves.

Who is it for?

  • You feel you are missing some critical information about race and race relations in the US
  • You are new to racial justice issues and want to learn how to be a better accomplice to and Descendants of Slavery in the US
  • You are a seasoned activist who would like to deepen your knowledge
  • You would like skills to engage with those whose opinion is different than yours (eg. skills for the dinner table, skills for public discourse, skills for committee meetings)
  • You would like to learn how to talk to your children about this topic
  • You would like to become part of an ongoing community of learners

*Folx from all identities and races are welcome.  Course content is geared specifically to help white US americans overcome gaps in knowledge, cultural practices of supremacy, and to engage their community in change.

Your Facilitators

Mandolin bio picMandolin Restivo is an activist for justice and non-profit manager and grant writer.  Her professional experience includes working in alternatives to incarceration in the Bronx, where she co-founded the Bronx Reentry Working group; directing a campus Gender Center, and working with underserved youth in New York City.  She was a member of the organizing committee for the March for Racial Justice, is a founding member of the New Jersey Abortion Access Fund and is active in Unitarian Universalist organizing spaces. She has been leading workshops on justice for over 20 years through a variety of roles.

jackrabbit profileJackRabbit is a founding member of Interoccupy.net, affiliated with the Occupy Wall Street movement. In 2012, he participated in the grassroots disaster relief to hurricane Sandy known as Occupy Sandy. He has provided logistical support for groups fighting for racial justice such as SURJ, Ferguson Action, and Movement for Black Lives. In April of 2015, he began work as one of the core members of People for Bernie with whom he worked through July 2015. He was a cofounder of Illinois Progressive Network. As cofounder of the People’s Revolution, he put on the People’s Convention. This convention, held in Philadelphia in 2016, was a grassroots alternative to the DNC. He was a member of the organizing committee for the March for Racial Justice.