February UWSA Unlearning Circle

Unlearning racism is necessarily vulnerable. It requires us to take accountability for the ways in which our behavior can cause harm. Yet many of us struggle to be vulnerable and take accountability out of fear that we will be punished and shamed if we get it “wrong.” So how can we create spaces in which we can be vulnerable and not punish ourselves or each other?

As we work together to undo racism and build a just society, we often find ourselves falling into the same traps we are trying to dismantle. We can use shame and blame in an attempt to get people “on board” with the cause, oftentimes without even realizing what we are doing.

Join us for our February Unlearning Circle as we discuss what it means to apply transformative justice principles in our own lives. We’ll explore what we were taught about punishment and justice, and how punishment shows up in our own lives. We’ll take time to collectively imagine what a world would look like with accountability, but without punishment. We will conclude by identifying small actions we can take towards healing ourselves and making a better world for future generations.

The following resources can be helpful in preparing for the discussion. Please join us even if you haven’t had a chance to review these resources.

• What is Transformative Justice? (11 minute video with adrienne marie brown and others)
• The Peaceful Home X: Parenting, shame, and raising wholehearted + resilient children – A Beautiful Childhood (article)
• Brene Brown on Shame, Accountability, and Armoring Up (blog post by Christine Wong about Brene Brown’s podcast episode–if you want to listen to the full 1 hour podcast, you can do so here)
• Everyday Practices of Transformative Justice (video)
  
• Transformative Justice: A Brief Description (article)

UWSA’s first Unlearning Circle in the winter of 2017 was created as a place for white people to do the work of reflection and community self-education. As we continue to gather to critically examine our own participation in cultures of dominance, we build our capacity to show up as individuals and as a city-wide community network for Black, Indigenous and people of color-led anti-racist efforts in a positive and accountable way. The Unlearning Circles are an opportunity for white identifying people to explore white supremacy culture and our role and responsibilities in undoing racism. We welcome and recognize the gift of the presence of any People of Color who choose to join us.