Dear Friends,
To introduce this article written by Roxy Manning, PhD, I’d like to share a short story about racism and innocence.
Increasing Diversity in NVC Circles by Roxy Manning, PhD
Many years ago, I was at the General Assembly for the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). The speaker that day was Rev. Rebecca Parker, who was at that time president of the UUA. During her talk, she shared an experience she had while attending a conference on racism.
In one of the workshops, the two presenters, both African American women historians, spoke about the political history of Black women in the United States.
They shared how the National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, prevented Black women from attending their meetings and conventions even though Black women had also been working hard to pass the 19th Amendment.
Upon hearing this story one of the workshop participants, a white woman, stood up to say that she was forever disowning these leaders for women's rights as her foremothers. She did not want to be associated with women who discriminated against other women. She didn't want anyone to think she too was racist. She wanted to be innocent.
Her belief in her innocence excused her from examining what exactly racism looks like or sounds like. Without such an examination, how would she ever really know that she wasn’t racist?
Dr. Manning's article is a request that we take a close look at this question in our lives and in our NVC practice.
Peace,
~ Denise
Want to learn more? Consider attending one of Dr. Manning’s upcoming talks or other community events:
35th Annual Salem Peace Lecture, Oct. 16
How to Have Antiracist Conversations, Oct 17
Strengthening Democracy Through Nonviolent Dialogue, Oct 17
Community-led Gatherings, Oct 19
Related: Salem Peace Lecture focuses on engaging with people we disagree with
