Today there's a lot of well-deserved anger towards white women for consistently prioritizing the protection of whiteness + heterosexual norms - coded as "safety" + "tradition" - in how we vote.
It isn't new. Re: the 53% in the 2016 election, @MsPeoples wrote: "white women are not unified in opposition to Trumpism + can’t be counted on to fight it. Instead, it’s the identity, experience + leadership of black women that we must look to." nyti.ms/2REZnuO 
This year @juliekkohler1 wrote about why white women too often align their political interests w/ white men. She named systemic evangelical Christian influences but most importantly: “white supremacy remains the prevailing force in electoral politics.” bit.ly/2zKatrt
For white women who hold progressive values + think we "get it," this anger can feel like unfair generalizations – bc we’re “allies,” right? I know bc 5 years ago I wrote the following as I was getting more + more exposure to Black women's frustrations w/ white people like me.
I know I have plenty more harmful biases to unlearn + problematic blindspots to illuminate as a white person who grew up in the US, where we live + breathe white supremacy culture. This resource is a must-read: bit.ly/2zBhcUs
The thing is, people of color – especially Black women – have every right to voice righteous anger w/ white people + white-dominated systems that have historically oppressed + even violently silenced them.
The past few years I’ve learned a lot from #philanthropy leaders like @RDFoxworth + @pwr2thappl on this, including the following excellent pieces: bit.ly/2zCGX6y + bit.ly/2zzaqP4
The white dominant culture we grow up in in the US doesn’t encourage or reward white people for explicit conversations about race, especially w/ each other. It’s deemed “impolite,” “divisive,” or too “political” for the dinner table.
. @ShowUp4RJ has some great resources for how to challenge this during the holidays, including this placemat + their toolkit bit.ly/2Ouii9S
Plus whiteness is our country’s status quo + measuring stick. Issues of race are most often relegated to news + conversations about non-white communities, e.g. urban Black ones -- less so our own.
But the toxicity of white supremacy infects all of us, including white people. Leaders like @VillanuevaEdgar rightfully describe it as a virus that requires deep healing. Edgar hosted a great #PhilanhropySoWhite webinar a few weeks ago bit.ly/2OueAgr
And while we're here, I can't not mention this seminal #philanthropy piece by Gita Gulati-Partee + Maggie Potapchuk entitled "Paying Attention to White Culture + Privilege: A Missing Link to Advancing Racial Equity" bit.ly/2OvrWJp
Part of this important journey for white people is sitting w/ + pushing thru discomfort in talking about race, including acknowledging + really listening to why people of color feel such anger towards white people, + the pain + trauma its rooted in.
I’ve found deep value in the work of Robin DiAngelo, such as her new book + the following @bigthink video, on why talking about race can be so fragile + fraught for white people based on how we’re socialized bit.ly/2Oxf0CT
In my pursuit of community, healing, + deeper learning around anti-racism, I’ve found these trainings really transformative: @UndoingRacism, Human Ecology of Racism (H.E.R.) w/ @richaelfaithful, + Liberation Logic w/ @AaronGoggans + Rebecca Mintz.
I’m also really looking forward to the @everydayfeminism course w/ Sandra Kim next year on “healing from internalized whiteness” -- join me in DC in January! bit.ly/2yVXgMw
Part of what leaders of color are calling progressive white folks to take action on is to organize our own. If we can’t talk to white family members about race despite familial trust + love that we hold, who really can? If not family, what about close friends + colleagues?
I see it as sequencing w/ our circles of influence. I absorb + process anger, stories, calls to action from Black + Brown leaders + share my learning w/ other white people in my life who are more isolated, fragile, hesitant to engage, etc.
I don’t necessarily go in trying to change them, but I do aim to expose them to other ways of thinking about race, our own whiteness, + how we can act for racial justice. Relationships are one of the most important things we can leverage.
Weave in some humor while we’re at it! This is definitely not my skillset which is why I reeeally appreciated the @nytopinion video ft. @NiecyNash bit.ly/2yY27Ng
For my upcoming visit home, I invited my parents + sibs to read “Nothing to Add: A Challenge to White Silence in Racial Discussions” by DiAngelo so we can discuss it. A bit academic but white people tends to prioritize that approach to discussing race 🤷🏼♀️ bit.ly/2Ou6N29
What are some of your next steps post-election, white friends? #philanthropy
I messed up #PhilanthropySoWhite + @EvrydayFeminism tags but 😅
Inviting white philanthrofriends in on this thread @marilydi @ConnorDaleyVT @tylerwnickerson @kdreich @kathryngilje @trendyBS @intldogooder @jenbo1 @NWithbroe @NickyGoren @jlockwoodshabat @lisa_rang @ryanstrode @robyntrem_chi @benjamendouglas @tamirnovotny @pxwalsh
