Is your NGO arranging 'dialogues' about race at the moment? Here's some guidance: If you hope to educate white senior leaders about racism, then hold a separate event, pay an expert to facilitate it, and spare your employees of colour the unpaid labour of teaching you for free 1/
The 'dialogue' must be premised around an explicit admission that racism - both interpersonal *and* structural - is alive and well in #globaldev . No equivocation; no euphemistic use of 'diversity' narratives; no ifs, no buts. Anything less will cause irrevocable harm to POC 2/
Discussions about privilege have their place - but don't amputate them from an analysis that privilege is an outcome of the way systems of oppression work. An analysis of systemic oppression must accompany discussions about individual privilege. Again, get an expert to help 3/
The ground rules for these dialogues must be set by those closest to the pain. Notice your defensive reactions and use them as entry points for deeper knowledge; assume responsibility for any harmful impact. 4/
Some people in #globaldev can intellectualise ad nauseum. These dialogues must be tied to ACTION. Anything else is empty performance End/
