About Us
As unprecedented multiracial uprisings for racial justice erupted across the U.S., a few of us were in conversation with Black women who asked, "Where are the White men?"
On Tuesday June 2, 100 White men gathered on zoom to discuss all the swirling emotions brought up for us in this moment. We gathered because we wanted to be with others who were feeling intensely too. Even if we might not have articulated it then, we gathered to be in community.
For some this was a first step, for others a next step, for all of us a necessary step, recognizing that we, as White men collectively, have been under-prioritizing this work for too long, and that needed to change.
Why Just White Men
A major challenge for most White men who care about this issue is that there are few spaces that feel safe to have honest conversations about it.
Talking about and addressing racism, especially as White men, is uncomfortable, difficult, fraught, and often clumsy. We need a brave space where we can have uncomfortable conversations, and be vulnerable in these conversations.
We need a brave space to explore:
.png)
Our feelings, diverse and often conflicting, of confusion, defensiveness, resentment, overwhelm, anger, guilt, and pride.
.png)
Our understanding of how we have been dehumanized by racist systems and culture and, even with our good intentions, can unintentionally make things worse.
Our opportunity to enjoy a more prosperous, fulfilling, joyful life of rich relationships in community, with other White people and with Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color.
To work better together in multiracial and multi-gender spaces in our communities and workplaces, we are well served to also have brave spaces in which people with shared identities (e.g. White men) can grapple with how those identities impact their own lived experience as well as the experience of others when they interact with them.
Our Name
A name that causes a double-take ('Wait. What?!?') serves an important purpose—it catalyzes reflection and, hopefully, conversation.
Our name raises eyebrows. It makes some uncomfortable. It can even be confusing. Do you think White men need racial justice? Why just White men?
These are understandable, good questions. We had, and still have, the same questions. We discuss our name all the time. Here are some of the questions we ask ourselves:
What signal is this name sending? To whom? What reaction am I imagining? From whom? What reaction am I most anxious about? What would I say if someone asked me about it? What feelings might come up for others when they see a white man wearing this tee shirt? Who am I imagining right now? What energy are we putting into the world by using this name? Am I thinking about safety? About comfort? Whose?
As an anti-racist pro-justice affinity space for White men (see above for why we think that's important), we feel it's important to say state clearly who we are and what we we stand for: We are White Men for Racial Justice.
Our Accountability
By being accountable to Black equity advisors, our learning and action are more thoughtful and our community is more credible.
This is because we don’t know what we don’t know. As White men, we benefit from creating a brave space to check our assumptions and instincts with those most negatively impacted by the culture and systems that shape our lives, helping us to minimize any unintentional harm and maximize any positive impact of our work.
In addition, we remain accountable to ourselves, to each other, and to our children for our actions and inactions.
.png)
Our Equity Advisors
Zoe Spencer-Harris is a scholar/strategist/activist from Barry Farms projects in DC. She currently teaches sociology at Virginia State University. She is a published author and a highly sought-after speaker and presenter. Most importantly she is a freedom fighter, a seeker of truth, and unapologetic in her purpose of making a better world for humanity, no matter how small the mark. She says: I am a microcosm of the Universe... And the closer I get to actualization, the more I realize that I am just a vessel, on loan to this Earth to see what I will do here, to tell stories, fight, love, and then leave…hopefully a legacy - a lingering spirit - that will live on, long after my body is no more.
Taylor Paul is the CEO of The League for Safer Streets, a home for system-impacted individuals to feel valued and relevant, and to organize as agents of change in their communities and of the public policies that impact their communities. Taylor was appointed by the governor of Virginia to both his Juvenile Justice and Prevention board and Department of Criminal Justice Service board, and was a community-based organizer for DCJS. Paul Taylor served 23 years of a life plus 26 year sentence, and was paroled on his 11th try in 2017, returning to his community as Taylor Paul, the opposite of the man who went in.
Our Partnerships
“WMRJ lifted a veil. I'd like to live in a world where every white man attends WMRJ no matter how much they might think they know about equity, inclusion, and race.”
-Anon
For White men to play their important role in partnership with Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color who have been leading this work for so long, White men must ‘do their own work.’
Without preparatory and/or supportive experiences that engage White men, equity and inclusion work will fall short of desired outcomes due to a lack of shared understanding of the scope and origins of inequity and consequent lack of meaningful and sustained commitment and resources to achieve equity and justice for all.
To support this, WMRJ seeks to partner with companies, organizations, networks, and communities to engage their White men and build their competency and commitment in service of partner-led multiracial/gender equity work.
To learn more, contact info@wmrj.org