"But I Just Don't See It!": Making White Superiority Visible

Authors

  • Shelly Tochluk Mount St. Mary’s College

Abstract

This article describes a discussion tool that can be used to increase white people’s ability to recognize and interrupt behaviors associated with white privilege and internalized superiority. The discussion tool is in the form of a scenario, developed by a multiracial team of facilitators.  The scenario describes a meeting taking place in a not-for-profit organization. Two white people in the meeting display common patterns of interaction that reinforce white privilege and its consequences. I offer an analysis of the behaviors and guidance on how facilitators can use the scenario to increase white participant’s ability to recognize and interrupt white superiority in themselves and other whites.

Author Biography

Shelly Tochluk, Mount St. Mary’s College

Shelly Tochluk is the author of Witnessing Whiteness: First Steps Toward an Antiracist Practice and Culture. An educator, with a background in psychology, Shelly Tochluk spent ten years as a researcher, counselor, and teacher in California’s public schools. She received her Ph.D. in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute in 2005. She now trains teachers to work with Los Angeles’ diverse school population as Chair of the Education Department at Mount St. Mary’s College. Shelly serves on the leadership team of AWARE-LA (Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere).

Area of specialization: White identity and anti-racism, Community building and anti-racism

Published

2013-05-29

How to Cite

Tochluk, S. (2013). "But I Just Don’t See It!": Making White Superiority Visible. Understanding and Dismantling Privilege, 3(1). Retrieved from https://wpcjournal.com/article/view/10829

Issue

Vol. 3 No. 1 (2013): Understanding & Dismantling Privilege

Section

Tools & Strategies

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