While there are a few short articles and guides addressing the challenges and complexities of leading white affinity groups, there has never been a detailed handbook exclusively for white racial affinity group facilitators. There are many challenges in facilitating these groups including the need to have a deep theoretical understanding of racism; a high degree of racial self-awareness; sensitivity to and the ability to work with the range of skills and degrees of awareness participants bring; and strong facilitation and conflict resolution skills.
The Facilitator's Guide for White Affinity Groups is the first in-depth guide for educators, mediators, workplace consultants and trainers, workplace diversity groups, community organizers, conference organizers, members of faith communities, and members of racial and social justice groups.
Dr. Robin DiAngelo and Amy Burtaine, who collectively bring over 20 years of experience leading anti-racist education and racial affinity groups present:
- a theoretical framework for understanding racism;
- a case for the value of racial affinity groups as a tool for challenging racism;
- guidelines for setting up affinity groups in a variety of contexts;
- the skills and perspectives needed for effective facilitation;
- scenarios to illustrate common challenges;
- a glossary of definitions;
- exercises, discussion prompts, and assessment tools.
- an extensive list of common patterns and group dynamics and how to address them
Written accessibly for a wide range of readers and backgrounds, The Facilitator's Guide for White Affinity Groups will be an important reference for anyone committed to anti-racism work.
Amy Burtaine has been co-facilitating workshops, providing coaching and mediation, and educating through an anti-oppression lens for over 20 years. While she has experience leading this work on a range of oppressions, her passion and commitment is to center race, specifically looking at how whiteness upholds and perpetuates racial inequality. She most often works in collaboration with people of color to co-facilitate dialogues and trainings on racism. She holds a MFA and is trained in interactive pedagogy. Find her online at amyburtaine.com.
"Some of my most powerful learning has been in White anti-racist groups like the ones described here--making mistakes together, asking stupid questions, and supporting each other on the challenging journey of addressing racism. I loved the clarity, suggested activities, and manual-like style of this guide for facilitating these groups, which will be incredibly useful and returned to again and again. May this book help you build loving and accountable relationships with other White people and cultivate courage, take action, and keep moving on your anti-racist path."
--Ali Michael, PhD, coauthor of Our Problem, Our Path: Collective Anti-Racism for White People
"Robin DiAngelo and Amy Burtaine have provided wise and practical shapes for effective midwifery of anti-racist consciousness in collective context. This work is an invitation to build relational capacity toward durable social action by those who recognize that white supremacy differentially dehumanizes those it moves through and those it marginalizes. There is a compelling case made that anti-racism is inherently transformative to those who practice it while releasing a grip on perfectionist evasion or a quest for comfort. Instead, this facilitator's guide brings conviction that responsiveness and mutuality are true companions of accountability."
--Leticia Nieto, coauthor of Beyond Inclusion, Beyond Empowerment