theory behind practice

BRJA holds the following frameworks close to the core of our racial justice practice and process. See Our Definitions for a list of key terms & their definitions.

ANTI-BLACKNESS

Anti-Blackness is the consequence of white supremacy in a dualistic society. It is the corollary of the ideology of white superiority. Author and activist Scot Nakagawa calls anti-Black racism the fulcrum (the point at which something can be leveraged) of white supremacy in the US. In other words, anti-Blackness is central to understanding how race and racism operate in the US; and resisting the messages and behavior rooted in anti-Blackness is central to racial justice action.

In the US anti-Blackness is at the foundation of the development of the country and economy, in that it made permissive the enslavement of millions of African people. It is also an ideology with roots in the development of the pseudo-scientific concept of race, which placed Black people at the bottom of a hierarchy of races. One need only to scratch the surface of the eugenics movement to find the deeply held anti-Blackness pervasive in the US.

INTERSECTIONALITY

BRJA’s philosophy of racial justice and social change acknowledges the interconnectedness of all forms of oppression. Coined by the scholar Kimberle Crenshaw, intersectionality speaks to how oppressions are experienced simultaneously. Drawing from the experiences of Black women, Crenshaw explains that forms of oppression (sexism, racism, classism, etc.) do not act independently, rather they interrelate creating a multidimensional system of oppression.

We do our racial justice work in the context of a broad liberation movement. While our focus is specifically on issues of race/racism/white privilege/white supremacy we recognize that everyone has multiple intersecting identities that impact how systemic racism and other forms of oppression impact them. It is crucial that our decisions and actions related to other forms of historic oppression come from an analysis that is rooted in world views of peoples of color, not in a white world view.

CAUCUSING BY RACE

BRJA provides space to work in affinity groups by race, otherwise called "caucusing." These spaces support people of color in surfacing and processing the impact of racism on them individually and provides a space for supportive healing. It also encourages white people to engage with each other, to be honest about their privileges and role in white supremacy, to educate one another, and to identify techniques for educating white people in our spheres of influence.

BRJA’s guiding principles around caucusing by race include: A recognition that white people and peoples of color have different connections to the impact of structural racism and the work of dismantling it. A belief that because white people continue to receive daily benefits from institutional racism, it is necessary for them to take the lead in achieving racial equity and to face the risks involved with taking the lead, including moving from their comfort zone of privilege.

Our practice of caucusing requires commitment from white members to take responsibility for educating other white people and themselves using their experiences of privilege instead of relying on peoples of color to share their experiences of racism.