WHITE: Intersections of Feminism and Privilege

LynAnne Evenson, MS LMFT

Disclosures and RelationshipsI have no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest to report

Safety and Self CareThe contents of this presentation may be uncomfortable due to conversations around race, ethnicity, privilege, colonialism, social justice, and violence. I invite you all to engage with the experience as much as possible; recognizing that discussions about race, privilege, and feminism are not personal attacks on anyone’s character. If you begin to feel emotionally aroused I encourage you to take a deep breath and think about WHY the conversation is so uncomfortable.

Let’s get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

Call to RememberWe stand and meet today on land that was/is held sacred by the Dakota people. We stand and meet today on land that was stolen through broken treaties, genocide, and white supremacy. We stand and meet today on land that we now occupy as the descendants of colonizers, the colonized, the enslaved, refugees, and immigrants. We remember.

Benefits of engaging today

Objectives● Identify and learn how privilege shows up in the therapy

room● Learn how "white" feminism protects the status quo● Learn ways to deconstruct and transform current modes of

thinking to become intersectional in thinking

Creating an Environment of Understanding

Race: a social construct, politicized in the USA

Ethnicity: belonging to a nationality or cultural group

Privilege: the unearned benefits and advantages granted by belonging to a group

Feminism: equality of the sexes

Intersectional: the combination of belonging identities

Creating an Environment of Understanding

Prejudice: prejudgement or bias

Discrimination: Prejudice + Action

Oppression: Prejudice + Action + Systemic Power

Creating an Environment of Understanding

Racism: conscious or unconscious power used against people with perceived lower racial status

Institutional: policies, procedures, and organizational cultures

Structural: Spanning all institutions

About me

What is White Feminism?

What does privilege in therapy look like?

The Harm

● Failing to address clients needs● Failing to provide a safe place● Distrust from the client’s perspective● Client’s avoidant of attending therapy● Client’s detachment from the therapy process● The therapist avoiding talking about racial identity or

racial discrimination

Protecting the Status Quo

Protecting the status quoOur Healthcare System

Therapeutic Ally-ance

● Personal reflection of bias and assumptions● Learning through social action as allies to dismantle

privilege and racism● Learning about privilege through an intersectional lens

in terms of: sex, ability, social class, sexuality, citizenship, religion, and gender identity….in addition to race

Time to transformWhat will change for you?

How will the change be noticeable in the therapy room or with your clients?

Helpful Reading ListWhite Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

White Innocence by Gloria Wekker

We were Eight Years in Power by Ta Nehisi Coates

Courageous Conversations about Race by Glenn Singleton and Curtis Linton

INTERSECTIONAL PEDAGOGY: COMPLICATING IDENTITY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE By Kim Case

DECONSTRUCTING PRIVILEGE: TEACHING AND LEARNING AS ALLIES IN THE CLASSROOM By Kim Case

The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House by Audre Lorde

The History of White People by Nell Irvin Painter

References McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege and male privilege: a personal account of coming to see correspondence through work in women’s studies. In M. Anderson, & P. Hill Collins (Eds), Race, Class, and gender: an anthology (pp. 94-105). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Case, K.(2015). White Practitioners in therapeutic Ally-ance: an intersectional privilege awareness training model. Women & Therapy, 38: 263-278. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

Singleton, G. & Linton, C. (2006). Courageous Conversations About Race. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.