Virtual Voices: How Did We Get Here? Reflecting on the History of Racism in America

The Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation and TIED (Talent, Inclusion, Engagement & Diversity) hosted their first collaborative Virtual Voices on Thursday, Jan. 21, focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. Much like past Virtual Voices, this webinar brought together leaders to share their knowledge and perspectives on challenging issues facing our community.

Monica Williams, executive producer of the Equity Project LLC and president of TIED, moderated the event. Monica was joined by Dr. Michael Benitez, vice president for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, MSU Denver, and Dr. Devon Wright, assistant professor of African American studies, MSU Denver. They shared their thoughts on systemic racism, the effects that has on modern society and how to move forward while dismantling racist structures and systems.

Check out our key takeaways and the video of the webinar below.

We need to examine and understand our history. To fully understand race and racism in America, we need to look back at our history – not only at the moments that make us proud, but the moments that bring discomfort. To create systems that are equitable, we have to be honest with where we went wrong and do something about it.

Race is an invention. While it is an invention, race has real world consequences. Racism is rooted in whiteness. If we do not talk about whiteness when confronting the history of racism in the United States, we are doing a disservice to the conversation itself and to our efforts dismantling white supremacy and racism. Racism is rooted in foundational myths. These myths contribute to systemic racism in our country. In this regard, whiteness acts as the standard for which other races are measured against. Whiteness comes with a certain amount of presumed innocence. Conversely, non-whiteness is associated with needing to be policed in a way that whiteness is not. These are some of the reasons we see disproportionate police reactions to protests and public gatherings that are majority white versus majority BIPOC. It is the same reason why police react differently to Black suspects than they do white ones. Dismantling these foundational myths – that whiteness carries innocence or superiority – is crucial to changing racist structures in our country.

Look at who is in power. We need diversity in the decision-making process. When you look at who is in charge and making decisions, those individuals are overwhelmingly white. As a community of leaders, we will have achieved diversity when individuals in power are diverse and lend their perspectives and knowledge in making decisions that affect others.

Intersectionality is key to understanding the complex systems at play. Racism, sexism and classism are intersecting modes of suppression that are integral to the United States. To fully understand and begin to dismantle systemic racism and oppression in our society, we must examine race’s connection to gender, capitalism, wealth disparities, voting rights, unemployment and more. Racism is part of a multiplicity of systems of oppression that ultimately result in unequal power dynamics within our society.

To confront these issues, we must develop a capacity for self-awareness and self-perception. We must lean into uncomfortable conversations to dismantle systems of oppression that are fundamental to the identity of our culture and society. Racism is not just found in the KKK – racism comes in many forms and manifests in all factors of our lives that we must first recognize in order to combat. We need to be mindful that BIPOC communities and individuals bear the brunt of awareness of systemic racism and not rely on those who experience it firsthand to educate the rest of us. Finally, organizations and individuals need to put their power where their mouth is and dedicate themselves to enacting real change to increase equity in our society.

Our speakers and audience members provided resources for further learning. You can also view a list of resources compiled from all Virtual Voices webinars here. We also have started a list of to help frame this and future discussions at Virtual Voices. You can read and download that list here.

Read

The Racial Healing Handbook by Anneliese Singh
I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown
My Vanishing Country by Bakari Sellers
killing rage: Ending Racism by bell hooks
Eloquent Rage by Brittney Cooper
White Rage by Carol Anderson
Black on White: Black Writers on What It Means to Be White by David R. Roediger
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram Kendi
How to be Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi
Anti-Racist Baby by Ibram Kendi
So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
Mediocre by Ijeoma Oluo
A Letter to My Son by Imani Perry
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
Lifting the White Veil by Jeff Hitchcock
Raising White Kids in a Racially Unjust America by Jennifer Harvey
The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminism Betrays Women of Color by Ruby Hamad
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Hidden Cost of Being African American by Thomas Shapiro
How Europe Underdeveloped Africa by Walter Rodney
They Can’t Kill Us All by Wesley Lowery