Pursuing a Liberated (non-)Whiteness in a Pale Body: An Abolitionist Approach to the Problem of the Concerned White Person

With the widespread influence of the Black Lives Matter movement and Indigenous resistance in the aftermath of Ferguson, Baltimore, and Standing Rock, as well as the rise of Donald Trump and resurgent white nationalism weighing heavily on the United States' national consciousness, white people have recently been forced into confronting something they/we would rather not talk about: their/our own Whiteness. While many white people have chosen to ignore the realities of white supremacy and/or doubled down on reactionary racial politics such as those exemplified by Trump, a great number of white people have at least expressed a willingness to engage with the persistence of racism in the United States. While this group of white people range in ideology from moderates and conservatives to liberal Democrats to progressives and anarchists, for the purposes of this thesis I have chosen to unify them/us under a shared identifier— "Concerned White People." This thesis is my attempt to address the problem of the concerned white person. First, I argue that Whiteness and white supremacy have never been and can never be separate/separated—that the nature of Whiteness itself is white supremacy. Therefore, the aim of the Concerned White Person (CWP), if they/we are to attempt the elimination of racism/white supremacy, must include the abolition of Whiteness as a means/end of abolishing white supremacy. I then discuss and critique the popular ideology of white allyship, finally outlining what I'm calling a "liberatory framework of solidarity" that I hope might be instructive for the CWP. Since Whiteness itself must be abolished, it is necessary to imagine, theorize, and ultimately bring into practice a new and different way (or different ways) of being in a pale-skinned body, as someone who is now racialized as white. I argue that the CWP should practice a politics of being not an ally, but an accomplice or race traitor (or similar), emphasizing that resisting the racial order entails taking on relationships of interdependence that involve real commitment/risk (including the risk of bodily harm, certainly of financial/professional/personal loss) in order to be in solidarity with Black people, indigenous people, and other people of color (who are always at greater risk), as well as that the politics of concerned white people ought to be aimed towards revolution/liberation rather than reform/inclusion. Rethinking antiviolence strategies : lessons from the Black Women's Movement in Britain -- Julia Sudbury Disability in the New World Order -- Nirmala Erevelles Federal Indian law and violent crime -- Sarah Deer Feminism, race, and adoption policy -- Dorothy Roberts The color of choice : white supremacy and reproductive justice -- Loretta J. Ross Heteropatriarchy and the three pillars of white supremacy : rethinking women of color organizing -- Andrea Smith A call for consistency: Palestinian resistance and radical US women of color -- Nadine Naber The color of violence -- Haunani-Kay Trask Four generations in resistance -- Dana Erekat The war to be human -- Becoming human in a time of war -- Neferti Tadiar The forgotten "-ism" : an Arab American women's perspective on Zionism, racism, and sexism -- Nadine Naber [and others] Reflections in a time of war : a letter to my sisters -- Dena Al-Adeeb Don't liberate me -- S.R. "National security" and the violation of women : militarized border rape at the US-Mexico border -- Sylvanna Falcón The complexities of "feminicide" on the border -- Rosa Linda Fregoso INS raids and how immigrant women are fighting back -- Renee Saucedo Law enforcement violence against women of color -- Andrea J. Ritchie Crime, punishment, and economic violence -- Patricia Allard Pomo woman, ex-prisoner, speaks out -- Stormy Ogden The war against black women, and the making of NO! -- Aishah Simmons The medicalization of domestic violence -- Ana Clarissa Rojas Durazo Unite and rebel! Challenges and strategies in building alliances -- Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez Sistas makin' moves : collective leadership for personal transformation and social justice -- Sista II Sista Disloyal to feminism : abuse of survivors within the domestic violence shelter system -- Emi Koyama Gender violence and the prison-industrial complex -- Critical Resistance and Incite! Women of Color Against Violence Trans day of action for social and economic justice -- TransJustice "The personal is the private is the cultural" : South Asian women organizing against domestic violence -- Puneet Kaur Chawla Sahota An antiracist Christian ethical approach to violence resistance -- Traci C. West Taking risks : implementing grassroots community accountability -- Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA) Poem on trying to love without fear -- Maiana minahal. The editors and contributors to Color of Violence ask: What would it take to end violence against women of color? Presenting the fierce and vital writing of organizers, lawyers, scholars, poets, and policy makers, Color of Violence radically repositions the antiviolence movement by putting women of color at its center. The contributors shift the focus from domestic violence and sexual assault and map innovative strategies of movement building and resistance used by women of color around the world. The volume's thirty pieces—which include poems, short essays, position papers, letters, and personal reflections—cover violence against women of color in its myriad forms, manifestations, and settings, while identifying the links between gender, militarism, reproductive and economic violence, prisons and policing, colonialism, and war. At a time of heightened state surveillance and repression of people of color, Color of Violence is an essential intervention. Contributors. Dena Al-Adeeb, Patricia Allard, Lina Baroudi, Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA), Critical Resistance, Sarah Deer, Eman Desouky, Ana Clarissa Rojas Durazo, Dana Erekat, Nirmala Erevelles, Sylvanna Falcón, Rosa Linda Fregoso, Emi Koyama, Elizabeth "Betita" Martínez, maina minahal, Nadine Naber, Stormy Ogden, Julia Chinyere Oparah, Beth Richie, Andrea J. Ritchie, Dorothy Roberts, Loretta J. Ross, s.r., Puneet Kaur Chawla Sahota, Renee Saucedo, Sista II Sista, Aishah Simmons, Andrea Smith, Neferti Tadiar, TransJustice, Haunani-Kay Trask, Traci C. West, Janelle White "Sociology, the study of society and human behavior, is a highly active discipline which is constantly changing and expanding. Because of the broad, extensive nature of sociology, a vast amount of scholarship and research already exists besides the regular influx of new material. With advances in online searching and database technologies, researchers can easily access library catalogs, bibliographic indexes, and other lists that show thousands of resources that might also be useful to them. In this situation what is most needed is expert guidance. Oxford Bibliographies in Sociology is designed to provide just this sort of authoritative guidance. In contrast to print bibliographies and electronic indexes that simply list citations, this innovative online reference tool will combine the best features of a high-level encyclopedia and the best features of a traditional bibliography put together in a style that responds to the way people do research online." Editorial page Presenting the fierce and vital writing of organizers, lawyers, scholars, poets, and policy makers, this book radically repositions the antiviolence movement by putting women of color at its center. The contributors shift the focus from domestic violence and sexual assault and map innovative strategies of movement building and resistance used by women of color around the world. The volume's thirty pieces - which include poems, short essays, position papers, letters, and personal reflections - cover violence against women of color in its myriad forms, manifestations, and settings, while identifying the links between gender, militarism, reproductive and economic violence, prisons and policing, colonialism, and war. -- Provided by publisher Presenting the fierce and vital writing of organizers, lawyers, scholars, poets, and policy makers, Color of Violence radically repositions the antiviolence movement by putting women of color at its center, covers violence against women of color in its myriad manifestations, and maps strategies of movement building and resistance