Ep. 47 - Y’all Not as Woke as You Think You Are (Part 2)

I recently read an article from MotherJones.com on how the mainstream movement against gender-based violence fails Black workers and survivors. In it, it recounts the experiences of Valeriana Chikoti Bandua Estes (She/Her) and Darin Dorsey at the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP). One of the first lines of the piece caught my immediate attention:

“What started as a handful of alienating comments, became a pattern of anti-Black discrimination from colleagues and others in the movement, including WCSAP’s government funders” (Pauly, 2022).

I found myself activated by the experiences I was reading. Not simply because of the relatableness of what Valeriana and Darin shared in the article, but how spaces specifically established to support, advocate for, and center the experiences of historically marginalized communities continue to perpetuate systems, processes, and behaviors that were/are anti-Black (I had a great conversation with Brannon Andrews entitled, Ep. 14 - I am Who I am (Ep. 15 (Part 2), where we talk about anti-Blackness; I also chatted with Melany Del Carpio about colorism in Black and Brown communities in Ep. 24 - I Think We Are Gonna Need to Unpack That). 

Valeriana and Darin joined me this week on RTWD, where we talked about their work journeys, particularly their experiences working at the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, the investigative piece written on them and so many others, and the prevalence of anti-Blackness that occurs within social justice-oriented organizations. 

Our conversation was vulnerable, candid, and in some ways liberating (for me, at least). It reminded me of a quote by the incredible Lutze Segu aka the Social Justice Doula. Who said:  

“How can you be my ally when you're avoiding your whiteness. If you are not clear about your context, how are you gonna be clear on how to disrupt, dismantle, and divest from white supremacy? [So], until you get your identity straight. You are nobody’s nothing other than a problematic person who at any moment is going to cause serious harm”

 

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Stay in Touch with:

↳ Valeriana on LinkedIn

↳ Darin on LinkedIn

↳ Check out Necessaryinterruptionsllc.com

↳ Check out Rootingmovement.org

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Folx, events & Orgs mentioned in the episode:

• Motherjones.com

Sources for the show:

• How the Mainstream Movement Against Gender-Based Violence Fails Black Workers & Survivors
• Protect the Girl Child | Valeriana Chikoti-Bandua

Production & Contact Details:

Producer: Jonathan Dumas (@rtwdpodcast)

Production help: Lindsay Dumas (@lindsaymariedumas)

Additional editing support: (Bijoy Ahmed)

Music: Tony Deras (@tonesterderas)

Show art: Lia Osley (@liabedrawing)

Email: RTWDPodcast@gmail.com