Philadelphia, May 4-6, 2018

There are times when you attend a workshop and you acquire useful information.  And then there are times you attend a workshop that engages more than your cortex!  

We attended one of the latter, this past weekend (May 4-6).  Emma S, Hayley S, Aaron A. and I flew to Philadelphia to attend “White People Confronting Racism,” a learning opportunity hosted by Training for Change that lasted parts of three days, but will definitely impact each of us for a long, long time.  Fourteen others from Philly and elsewhere joined us in this meaningful, often emotional, collaborative journey.

The workshop repeatedly engaged our hearts and minds. We learned from our facilitators, our fellow participants and ourselves.  From micro-aggressions to white privilege, from impact and intent to collusion, from margins and mainstream to cultural appropriation, we examined many causes and manifestations of racism. We learned the how and why we need to confront racism with and among white folks. We examined our personal, group and systems’ racial histories.  But most powerfully, we returned again and again to examine our individual selves, through our idealized selves, our fears, and our personal plans to address racism in the future.  Whole group discussions, role plays, one-on-one partnerships, and even body movement activities all contributed to our further understanding of the demands of social justice in regard to race.

Our team looks forward to sharing all of this and more.

Barry Rubin is a lifelong learner and educator, husband, father and saba (grandfather).

Grateful for all the opportunities he has had throughout his life, he continues to try to help others improve their lives. Barry is an active member of the DJJ Water Campaign Team.

Interested in supporting Training for Change? They're currently fundraising for the 2018 Judith C. Jones Fellowship for Trainers of Color. Please consider donating at this link here or spreading the word!