White Supremacy Culture: How do we dismantle it?

Last week I had the honor of watching Notes from the Field at the Zach Theatre. The play illuminates white supremacy culture and tasks each of us with thinking about the role that we play in upholding it or dismantling it.

Zach Theatre describes the work in this way:

“Incredibly timely and moving, Notes from the Field depicts the personal accounts of individuals caught in America’s school-to-prison pipeline as they navigate inequities in their communities. Based on interviews with over 250 people living and working within a challenged system, Notes shines a light on a lost generation of American youth.”

—Zach Theatre

There were four actors who played more than 16 different characters. The unbelievably talented actors were Michelle Alexander, Zell Miller, Carla Nickerson, and Kriston Woodreaux.

Each vignette was actual excerpts from interviews with real people. It was so moving to listen to the pain, the courage, and the resilience within our nation. It reaffirmed the responsibility I have as a white person to help dismantle white supremacy culture and institutionalized racism. This is ongoing work and we cannot take our foot off the pedal.

Aside from the live play, you can also watch it as an HBO Film Presentation with the playwright herself.

Addressing White Supremacy Culture in Austin

I’m grateful that Austin Mayor Steve Adler is pushing for our racist liberal city to have conversations about how to dismantle white supremacy culture. Leadership Austin is hosting ongoing Beyond Diversity trainings to bring together Austinites to talk about how to address institutionalized racism and systemic inequities.

I’m also grateful to work at a school that actively talks about disparities and works to use more restorative practices. We still have a long way to go from reaching our anti-bias, anti-racist mission. At least it feels like we are taking steps in the right direction.