Below you will find an introductory program focusing on racism and white privilege. This curriculum is intended to inform future learning. We strongly encourage you to continue your learning by attending some of our racial justice programmings, by starting a book or discussion group, or by attending other community racial justice initiatives. At the end of the class, you will find a list of links to support your future learning, including opportunities in Madison, online resources, and suggested readings and films.
Thank you for your interest and commitment.
- Please begin by opening and honestly responding to the following Diversity Self Assessment (print this pdf to better keep track of your scores). This exercise is only for you and is confidential. After completing the assessment, please view the Assessment Answer Key. Check and see if it sounds right to you. Think about ways you may be able to change and grow given your responses.
- Allow yourself some time to read through these definitions relating to racism. These are the definitions used by the YWCA Racial Justice program in talking about racism: Racism Definitions.
- Optional: take the time to view: Race: the Power of an Illusion. There are three one-hour-long segments to this series. You can either watch them all at their full-length or just view their abbreviated versions (about a half-hour each). If you are taking this course through the YWCA Madison, you can borrow this series from the Racial Justice Office. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the series, you can request a copy from California Newsreel.
- A short synopsis of the primary points of the above film series can be found in “10 Things Everyone Should Know About Race.”
- Explore exercises pertaining to what you can really determine by someone’s race: Racial Sorting Exercise.
- Please visit the PBS Online Slideshow to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Click on “Slideshow Menu” and then watch each of the slideshows. There is four in total.
- Read “Invisible Bias” for background about the Implicit Research Project, and then participate in the Invisible Bias Exercise. You’ll start by clicking on the DEMONSTRATION link, and then you will have click on the “MEASURE YOUR ATTITUDES” link at the top of the page. Once you are on the page where you can select your test, select the RACE IAT. You can also experiment with any of the other tests.
- Next, read “A Tale of Two Families” to explore how government policies and past discrimination have made generating wealth easier for some Americans than others.
- Finish by reading “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh, to begin to examine the flip-side of racism: white privilege.
- Optional Recommended Reading: “From White Racist to White Anti-Racist.”
- View other Recommended Readings
- Racial Justice Online Class Test