These are people whose work informed the curriculum and training that Kenneth and I were leading at the time as well as colleagues in the work with us.

The original piece also built on the work of many other people as well. He was doing extensive research on white supremacy culture and linguistic racism and you will see the portions that he asked to be credited for both on the original article and here marked by an asterisk. I was also informed by the teaching of Daniel Buford, who was one of the lead trainers with the People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond at the workshop I attended. I also showed the very first draft to Sharon, who counseled that I could not list the characteristics without offering antidotes, so the suggestions for how to show up to each other in ways that support our mutual thriving are a result of this wise advice. These included extensive facilitation and training work on the West coast throughout that year with Kenneth. The original article, and by extension the characteristics as described on this website, were heavily influenced by my experiences the year I lived in the Bay. As a result, I had the privilege of attending The Challenging White Supremacy Workshop series organized by my mentor Sharon Martinas as well as a People's Institute for Survival and Beyond workshop (one of many as I would attend as often as I could). I am totally thrilled about that because his wisdom has informed any that I might have.Īt the time, in addition to working closely with Kenneth, I was living in the Bay area. We argued and, given his seniority and determination, he won the argument, although many versions of the original article are still circulating with both our names on it. When he realized I had named him as a co-author, he demanded that I take his name off the piece, claiming he didn't want credit for something he didn't actually write. When I originally published it, I listed him as co-author because so much of the wisdom in the piece was a result of our collaborative work together. At the time I had been working closely for over half a decade with my mentor, teacher, and colleague Kenneth Jones. I - Tema Okun - wrote the original article on White Supremacy Culture in 1999.

Refusing Racism by Cynthia Stokes Brown