It's becoming clear to you that standard issue feminism isn't enough to save women from oppression -- especially if they're not white like you.
As you wake up to the reality of white feminism, you're starting to see that "choice feminism" and TERF ideologies are simply two sides of the same white supremacy coin.
- What else is there to unlearn?
- How do you recover from white feminism?
- How do you grow into new beliefs?
- How will you demonstrate your new awareness?
- How can you trust yourself not to cause harm to BIPOC?
- Who are you if not defined by whiteness?
No curriculum. No books. No excuses.
Interrupting White Womanhood is an intimate, often uncomfortable, sometimes excruciating, and undeniably powerful series of 12 weekly one-hour sessions in a group setting designed to get you unstuck, out of your feelings, and deep into doing the work to divest from white feminism.
In this private community space, you will receive support from sociologist, abolitionist, and radical womanist Nikki Blak, engage in consistent, intense introspection, and be witnessed by and learn from the reflections and breakthroughs of your peers to finally decouple from white supremacy, cause less harm, advance past performative allyship and step up as a co-conspirator in racial justice and liberation.
Rachel S. shared this about coming into IWW:
“I was feeling overwhelmed and unfocused, guilty about dipping my toes into community efforts without doing enough.”
Once her cohort ended she shared, “I have stopped being so angry and resentful of people who don't have the emotional capacity to witness atrocities. I have become less reactive to those who still aren't up to speed, and I have started to embrace the role of the observer.”
She said she recommends IWW “as a motivator to keep showing up,” and added “When I would attend calls and listen, I was far more likely to then engage in my own community activist efforts because I would become re-energized, rather than getting distracted and losing focus.”
This is not your mom's DEI training.
Honey, those don't even work.
You probably already know that because you've been through 1 or 100 of them.
And while you may have gained a few insights or experienced some slight shifts, the impact of those programs doesn't last long.
That's because they focus on behaviors and don't even scratch the surface of your subconscious, making it impossible to unpack and interrogate white supremacist ideologies and patterns of behavior.
Rarely do conventional anti-racism and DEI trainings go deeper than symptoms of racial bias and social inequity.
They offer up facts and stats and send you on your way.
Which is why you stay "stuck," unsure what to do beyond the "buy Black" vote Democrat.
Your standard anti-racism classes and workplace-sponsored DEI trainings don't address your beliefs, socialization, or self-concept.
So you're left with the same anti-Black reflexes intact and white supremacy ideologies on repeat with a heap of white guilt, and some shame sprinkled on top.
We're putting a stop to all of that.
Lileigh came to IWW feeling “lost and without community while witnessing the ongoing genocides in Gaza/Sudan/Congo and others.”
She said, “I had lots of questions regarding my role in the movement and felt like I didn’t have anyone to ask without placing undo burden on them and I didn’t feel like I had any white people I could trust to discuss with.”
After 3 months in the cohort she said, “I feel like I have more ability to put down my white guilt for longer periods of time to focus on the work and not get blocked by self sabotage.
She was able to participate in community building and finally have “a sense of place among other white women committed to this work.”
YOU WANT TO DO "THE WORK" TO BE AN ACCOMPLICE IN BLACK LIBERATION
But you don't even know what "the work" is, much less where to start.
YOU'VE SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS IN POPULAR ANTI-RACISM BOOKS
But you still feel overwhelmed, unprepared, and incapable of taking action.
YOU'VE BEEN "LISTENING AND LEARNING" FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE A LIFETIME
And you aren't any closer to taking meaningful action than you were the day you started.
YOU'VE "DIVERSIFIED YOUR FEED" BY FOLLOWING ALL THE BLACK CONTENT CREATORS AND ANTI-RACISM EDUCATORS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
You've even decolonized your bookshelf. And now that you've woke-washed your life, you realize that fundamentally nothing has changed personally or in the world and you haven't the foggiest idea what to do next.
YOU WANT TO INTERRUPT THE GENERATIONAL CURSE OF WHITE SUPREMACY, STARTING WITH DIVESTING FROM WHITE FEMINISM
But you don't know where to go beyond RBG worship and fighting for abortion rights.
YOU WANT TO IMPROVE WORK RELATIONSHIPS AND CULTIVATE GENUINE, LONG-LASTING FRIENDSHIPS WITH BIWOC
But you find yourself either deifying Black women, going into white-savior mode, tokenizing and fetishizing or acting out in fits of fragility when challenged by BIWOC.
Jamie came into IWW after working to disrupt my her own whiteness and unlearn her conditioning for about 15 years.
Of her experience before IWW she said, “I read a lot and [took] in a ton of information, but was really craving a place to unpack with others who are in the same process, to implement some of my learning and unlearning. I was feeling frustrated with many folks on social media who were focused on constantly shaming white women and was looking for a space that was open to all parts of us showing up as we do the deep healing work to unpack years of conditioning together.”
Jamie went on to say, “Participating in Interrupting White Womanhood gave me the space to set down my need for intellectual growth as a distraction to doing the deeper work of really unpacking my own conditioning... Being in community with other white women also committed to this deep work and being led by Nikki... was life affirming and has given more courage and confidence to be a disruptor.”
As a result of her time in IWW, Jamie highlighted that she was able to create “relationships with other white woman who are committed to liberatory practices” and “more confidence in standing up for racial justice.” She said she is able to “be skillful in conversations about the genocide happening in Palestine.”
Nikki Blak
Interrupting Racism Founder and Program Creator
Nikki Blak is a literary artist, sociologist, womanist, and intersectional feminist whose thought leadership and radical education work centers marginalized and oppressed populations in the United States.
She holds a B.A. in Sociology, a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Organizing, and is talented at utilizing a critical race theory framework to interrogate anti-Black ideologies and challenge patriarchal cultural norms.
Our Learning Library and Replay Archive
- Welcome (11:15)
- How to be Successful in IWW (19:48)
- Pre-Assessment Support (8:12)
- What Womanism is and Why You Need to Know About It (13:52)
- The Differences Between Feminism and Womanism and Why They're Important (29:03)
- Understanding the Roots of Womanism (6:44)
- Appreciating the Necessity of Womanism (11:12)
- What Does Womanism Mean to You? (9:00)
- White Feminism and The Tenets of Whiteness (57:25)
- How to Strengthen Your Feminism with Your Values (7:47)
- Using P.O.W.E.R. to Make Your Feminism More Intersectional (24:15)
- Interrupting Apathy with Your Values (43:31)
- Interrupting Guilt with A.C.T.I.O.N. (54:07)
- Interrupting Shame with The 3Cs (58:35)
- Interrupting Confusion with H.E.A.R.T. Goals (41:24)
- Interrupting White Feminist Politics with Redemptive Feminism (110:46)
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the program start?
We kick off our group with IWW Weekend, October 4th and 5th.
IWW Weekend is 2 days of virtual sessions where we will dive into Interrupt Series exclusive concepts and lay the foundation for your learning in Interrupting White Womanhood.
Our live 1-hour weekly group sessions begin October 9th.
When do we meet for live sessions?
Starting October 9th, we meet weekly on Wednesdays at 4 pm PT.
Christmas and New Year's Day fall on Wednesdays this year -- do we meet for our live sessions?
We won't meet on those Wednesdays. You get a 2-week winter break and we will have our final live session on January 8, 2025.
When does registration close?
September 11, 2024
Is there a curriculum and program materials?
No, there are not. Interrupting White Womanhood is an intimate, often uncomfortable, and undeniably powerful community experience centered around 12 weekly one-hour group sessions.
As an additional support, you will have access to a learning library and the Ask a Womanist Form, but there are no learning outcomes and no "progress" to make. Watch what you need, leave what you don't.
You will also have access to a private, interactive community and session recordings.
When will I get access to the cohort community?
Once registration closes, cohort members will get set up and settled in. You will receive a community invite on or around the date of our first live session and the official start of our journey together.
What happens if I miss/want to rewatch a session?
If you miss a session there will be a recording for you to access through January 31, 2025.
How will I know when to log into the weekly session?
You will receive a reminder email within a day or so of the start your session. This will continue throughout the entire three months.
What happens if I have a question?
You can email your questions to [email protected]
Will the sessions be accessible?
Yes. We will have closed captioning in each session.
What is your refund policy?
Because of the time, effort, preparation, and care that goes into creating and facilitating Interrupting White Womanhood, refunds will not be provided.
By enrolling in Interrupting White Womanhood, you understand and agree that all sales are final.
