Shelly Tochluk – A Roadmap for White Folks to Discard Shame, Dismantle Whiteness, and Live an Anti-Racist Life
“White people are perfectly fine. Whiteness as a socialized consciousness is what we wanna tear down; we don't wanna tear down the people.” - Shelly Tochluk
Whiteness is the problem. Some white folks know it; more don’t… or won’t. None of us are at the same point in the journey of understanding internalized racism and the issues of whiteness, yet we all play a role in dismantling this inherited concept of racial identity. So, how can we nurture discovery, recovery, and anti-racist action without replicating judgment or shame?
Shelly Tochluk doesn’t have all the answers. Who could? Instead, she offers practical advice to help white folks move beyond being performative and into a genuinely anti-racist life. Shelly is the author of Witnessing Whiteness and Living In The Tension and co-author of Being White Today, A Roadmap For Positive Anti-racist Life. She’s also a professor of education and workshop coordinator who spent 15 years co-producing “Unmasking Whiteness,” a four-day institute for the L.A.-based organization Alliance of White Anti-Racist Everywhere (AWARE), leading white folks into a deeper understanding of their relationship with race, and systemic racism.
“How do we pay attention to the politics of identity while keeping a strong hand on what we lose if we don’t hang on to the deep spiritual core of humanity?” Shelly wants to know. That inquiry is the soul of the work for us (and by us I mean white folks), work that’s often abandoned after some pretty intense self-shaming. I know that from personal experience. So does Shelly. The turning point for her came with an invitation to accountability in the 1990s. “I was introduced to this work in a way that didn't ask me to see myself as a bad human.” That’s the seed that grows. Again, I know from personal experience!
Let’s be real, the work of dismantling whiteness is difficult and confusing for white folks. “It took me a while to get to the point where I was equally balancing these structural issues we need to pay attention to versus the more personal orientation,” says Shelly. It’s hard stuff! Shelly is dedicated to helping white folks navigate our own zigzagging paths, and reminding us that this work is never finished. “This is a rallying cry!” she says. “White folks need to have a different model; something aim toward because that's the only thing that's gonna get us up and moving!”
Mentioned in this Episode
Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It
Living In The Tension: The Quest for a Spiritualized Racial Justice
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?
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Shelly Tochluk is a professor of education at Mount Saint Mary’s University–Los Angeles. She is the author of Witnessing Whiteness: The Journey Toward Racial Awareness and Antiracist Action (3rd Edition), Living in the Tension: The Quest for a Spiritualized Racial Justice, and co-author of Being White Today: A Roadmap for a Positive Antiracist Life. Shelly volunteers with AWARE-LA (Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere-Los Angeles), and for 15 years she co-produced their 4-day institute, Unmasking Whiteness, which leads white people into a deeper understanding of their personal relationship to race, whiteness, and systemic racism.
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