Everything Isn’t A Fire
We took my Dad to McCormack’s Big Whiskey Grill for Father’s Day. It was our first time there. We have a regular date every 2 months or so with Nick at McCormack’s on Robinson, but we thought it would be fun to see what the bigger place was like. Mac was working and we sat at the bar and had a great time chatting with him. Before we left, Mac gifted me one of his now internet famous t-shirts. This one was a F* White Supremacy shirt and I’m so stoked to wear it, everywhere. Our conversation that day meandered to the role of allies and accomplices and got me thinking about the commitments the TSM team has made around equity and how a couple characteristics of white supremacist culture have come up repeatedly in our work over the last few months – from RFPs to client work – so I thought maybe I would take a few minutes to lift them up.
Examples of white supremacist culture I have encountered in the last year include:
RFPs issued with less than a two-week turnaround to respond (Sense of Urgency)
Organizations desiring an “equitable planning process” but having no interest in community engagement (Sense of Urgency, Paternalism)
Aversion to change, despite quantitative and qualitative data evidence (Defensiveness)
RFPs asking for 6-8 months of work to be done in half that time (Sense of Urgency)
Failure/Refusal to communicate with or listen to members of their team (Fear of Open Conflict, Power Hoarding, Right to Comfort)
Sense of Urgency is probably one of the most common characteristics of white supremacist culture we encounter in our work at TSM. In Dismantling Racism: A Workbook for Social Change Groups, Kenneth Jones and Tema Okun describe the characteristic of sense of urgency as leaving “no time to be inclusive, be thoughtful, (or) consider the long-term consequences.” Whether you consider yourself on the journey to dismantling white supremacy or you have no interest in the very idea of it – constantly leading with a sense of urgency, when there is honestly no practical reason for it is first and foremost hurting you and your organization. It also has a very significant impact on the recipients of your services, whatever they may be.
It conjures up an image of someone going on a vacation road trip across the country barreling down the interstate at 15 over the speed limit just to get to the destination point as soon as possible all the while missing the lovely main streets, towns, scenic overlooks, and people along the way. Maybe you got there in 5 days and I got there in 8, but I sat at the counter of a small-town diner and got to know some of the local folks who told me about a great public art piece to check out while I was in town; I saw the most beautiful sunrise over a river you didn’t even know existed because you chose to stay on the highway; I stopped in a little bookstore, supported a small business, and picked up a great read, etc. In the end, you got there first and I got there changed.
Sometimes there are firm time constraints that require us to move quickly like grant funding deadlines or actual emergency situations that need immediate attention. Save your urgency for those moments that warrant it and make space for the idea that attacking everything on your to-do list with unnecessary urgency is leaving you “no time to be inclusive, be thoughtful, (or) consider the long-term consequences.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with a sense of urgency or any other example of white supremacist culture I’ve mentioned, please reach out to us – maybe we can help! And if you see me out and about wearing my new shirt, say hi!