With some time between activities, I wanted to take the time to reflect on a couple of things.

So yesterday's Institute was a very interesting one. Titled "Challenging and Transforming White Supremacy in Our Work: Our Vision, Our Roles," the conference program listed it as this:

This Institute will focus on white folks working in building liberation movements. What are the systems and analysis we need to do this work? How are we reflecting individually and collective on our work with other white folks and with folks of color? How are we working and sharing tools to build anti-racism and anti-imperialist work as white LGBTQ activist across lines of ability, race, class, culture, gender, sexuality, and all other identities?

So I decided alongside my two partners in crime Daniel and William to attend this workshop because we felt that as young poc's who are working in this very field, we could see, hear and learn from the perspective of white folks who are working on this issue and who are trying to grow in their knowledge of and understanding of poc's.

For me personally, coming to conferences like this is always exciting in a sense that we often get to hear about some of the great work people are doing in the very fields that we are working on. Yet at the same time, coming to conferences like this can sometimes be so...boring...because you often times just go from workshop to workshop listening to folks talk about the work you are already doing, the facts ands stats you already know and tell you things you have heard a million times over. In essence, it becomes a great old exercise of "you are great, we are great, thing are wonderful, let's keep working on it with passion and see you next year!!" So, in order to avoid having those instances, I try to attend workshops where I challenge myself to look at this from a perspective I don’t have or just to hear and learn about something I don’t know.

Well.... after attending this workshop, let's just say, I should maybe follow dear Durryle’s advice and stick to what I know. I mean, this institute was for lack of a better word “wack.” Every single possible thing you are NOT supposed to do was done at this training. One hour for introductions! 15 minutes group discussion on a single question! No set agenda! No set goal! The whole thing was tragic from beginning to end. What most bothered us about this workshop was the fact during the entire course of the workshop, there was no discussion of concrete tools which folks can utilize. No discussion of how folks can approach their work with poc’s. Nothing! Nothing at all! There was a lot of reflection, there was a lot of self-analysis but absolutely no concrete tools! I just don’t understand how you can have a workshop on transforming white supremacy without actually talking about specific things we can do.

So…lets just say day one was disappointed workshop wise. Yet at the same time, I am so excited to be here! Even more excited to start to reconnect with some wonderful folks I have met over the years. So for now, we will continue to learn, continue to grow, and continue to make change at Creating Change...

In the mean time, enjoy our quick reflection of the day's event below: