Introduction to Waking Up to Whiteness and Implicit Bias (Via Zoom)

October 17, 9:30am-11:00am

$20 preregistered/prepaid. (Limited to 40 participants)

Registration Deadline: October 15 (A link will be sent to you one day prior to the event)

“I am what time, circumstances, history have made of me, certainly, but I am also so much more than that. So are we all.”   — James Baldwin

For most of us here in Minnesota, whiteness has been the lens through which we perceive what is appropriate, normal, attractive, socially and morally desirable. White “norming” is so pervasive, that we don’t recognize it as such (e.g., “Classical Music” is really European-derived orchestral music; many other cultures have their own Classical Music repertoires). Through presentation and discussion we will begin to see how white norming contributes to implicit bias. Until we become aware of how unconscious whiteness distorts our understanding of ourselves and others, we will not be able to engage successfully in the justice and racial equity work that many of us aspire to.

Requested reading before the session: White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

Patrice Koelsch is formally trained with a Ph.D. in Philosophy. Patrice has provided hands-on care for persons in the last stages of HIV/AIDS, and worked for many years in HIV education and client support services. She has been facilitating meditation groups in correctional facilities since 1999, and has a special interest in offering mindfulness and loving kindness practice in non-traditional settings.

She has studied with Ruth King (“Mindful of Race”) and has worked with the Anti-Racism Study and Discussion Circle (ASDIC) curriculum. Patrice is committed to anti-racism work on herself and with others from her spiritual community, her city, and ever-widening circles.

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