Adult Ed, October 22 & 29

VIDEOS. What are the characteristics of white supremacy culture? Do we see them around us? At our church? In two October classes, Dr. Simesha McEachern helps us understand those unchosen and damaging characteristics that show up in our culture that are hard for us to see.

Culture is powerful precisely because it is so present and at the same time can be so very difficult to name or identify. The characteristics she will share with us are damaging because they are used as norms and standards without being proactively named or chosen by the group. They are damaging because they promote white supremacy thinking. Because we all live in a white supremacy culture, these characteristics show up at some point in the attitudes and behaviors of all of us–people of color and white people. Therefore, these attitudes and behaviors can show up in any group or organization, whether it is white-led or predominantly white or people of color-led or predominantly people of color.

This enlightening class helps us better understand our own culture and ourselves, and offer some cultural alternatives that we might just like a lot better.

Dr. Simesha McEachern is the Associate Director of Children Services at Presbyterian Medical Services, and also the president of our local NAACP. Some of you will remember that Dr. McEachern delivered the message to us on January 1, 2023, Emancipation Day.