| White Anti-racist Community Action Network | ||||||
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Hi Folks, If white people don't begin to form a collective effort, I fear those of us who are white risk losing our own humanity. In the U.S., in particular, we live in a nation that aspires to lead the world when it can't even care for its own people. Letting that go unchallenged, that's the real risk. Two years ago I wrote that. It seems prophetic in the wake of the Katrina tragedy. I'm Jeff Hitchcock, the founder of WACAN and this is the annual appeal from WACAN.org. And you...you're a member of WACAN! That alone makes you special. You may have even shared the same thoughts and concerns I had two years ago. It didn't take a lot of prescience on my part. You can see the need to end white supremacy and white privilege. You can see the necessity that white people act to end it. You agreed on these points when you come into WACAN, and that agreement forms the foundation and core values of our community. I make a strong presumption that you, and all WACAN members such as yourself, extend your anti-racist concerns to the greater world outside of WACAN. So I really don't need to convince you of the need to end white supremacy and white privilege. Really the only thing I need to ask is whether WACAN helps you be a better anti-racist in the world at large. WHAT DO WE LOOK LIKE? WACAN is part of the Center for the Study of White American Culture (CSWAC), a multiracial organization founded in 1995. Now in our eleventh year of operation, we've sponsored several conferences, operated several websites, published a series of articles and two books, and given workshops and talks at a number of educational and public service institutions. CSWAC operates the book publisher, Crandall, Dostie & Douglass Books, Inc. The name is taken in commemoration of three 19th century abolitionists, Prudence Crandall, A. P. Dostie, and Frederick Douglass. Another major CSWAC effort is the Critical Whiteness Studies Project, which involves design of a database of citations that can be searched and personally indexed. We do all this on a shoestring, with the dedicated efforts of many people. Last year our complete budget amounted to $20,000 dollars. HOW DO YOU FIT IN? Many years ago I read a passage by Russell Means that later inspired the creation of WACAN. In 1969, he witnessed leaders of AIM, the American Indian Movement, confront the Native American director of an Indian-led government-funded social service organization. "You have no constituency," they told him. Two years later the organization was gone. AIM still survives. WACAN is the constituency for CSWAC, which has always had one. In our early years it was a subscriber base to our 'zine. Later we switched to a membership roll with a more traditional newsletter and annual dues. Then 3 years ago we went to the WACAN online format. Some people have stayed with us for the whole course. Others have joined as recently as yesterday. We need a constituency to carry out our mission. It keeps us grounded in current practice. It supports our efforts. It helps us participate in collaborative, networking, and conferencing events, build relationships, and share knowledge and resources. It provides a grassroots base for our organizing work and allows collective processes to develop. CSWAC has always had a constituency. That's why we're here 10 years later. Thank you for receiving WACAN announcements. In this day and age of spam, filters, email harvesting, and mailbox overloads, when you join an email list it shows a fairly high degree of interest and commitment. The population counter on WACAN.org's main page says 739 members, and that's accurate. But it includes some deadbeats. Some members registered, looked once, and left. Some changed their email and failed to update their WACAN profile. Some have exercised their opt-out right to WACAN announcements. Six hundred and seventy of us receive this email. That's right. Six hundred and seventy members, or 91% of the WACAN community. This is a very high percentage of online civic participation. WHAT WACAN DOES WACAN offers you an online space for you to network, share resources, develop content, announce events, build relationships, raise consciousness, and begin to experience a sense of power and possibility. WACAN sponsors offline gatherings, events and spaces that allow the same. WACAN acts as a steadfast advocate for white anti-racism. Haven't you ever wished there was an organization whose mission is to support and promote white anti-racist awareness. We're one. WACAN places you in touch with leading writers and speakers on white anti-racism. Members have dialogued with Judith Katz and Tim Wise. Next week we'll dialogue with Robert Jensen. And we'll continue our series. WACAN helps you sort out what white anti-racism means to other people, and to you. White anti-racism is a slowly unfolding perspective. The questions often seem complex or contradictory. WACAN welcomes your passion and gives you the chance to connect with other individuals who are as passionate as you. When you belong to WACAN, you're not alone. Many people are working in isolation, taking on the challenges of white supremacy and white privilege in settings without support. With WACAN, you always have a connection to people who share your interests and concerns. On WACAN you can be more than a quite recipient. You can express your opinions, share them with others, and even draw together people who share a similar interest. WACAN's news service is developing. We have obtained reports of white anti-racist gatherings, and contemporary essays and other writings of interest. We're keeping an eye on stories of interest. In a couple of days from now, look to hear about a $1000 award for an art project on whiteness, a recent twist on "white flight," and the emergence of AWARE, a new white anti-racist group in Los Angeles. How do we actually do something to change white culture and end white supremacy? This is a constant topic on WACAN. You can't do it alone. We exchange ideas and stories to help each other in our practice and struggles. And WACAN itself moves the work ahead. Through WACAN you help support an emerging community of resistance and locus of change. When you get down to it, white supremacy and white privilege shape all our institutions. It may be hard to raise this concern, because white supremacy and white privilege are always there and people become accustomed to their presence. But that doesn't mean the situation is okay. You can wring you hands and obsess about how bad white culture has been. Surely we all know someone like that. Or you can do something positive to change the situation. White supremacy and white privilege corrupt the world. If you're the type of person who works for justice, then WACAN gives you a way to take a stand. MOVING AHEAD Our annual fundraiser is a time of heightened interest among WACAN members. Members take part in online dialogues and browsing items of interest. There is an energy that sustains itself through the end of the year. Then things die down for a while and the drive is over. Now is the time to help. In the coming year we plan to hold the White Anti-racist Summit II and encourage regional gatherings. We'll continue with our program of online development, bringing your a richer WACAN environment. It's truly a blessing to give. Every one of your dollars is useful to us. Members cover a significant amount of WACAN's direct costs in software and hosting services. Help us. Finance us. We do good things on your behalf. You do good things with us. Your donation is tax-exempt. All donations are acknowledged with a receipt. When you give, we add your name to the campaign Honor Roll on WACAN's main page (you can ask to be anonymous, too). Well, the fundraising letter guidebook says we should ask for a specific amount, so here goes. If you are a person with middle-class means, as I think most of WACAN members probably are, then I ask you to add a $35 donation to WACAN in your annual giving. We can receive credit cards, or checks. I'll tell you how, shortly. If you are a person with working-class means, I ask for $3, or maybe $8 if you can stretch it. If you are a person with well-to-do means, I ask for $100, or however we best fit with your program of giving. I look forward to the new year, and the progress we will make with your encouragement.
Sincerely, Jeff Hitchcock p.s. If you donate $75 or more, you have your choice of either of our books, or our Racial Awareness Quiz. See details below. TO DONATE TO WACAN BY CREDIT CARD
TO DONATE TO WACAN BY CHECK OR MONEY ORDER Send a check payable to "Center for Study" PREMIUM OFFER If you donate $75 or more, you may select one of the following: BOOKS •The Anti-racist Cookbook •Lifting the White Veil
DISCUSSION GUIDE •The Racial Awareness Quiz ADDITIONAL INFORMATION For more information about the Center for The Study of White American Culture, see www.euroamerican.org Our online credit card donations are processed by Groundspring.org, a reputable partner to many activist organizations. For more information about Groundspring.org, see www.groundspring.org GO ONLINE TO WACAN | ||||||
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