As a White, queer, and non-visibly disabled cisgender woman, I am deeply committed to racial equity and racial justice with an unwavering focus on uprooting my own Whiteness across all aspects of my life. I wasn’t always, however, and I think that’s important for you to know. 

MY STORY

I grew up in Billings, Montana, surrounded by people who looked and talked like me. I can still count on one hand the number of Black students I attended school with throughout my k-12 years, and I remember having NO teachers of color until undergrad. I can still hear the racial slurs in my head spoken about members of the Crow Tribe, and the racist ideas about their alcohol use, receiving paychecks on the 1st of the month, and their aggressive and mean streaks, especially while playing sports. Simultaneously, I grew up with a clear message that in our family, “We don’t talk about race, religion, or politics.”  26 years later, I have now learned the connection between those ideas and something no one in my life knew about then, and most still don’t know, White supremacy characteristics.  

MY WORK

I have attended numerous workshops, trainings, and conferences and read and listened to countless books in order to understand my own racial identity as a White-bodied woman and the impact that has had on my own life and those around me.  I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way, and hurt a lot of people, unintentionally of course. That has arguably been one of my biggest learnings and unlearnings. Intentions only matter if you learn the impact is harmful and you don’t immediately change your behavior to keep from causing harm in the same ways again. Because the programming of the system of White dominance has been in my life since day one, creating new ways of thinking and behaving has required a daily practice to recognize and get out of the ruts that have been in order to create new ones I want to live into. Hence I developed my own Whiteness rehab program to guide me in developing and deepening my own abolitionist practice. 

MY INVITATION

I believe if you are here reading this, you are either searching for your own way to heal from the system of White dominance or someone else sent you here because they see that desire in you and they need you to follow it.  I want you to know I am here for you. I’m here to share anything and everything I’ve learned along my journey and to learn from each of you what you’ve learned on your own.  I am here to help build a community of White-bodied folx who want to lean on each other, rely on each other, receive love and uplifting from each other, and serve as teachers, mentors, and accountability partners for each other as we each find our own paths to healing from the system of White dominance. I believe we are responsible for our own healing and more than capable and able to join our Black, Indigenous, and brown communities in abolishing all systems of oppression. If you’re feeling courageous and inspired to take your healing into your own hands and to further develop your abolitionist practice, send us a message. We’re ready to join you in the work!