Reply to Are white people welcome in local NAACP groups?

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Reply to "Are white people welcome in local NAACP groups?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hold on, let's be a little more gentle. The line between actively supporting and taking up space can be difficult for someone who doesn't understand the issues well.

To the person asking (I'll assume you're being at least a little genuine) it's ok to volunteer, help out, and learn.  If you go in with humility and readiness to learn you'll be ok.  You won't be a chapter president or even a leader unless/until you're there.  Taking up space would be going in with ignorance on issues regarding race and several degrees in whatever and declaring yourself to know better than people who have been steeped in the issues their whole lives.

I'd suggest starting to learn more by reading books sick as "White Fragility", "So you Want to Talk About Race", and Stamped.[/quote]

Very helpful post. I think some white people think if they are even present, they are “taking up space.” And god forbid they speak.

That’s why I get so frustrated and have to end up posting NAACP history. Plenty of white people have managed to make a real difference in this movement. You can too. [b]Just don’t be a douche[/b] and make it clear you genuinely want to help.

[/quote]

This is a good slogan.  You may also want to think about impure motives you have for going and try to squash those. The books may help.

I'll also add that there will be moments where you're uncomfortable.  That's ok, get used to it and deal with it.  If you can't then you're probably not there for the right reason.[/quote]

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