Anti-racist training was held for non-white city employees in Seattle where they were invited to examine internalized racism and learn to free themselves from white supremacy.
Invites were sent to employees “who identify as people of color” for a three-hour “Internalized Racial Inferiority” training. It was set to take place Sept. 3 and excluded white people. Jason Rantz on KTTH reported that the training was hosted by Seattle’s Race and Social Justice Initiative.
The lesson was to have employees explore “the process which American conditioning, socialization and history leads People of Color to internalize racialized beliefs, ideas and behaviors about themselves, undergirding the power of White Supremacy”.
They were taught that the four types of racism are interpersonal, institutional, structural and internalized. Rantz noted that the training mainly focused on a self-hate form of racism. They were told that when non-white staff accept “an inferior definition of self”, which is “given by the oppressor”, internal racial inferiority will occur.
It went on to explain that those suffering from racial inferiority will likely take part in “self-defeating behaviors”, like colorism, and will feel self-hate and rage.
Documents from the training say most of this comes down to white people because they “keep the system going”. White employees were offered “Internalized Racial Superiority” training that told them they were “responsible” for racism.
One part of the lesson for white employees said “Our anger, self-righteousness and defensiveness mask fear, shame and guilt for the harm of our actions”. It also said that as a result, white people “show up small and inauthentic, unable to see opportunities to contribute as allies/accomplices”.
When Rantz reported on the training back in August, he said many Black employees were “outraged and disgusted”.
The Race and Social Justice Initiative wants to create an “anti-racist network within City government”.