For many white women, the idea of niceness is ingrained from an early age as a virtue. But what exactly does it mean to be nice? Does it require silence? An avoidance of anything supposedly unpleasant? An uncritical going with the flow?

Join Regina Jackson and Saira Rao, authors of White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better, for deep, honest, unflinching conversation about the culture of niceness as part and parcel of white supremacy. Over four sessions, participants will explore the ways that self-identifying white women deny, defend, and deflect the presence of white supremacy in their everyday lives, and the ways in which they may perpetuate it. Presented by the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, this Salons at Stowe series challenges white women to critically examine their participation in white supremacy as an important step in committing to the work of racial justice. Participants would ideally attend all 4 sessions, but it is certainly not a requirement.

While designed with the demographic of white identifying women in mind, anyone fifteen years of age and older is welcome and may register for this program. REGISTRATION INCLUDES ALL FOUR SESSIONS and participants should plan to attend each one, though it is not required. A copy of the book, White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better, is required. Participants are encouraged to purchase a copy through the Stowe Center or through their favorite Black-owned or non-Black Person of Color-owned bookstore.

Schedule:

April 13: Acknowledging Truth: “How feigning ignorance about one’s own racism keeps violence afloat - with Lisa Bond

May 11: Deflecting, gaslighting, and exceptionalizing: How discomfort leads to awareness -  with Regina Jackson

June 8: Whiteness, Whiteplaining, and Colorism: Everyday “mundane” White Supremacy - with Regina Jackson and Saira Rao

July 6: Spiritual Bypassing and Toxic Positivity: “We have to stop dwelling on the past and move forward” - with Saira Rao