White Identities (Episode 29)

In this Episode

This week on the show Lisa and Shaunna take a deep dive into Dr. Barnor Hesse’s 8 White Identities. This theory is important as it comes from a person of color critiquing white folks, which is an anomaly. The white identities outlined in the theory exist on a scale of one to eight. The theories span from “White Supremacist” to “White Abolitionist.”

Shaunna and Lisa dissect each of these identity “categories” and explain what they might look like in a practical sense. They also discuss whether white identity development is linear as this theory supposes, the level of discomfort that comes with each white identity, and the idea that white privilege may be the root of all eight of Hesse’s identities.

Ultimately, White people have to ask themselves how uncomfortable we are willing to become in order to work towards moral grounds and racial justice. It is important for White folks to continue to reflect and self-examine which of the White identities might best describe them in order to understand the continued work they need to do. It’s easy to rank yourself higher than you are (see episode 2: Nice White Triathletes!). So, honesty with yourself is really crucial.

You can view one of several graphics of the “8 White Identities” by Dr. Barnor Hesse here:

Read Madeline Price’s One Woman Project blog where she discusses the 8 White Identities here: https://www.onewomanproject.org/activism/2021/1/25/i-was-a-white-feminist-heres-how-im-learning-to-be-an-intersectional-feminist-white-traitor-and-abolitionist

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