How to Be Less Racist | WeaveAndSpin

"How to Be Less Racist" - skim down

New Anti-Racist Curriculum from Reclaiming's DARC Group

DARC (Decolonizing Actions in Reclaiming Communities), a group of Black, Indigenous, andMixed Race people from around Reclaiming, has created a booklet detailing a participatory workshop for local communities and camps, including readings,, videos, and discussion questions.

Download the PDF here.

This is an open-hearted invitation to Reclaiming communities, covens, camps, and other groups to tackle the big issues of race, racism, anti-racism, and decolonization.

This resource outlines a participatory workshop, with readings, videos, and discussion questions throughout. If you are facilitating this workshop, please read through the entire document first, then feel free to pick and choose which items your group will focus on, based on the group's composition, interests, level of understanding, and time. Hopefully all groups - from the 101 level on up - will find something valuable to spark discussion here.

Depending on the nature of the group, you might wish to create sacred space or use other techniques such as icebreakers, rounds, or small-group activities to build relationships and trust between community members and thus create a reflective space for listening within and without, a safe(r) space for speaking truth, a brave space for taking risks and daring to make mistakes.

Doing anti-racist work can be tricky and may require strong facilitation skills. Facilitators might want to work in pairs or teams or rotate leadership. We are hoping that members of the Reclaiming community will find ways to support each other in this work.

Download the PDF here.

How to Be Less Racist at Reclaiming Events

(originally shared as How to Be Less Racist at Witchcamps)

By Rachel Yuriko Yukimura

When first meeting someone, don’t immediately ask them about their race or ethnicity. Those kinds of conversations often require the trust of an established relationship.

When Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) create groups or events that exclude white people, do remember that we need separate spaces in order to feel safe, often because we feel marginalized in majority-white spaces.

If a BIPOC opens up to you about their background, do remember that they are an When individual human being, and don’t make generalizations or assumptions about them or their identities.

Do not sexualize or fetishize BIPOC or their identities (eg. “Asian women are subservient”).

Do not expect BIPOC to educate you about racism. If you have a question about race or racism at camp, do ask a fellow white person who has done work in these areas, attend an optional offering, and ask questions of BIPOC who have explicitly offered their knowledge and perspective.

Do remember that “reverse-racism” does not exist. Prejudice can occur in any direction, but racism is institutional, and we live in a country founded on white supremacy.

Do address racism when you see it. If someone does or says something racist, you might pull them aside and have a conversation about it. Even if they respond defensively, you have planted a seed of awareness that will hopefully lead to more respectful behavior in the future.

If you are told your behavior had a negative impact, do take a deep breath and apologize without making excuses. Even if you had good intentions, it is important to acknowledge your impact.

Do remember that being anti-racist is a life-long process. We were all raised in a racist overculture and must overcome deeply ingrained conditioning. Do not expect yourself to be perfect, and remember that the work and learning are never done!

Thanks for listening/ reading!

Ishtarliah/ Rachel Yuriko Yukimura (she/her) has been involved in the Reclaiming tradition since 2011, when she started attending Free Cascadia Witchcamp. Since then, she has been a teacher and organizer in the California Witchcamp, Teen Earth Magic, and Pleasures of Beltane communities. She is a proud sex worker, Surrogate Partner Therapy practitioner, and Somatic Sex Educator, and brings her Leftist, queer, and anti-Zionist politics into everything she does. Rachel works with ancestral deities from both of her lineages, primarily Inanna-Ishtar on her Jewish side and Inari-O-Kami on her Japanese side. She lives on Lisjan Ohlone land in Oakland, California with one of her partners, their two dogs, and her boa constrictor familiar.