Allyship Institute 2023 | YWCA McLean County

FEBRUARY 24 - 28, 2025

The Intersection of Racism & Classism

Too often, Black identity is positioned as antagonistic to lower-income white and non-Black communities. As allies, it is up to us to dispel this harmful zero-sum narrative and examine the interplay of class and race. We will learn the roles that race has impacted and continues to impact Black wealth and the ways that class mobility has been systemically and systematically denied to Black folks.

This free course serves as an inclusive space for individuals from all backgrounds to come together and engage in meaningful dialogue, learning, and self-reflection. Participants will not only gain a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by Black individuals but explore practical strategies to offer support and interrupt patterns of stigmatization. By actively engaging in this course, participants become catalysts for social justice, promoting inclusivity, equality, and dignity for all.

Please remember that the Allyship Institute is structured as a “choose your own adventure:” select one or two resources per day. You are not expected to read/watch/listen to every resource, though you are encouraged to bookmark them for future learning.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The following schedule is the property of YWCA McLean County and it not to be duplicated or used without the express permission of the event organizer.

Items preceded by LIVE indicate real-time trainings or meetings; other materials are meant to be enjoyed at your convenience each day.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

LIVE | In the Beginning...
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. via Zoom

We will kick off the Institute by unpacking how slavery and Jim Crow laws were and remain linked to white class advancement and notions of success. We exist in a zero-sum economic landscape where the gains of one group are often coded as the losses of another. This ideology, coupled with aggressive anti-Black racism, led to the burning of Black Wall Street and discriminatory processing of the GI Bill.

^Watch:^{Racial Segregation and Concentrated Poverty: The History of Housing in Black America}^{(6 min)}^Read:^{Black Wall Steet}^{(10 min)}^Read:^{Not all WWII Veterans Benefitted Equally from the G.I. Bill}^{(5 min)}^Listen:^{“The Rise and Fall of Black Wall Street”}^{(25 min) by HISTORY This Week (also on Spotify or Apple)}

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25

Campaigns of Division
Asynchronous

Identity politicking and racism are not new features of presidential campaigns. We will look at historical and current government and media campaigns that center individualism by blaming Black folks as reason white folks are poor.

^Read:^{How Fear Leads to Anger}^{(6 min)}^Explore:^{The Science of Bias}
^Read:^{Telling White People They Will Be Outnumbered Makes Them Hate Welfare More}^{(16 min)}^{Long Read:}^{Racial Cues and Presidential Elections}^{(60 min)}^Listen:^{The “little r” racist idea that swung the election}^{(35 min) by Code Switch (also on Spotify or Apple)}

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26

LIVE | Challenging the Narrative
12:00 - 1:00 p.m. via Zoom

Too often, increasing financial pressures among the shrinking middle class obscure the daily realities of racism for Black Americans. Today’s resources and presentation will invite you to consider the ways racist rhetoric sneaks into and obscures conversations about class and the U.S. wealth gap. Participants are invited to openly talk about racism to dismantle the zero-sum myth that impacts our economy.

^Watch:^{Class vs Race}^{(3 min)}^Watch:^{“We’re just trying to survive:” How welfare queen stereotypes shape public assistance policies}^{(6 min)}^{Watch or Read:}^{Want to Build Class Solidarity? Learn to Talk about Race}^{(17 min)}^Read:^{Race and The Food Stamp Debate}^{(9 min)}^Listen:^{The Zero-Sum Myth: We’re Divided, We’re Conquered}^{(38 min) by Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi (also on Spotify/Apple)}

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27

Understanding Why We Do (and Don’t) Talk about Race
Asynchronous

Conversations on race in the United States aren’t new, but they aren’t necessarily always welcome. Today we will review the ways that notions of DEI and color blindness have fallen in and out of favor as part of the country’s ever-evolving rhetoric on race.

^Watch:^{Why D&I Is Not What You Think}^{(8.5 min)}^{Read and/or Watch:}^{What is DEI, and why is it dividing America?}^{(14 min)}^{Read: “}^{Colorblindness: The New Racism?}^{” (10 min)}^{Listen: “}^{The Danger of Color Blindness}^{” (56 min) by the DEI Podcast with Max Gaston (also on Spotify/Apple)}

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Moving Forward: Striving for Abundance
Asynchronous

We will close out this year’s 2025 Allyship Institute with a look to the many ways we can encourage class solidarity through an awareness of race and racism. Today’s resources encourage a deep dive into opportunities and barriers to racial and economic equality.

^Watch:^{Stuart Hall: Race, Gender, Class in the Media}^{(3 min)}^Watch:^{Ta-Nehisi Coates on Entrenched Racist Myths}^{(6 min)}^Read:^{Heather McGhee on Race and the Solidarity Dividend}^{(4 min)}^{Compare and Consider:}^{Proposed Legislation H.R.40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act}^and^{Merit-Based Opportunity Executive Order}
^{Watch, Listen, or Read:}^{Everyday Solidarity: Interracial Organizing Stories from The Sum of Us} ^{(50 min)}

Please be advised that the use of profanity or any slurs in the materials do not reflect the views of YWCA and are only present at the discretion of the respective creators of each resource.
Deliberate use of profanity and racial slurs will result in removal from interactive discussion groups within the Allyship Institute.

We invite people of all backgrounds, professions, and experience levels to join us for a week-long interactive, virtual learning experience to be better allies.

Sorry. This form is no longer available.

The Intersection of Racism & Classism

Get In Touch!

About Us

Follow us!