“[white people] are still trapped in a history which they do not understand; and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it.”
— James Baldwin, from My Dungeon Shook
This James Baldwin quote is the reason that this website exists; it’s a testament to how just a few true words can give someone the tools necessary for understanding the nuanced machinations of the world in which we live…
What is betraying whiteness?
Ultimately, the answer to this question is entirely up to you, because there is no one answer, and there is no limit to how many answers there could be. Before we can develop informed answers, however, we must find some shared understanding of what whiteness is. Everyone, particularly white people, need to learn about the origins, functions, misconceptions and impacts of whiteness, both as a racial identity as well as a series of systems that uphold structural racism. Only then may we organize ourselves, our families and communities in an effective way, utilizing the political privileges and economic power that systems of whiteness afford, only to undermine those very systems we benefit from.
In short, this is betraying whiteness.
It is an active process of undoing, by betraying the systems of white supremacy that maintain white privilege. It is a commitment to de-conditioning, community accountability, and actively engaging in decolonization practices. It is the reorientation of priorities, the transference of power through reparations and reinvestment, and the manipulation of gatekeeping institutions for the benefit of those they have historically excluded. It is developing personal identities apart from racial constructs, while also truly confronting the existence of our learned racial identity. It is redeveloping our understanding of ourselves through critical thinking and self-reflection; all while letting go of our need for comfort, the source of so much of our passivity.
. . . .
We must remain fully accountable in every aspect of our lives to ensure that everything we do contributes to the liberation of all oppressed peoples, rather than being just another act of performative allyship. This online resource is meant to be a mirror of one person’s journey threw undoing, relearning, being accountable and taking meaningful action, for the purpose of aiding others in their own unique path. We are always changing, and as our experiences change so too do our perspectives of things. Yet at the end of the day, betraying whiteness are just two words put together to create a new linguistic tool; the true action, and how this idea comes to life in the real world, is entirely up to each of us.
How will you define it?
That being said, let’s use our shared language to create a definition…
betraying whiteness:
the deliberate act of manipulating institutions & ideologies intended to benefit people with the racial classification of white, for the explicit purpose of sabotaging the very existence of those institutions & ideas, for the benefit of all people, particularly people who are systematically excluded from the privileges of whiteness…
… don’t like that definition? Make your own!!
Visit www.BlankMetaFour.com to learn more!
Meet the Curator:
Gabriel Kittle-Cervine (aka Mr. G) is a poet, rhymesayer, educator, organizer, artist and publisher from Santa Cruz, CA. They have written and performed work for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2012), the National Poetry Slam (2015), and numerous stages all over the country, with 2 published books of poetry, from T*B*D*ink. productions, their independent publishing front and distribution house.
They currently work at Pacific Collegiate School, as well as offering independent coaching and mentorships in disciplines of performance, writing and community organizing. Gabe puts out music under the moniker BlankMetaFour, available on all streaming platforms.
If you’d like to connect, reach out any time:
Instagram: @blankmetafour — Email: blankmetafour@gmail.com
Origins of BetrayingWhiteness.org
by Mr. G
The crux of this website is a desire to accomplish two things: to hold myself accountable to my commitment to anti-racism and to create a jumping off point for white people to initiate their own commitment to anti-racism.
Briefly, here’s some background on my journey to this point.
In 2015, I was a member of the Santa Cruz team of poets who competed at the National Poetry Slam in Oakland. I was 19, and the process of preparing for the competition was my first crash course on racism and whiteness, graciously taught by my friends and fellow teammates. The greatest lesson I learned was the responsibility to educate fellow white people about racism in a way that does not demand labor from people of color. To see the poem I performed in NPS2015 with teammate Queen Jasmeen, click HERE.
In 2017, I put out a free mixtape called ‘Betray Whiteness’. The name was inspired by this pin photographed here, made by the prolific musician, educator and artist Chris “L7” Cuadrado. I had been working on a music project that was becoming an artistic exploration of what whiteness is, in identity, in legal function and in misconception.
Through the deconstruction of what I’d discovered about my own whiteness, I explored strategies of how white people can betray the powers and privileges afforded to us, to explicitly undermine and dismantle these racist structures of control that we privilege from. It was basically a senior thesis project for a major in a subject in a school I never attended. Also shown here is the original flyer made by L7 for the Betray Whiteness release event, featuring local vendors, musicians, organizations, artists and a panel of residents discussing racism locally. Though the music project itself is no longer available to the public, elements of it continue to radiate from all of my creative works.
The biggest thing I learned in the process of this project, is that there is so much more I needed to understand. I was at the beginning of my journey toward betraying whiteness.
Since then, my primary action has been learning. My current work centers around communicating to white people, in a way that can be comprehended and absorbed, how and why we must give up our comfort and overcome our fear of the unknown, so that we may see things for how they really are.
It is essential that we white people amend for our generational neglect and implicit violence, take steps toward dismantling white supremacy by addressing our own internalized racial superiority. This path is what led me to build BetrayingWhiteness.org, published quietly online in February 2023.
This platform is a process of learning and growing in my own understandings while sharing that knowledge with those around me; all the while publicly holding myself accountable in my actions and statements.
Many “well intentioned white people” love to pretend that we live in a post-racial society, or a progressive utopia, especially in liberal political havens like my home in Santa Cruz, CA; but this could not be farther from the truth.
We live in a foggy illusion of complacency and comfort, making us indifferent to the ways our ignorance can inhibit the community around us.
I’m not here for that bullshit.
My intention in making this platform is to be a resource to fellow white people through their journey of deconstructing whiteness and becoming anti-racist, while also being able to develop shared knowledge with other teachers around the globe.
