Dahlia Ferlito found their voice in activism over a decade ago. In this interview, they share how the path of activism unfolded leading to co-founding White People For Black Lives (WP4BL) six years ago.
Dahlia grew up in a working class city outside of Boston, MA and has lived in Los Angeles for 16 years. Their writing can be found on Medium, KNOCK-LA and LA Progressive. Plus, they’re an active member of the Showing Up for Racial Justice National Leadership Team.
See below for the list of topics we cover plus helpful resources.
WP4BL is a white anti-racist collective and activist organization. They operate within the Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) national network; and they work in alliance with Black Lives Matter: Los Angeles, the Movement 4 Black Lives, and other partners.
Why is there a white space to do racial injustice work? Great question! WP4BL provides a space and resources for white people to notice and confront their whiteness to no longer ignore or minimize issues of race and racism that stem from it. The work they do includes fundraising, internal and external education, mobilization, recruitment and networking, action planning, and cultural transformation.
Since the murder of George Floyd I have been witnessing my whiteness more than ever and have joined the WP4BL workshops that have allowed me to learn more about racial injustice. These workshops provide a space to speak with others to learn how to better show up for my Black friends and the Black community. For more information on Black Lives Matter resources, check out episode 19.
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“I tell sincere white people, ‘work in conjunction with us – each of us working among our own kind.’ Let sincere white individuals find all other white people they can who feel as they do- and let them form their own all-white groups, to work trying to convert other white people who are thinking and acting so racist. Let sincere whites go and teach non-violence to white people!”
— Malcolm X
Things we cover in this episode:
- Dahlia’s path to activism – side note, they were featured on Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea on Netflix
- Being called out by POC friends for showing up from a white lens, which was a big inflection point in Dahlia’s life
- Why a white space is important for racial injustice work
- White Supremacy as a system and the main characteristics – we review Tema Okum’s document White Supremacy Culture
- White Supremacy characteristics Dahlia and I see in ourselves
- How these characteristics show up and negatively impact the workplace
- How this work makes you a better human
- Joining a cause in solidarity, not from charity
Recommended Resources
- White People 4 Black Lives has great information and workshops
- AwareLA
- Black Lives Matter where you can find a chapter near you
- Unmasking Whiteness Institute
- Showing Up For Racial Justice
- The Movement for Black Lives
- PODCASTS:
Connect On Social
- Connect with me on Public investment app – Twitter – Instagram – LinkedIn
- Connect with WP4BL on Instagram – Twitter – Facebook
- Connect with Dahlia on Instagram
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