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Express Yourself
A Guide for White Writers Who Want to Do Better
How to (begin to) unpack myriad layers of privilege in your work
Recently, a white Canadian woman writer texted me the following message (lightly edited for clarity):
I want to challenge myself to weave more resistance into my preferred [writing] topics of love and relationships and spiritual growth. Let’s say I’m writing about carving boundaries with partners and “following your truth.” This is enabled and/or hindered by privilege. Touching on how systems of oppressive and intergenerational trauma can (and do) reinforce circumstances we never chose. And breaking these cycles isn’t so simple… which sometimes I fear my message or takeaway may suggest. I want to consciously notice “how do I perpetuate privileges I have and call those out?” Keen on your hack. Reading your words helps.
Essentially, I think she was asking me: “How — as a white writer — do I write more inclusively, avoid whitewashing my own work, make my writing less racist, and acknowledge my own privilege in my writing?” It’s a good question that deserves a thoughtful answer.
We had a candid conversation about this. I talked about my own work — its flaws, missteps, occasional microaggressiveness, and implicit bias — and my…
