Reflections on WWG5 and the Community Agreement

After I attended the PISAB training in June and followed up with Amanda, I realized I was stuck.  The skills I had used to function throughout life thus far were not supporting me in doing the necessary internal work.  I was struggling to identify and hold that white supremacy culture harms all of us even me as a white woman and my white family who are so tied to many of the harmful systems of white supremacy culture.  I realized I wasn’t going to be effective in anti-racist work or in talking with my family and friends about white supremacy culture until I began this work and developed new skills.  So, I entered WWG5 ready to be challenged and supported to dive into the introspective and spiritual work to identify, understand, and challenge my internalized racial superiority and to grow in compassion.

Reflecting on the last four months in WWG5 and our community agreement is leaving me amazed at the growth and the beauty of this process even when it’s been incredibly hard!  Working through our community agreement and processing together how to hold ourselves and each other accountable to the agreement has demonstrated to me the effectiveness and impact of vulnerable and truthful conversations on personal, relational, and communal growth.  Observing people practice the ouch, oops; listening for understanding; speaking your truth and more has been an opportunity for me to learn and grow in my communication and relational skills.  My growing edge seems to be challenged each time we meet, which is exactly what I need.

The past few weeks, as I navigate some of the hardest relational situations I have ever navigated, I’m realizing how I am utilizing the agreement and skills I have learned from WWG and YROL in these situations.  I’m also recognizing and processing when my internalized racial superiority is impacting the way I want to move forward in these situations.  Right now, I feel so grateful for WWG because I don’t feel stuck anymore.  I feel like I’m growing and I’m trusting the process will continue to help me to grow.