About the Collective
The White Accountability and Anti-Racism Collective (WAARC) is a volunteer workgroup of folks at UC Davis and UC Davis Health who organize anti-racism education to dismantle white supremacy. The collective aims to educate folks with white privilege about white supremacy so they can: 1) recognize their responsibility to interrupt their own and others’ behavior that perpetuates these systems of white supremacy, anti-Blackness and racialized harm and 2) develop the skills to do so effectively.
This collective focuses on three main areas:
- Organize Anti-Racism Education and Facilitation Skill Building
- Positively interrupt racism and bias and take effective action within their professional spheres of influence
- Amplify Campus Partner’s Work
Through educational events and training focused on critical whiteness and anti-racism, the (WAARC) strives to activate and mobilize campus community members to engage in critical self-work and skill-building to challenge institutional and cultural racism. Alongside many campus partners, faculty, staff and students working towards racial equity, this collective works collaboratively to create a more racially-just campus culture for BIPOC members as well as the UC Davis community as a whole.
Why the Collective?
At its core, this space is in response to an ask from numerous BIPOC community members, specifically from Black staff and students who are repeatedly being asked and expected to do emotional labor in educating white folks about racial justice. In order to shift this labor, the collective space will focus on learning from each other; utilizing resources to critically process white supremacy; and learning effective ways to recognize and interrupt racist behaviors. Doing this work in a volunteer collective can be beneficial, so that BIPOC folks are not, yet again, solely asked to hold and center the emotions and growth of white-identified people (or those who have a proximity to whiteness).
The group has compiled a number of helpful resources to guide our work and discussion.
Ways to Engage with the Collective (all are welcome)
To be added to the collective email or join any meetings or events please email whiteaccountabilityantiracismcollective-request@ucdavis.edu.
General Meeting Day & Time
The general collective meets four times a year (once a quarter and once in the summer), and all are welcome. Below are the dates and times for 2023-2024:
- April 22, 2024 12-1 pm via Zoom
- July 22, 2024 12-1 pm via Zoom
- October 28, 12- 1 pm via Zoom
Accountability Supervisors Group
A joint volunteer virtual space where UC Davis Health and UC Davis supervisors ask questions and learn from each other to better support colleagues of color. All are welcome.
- Third Tuesday of every month at 12-1 pm via Zoom
Recent Programs
- Master Class -Black Love Black Joy Discussion Groups (Feb ‘23)
- Anti-Racist Facilitator Training (2020, 2021)
- Anti- Racist Peer Education Connections (ongoing)