We talk a lot about what NOT to do. We’d like to bring you a thread on HOW TO GET IT RIGHT. We have seen people take these conversations too far, asserting that anything a white person does for poor BIPOC is white saviorism. We don’t believe that. Let’s get into it.

1) Acknowledge your privilege & commit to becoming anti-racist. If you’re serious about it, this will be an ongoing process for the the rest of your life. If you’re serious, you will hold yourself accountable first, being able to identify your own racism & commit to doing better.

2) Acknowledge your unearned power & privilege. When white folks enter low-income BIPOC communities, you often fail to confront the power dynamics that exist. Be it social workers, teachers, non-profit/development workers, etc...naming it is a step in the right direction.

3) Mutual exchange. White saviorism believes the lie that you are there to save / rescue / help BIPOC and fails to acknowledge that you have a tremendous amount to learn & gain from the communities you are working in. This requires you to confront your cultural superiority FIRST.

4) DO GOOD, DON’T POST IT. This doesn’t mean you can’t share needs, but share without centering yourself or exploiting someone else. Whenever you can, avoid making other people the poster child for whatever cause you’re working toward. How do you do that, you ask? (Cont’d...)

4) (Cont’d) Ethical storytelling & photography are constantly evolving. INFORMED CONSENT is CRITICAL. If have to use images of beneficiaries/participants, make sure they are actually involved in deciding HOW & WHERE their stories & images are being used.

5) Get honest about your motivations. You may truly want to meet needs of vulnerable people, but do you also feel drawn to the praise you receive as a result? Does some part of you enjoy being viewed as “expert” prematurely & being granted access that you wouldn’t otherwise have?

6) Accept that you can’t be an expert in what’s best for a community you are guest in. You need to be a student & you need to practice far more humility than you’ve been conditioned to. Your degrees & accolades don’t make you best fit to fix complex problems in other cultures.

7) Have an exit strategy but fight for justice & equity while you’re there. Whether it’s for a position or an organization, the goal should always be working yourself out of a job. It needs to be AUTONOMY.

This isn’t exhaustive, please add to this list on “how to get it right”.