Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: White antiracist activists attempt to change the racial order that privileges them. Researchers have suggested that this contradiction makes whites insecure about their place within antiracism. Considering whiteness the source of conflict for white antiracists, they imply that antiracists of color easily find their place within antiracism. This study tests this assumption by analyzing interviews with African American, Asian American, white, and Latino American antiracists in Boston. Unlike activists in movements that rely on direct action, these antiracists primarily use tactics of personal transformation and group interaction. I find that, regardless of race, antiracists struggle to transform themselves into antiracists. Experiences with group interaction, however, differ by race of activist. While antiracists of color are comfortable doing mixed-race and same-race group work, whites are very uncomfortable working with other whites. This refines previous understandings of white antiracism by showing that whites most doubt their place in the movement when working with other whites. This study contributes to our understanding of the ways race effects antiracist identity formation and of repertoires of contention within new social movements.