White Racial Justice Organizers: Navigating Ambivalence on the Path to Activism

Background: George Floyd’s murder in 2020 ignited a reckoning with racism and White supremacy in the United States, spurring a surge in White-identifying individuals racial justice action. Likewise, within the predominantly White profession of social work, addressing racism was positioned as central to transformation within the profession, underscored by the Grand Challenges of Social Work concept paper, Eliminate racism. However, White support of racial justice efforts nationwide has declined. This waning support highlights the need for a deeper understanding of White-identifying people's relationship to issues of racial justice issues.

This research seeks to examine one significant aspect of this relationship: ambivalence. Defined by the coexistence of conflicting attitudes or emotions, ambivalence holds relevance in the journey from passivity to activism. While White racial ambivalence has been identified in existing literature, we lack an understanding of the mechanisms by which some White people navigate its presence. Through qualitative inquiry, this study aims to uncover these underlying mechanisms by examining how some White racial justice activists navigate ambivalence and sustain action, seeking to shed light on the complexities of White activism for racial justice.

Methods: This descriptive study employed a qualitative research design. From in-depth interviews, thematic analysis was utilized to delve deeply into the experiences, perceptions, and behavioral patterns of White-identifying individuals and their journeys from passivity to racial justice activism, with particular attention to their experiences of ambivalence. A small sample of eight participants was recruited from a single chapter of a national, multiracial, racial justice organization in a southeastern U.S. city. The organization is focused on bringing White people into racial and economic justice work. Purposive sampling was utilized, emphasizing variance in demographic characteristics, including age, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

Findings: Findings highlighted themes related to White organizers' experiences with, and navigation of, ambivalence on their journeys to activism. Feelings associated with ambivalence included shame, defensiveness, and fear, resulting in behaviors like avoidance or inaction. In contrast, eight key themes emerged as participants described navigating ambivalence, forming a conceptual model with three domains: mediating and moderating factors, individual processes, and social processes. Each theme was vital in the participants' journey to sustained action. The mediating and moderating factors, White supremacy culture and Values-driven work, influenced or affected participants' experiences with ambivalence when exploring the other themes. The individual and social processes described choices, behaviors, or experiences undertaken alone, or within a community, respectively.

Conclusion: This work aligns with the broader goal of creating an equitable and just society as well as the Grand Challenge of Social Work goal to end racism. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge surrounding White people's relationship to racial justice, specifically to individual's movement from passivity to activism. Examining the mechanisms at play helps inform racial justice organizations, White individuals on the journey to activism, and future research. Specifically, insights from this investigation may inform strategies to navigate ambivalence and foster commitment and meaningful contributions to racial justice initiatives among White people, which is crucial for winning a more just society.