White people, here is a space to explore and discuss race, racism, Whiteness, and White Supremacy so that we can pursue equity in Bend.

About this Event

Embrace Bend’s Do the Work Study Group is a space for White people and other dominant groups to explore race, racism, and White Supremacy without accidentally harming non-White or non-dominant groups in the process. We will facilitate discussion around a specific topic by journaling, sharing stories, and working through outside resources like books, articles, videos, etc.

Here is the agenda for our first session:

Land Acknowledgement

Introductions (Name, identities, pronouns, why you joined this group, and any needs you might have)

Activity #1: Privilege Profile . The purpose of this activity is to reflect on the full spectrum of our personal identities and how they impact our lives externally and internally, especially when entering conversations about oppression.

Discussion : We will explore and discuss guided questions written by Debby Irving in her book Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race. The organizers will share the discussion questions with the group, we will each journal our personal responses privately, and then we will open the floor for sharing. The purpose of this exercise is to reflect on how our race impacts how we see the world, how we experience life, and reflect on why we think and act the way we do. Ultimately, our answers to these questions can help us map how our minds interpret and understand race and racism through a White lens.

Closing, Next Meeting, and Feedback

We encourage those interested in joining the group to first check out the Embrace Bend website at www.embracebend.com, where you will find a page specifically about the Do the Work Study Group. There you will be able to access guidelines, goals, expectations, and other information.

Accessibility Information (from the Environmental Center website):

We have two entrances to our building:

Front door, accessed from Kansas Ave. To enter in the front door or on to the deck requires four steps.

Back door in the alley behind our building, accessed from Troy Field parking lot or Lava Rd. There is one ADA parking space in this alley right next to a gently sloped ramp to the back door.

Community events are held in the High Desert and Audubon rooms on the first floor. Staff offices are located upstairs. One of our two restrooms is fully accessible, and one has a changing table. Both bathrooms are gender neutral.

The Kansas Ave. Learning Garden has a wide paver path through the garden; areas outside of this are covered in wood chips. The main garden beds are 3′ apart and 18-24″ high.

To access the Learning Garden, we suggest the following:

Park in an ADA parking space in the Troy Field lot and travel along the front sidewalk.

Park in front of our building near the Learning Garden entrance, if available.

Note: The back alley is gravel and a little steep.