Intro to Wake Up

We are taking signups for our next Intro to Wake Up series on Zoom. If interested, sign up now.

We are offering a 12-week Introduction to Wake Up series on Zoom for white or white-identified people with the goal becoming an anti-racist. The focus of our series is on understanding the long history of anti-Black racism in the United States and finding actionable ways to address it in our families and communities.

The journey to understand our whiteness and our racism starts with acknowledging it and looking deeply inside to root out what we have been taught. This is not a support group for white folx. To become true allies to our Black sisters and brothers, we must become anti-racists, EVERY. DAY. Sign up today.

Our express expectation is that by the end of the six meetings you are ready and armed with the skills to continue your anti-racism journey with the larger Wake Up community, holding and being held accountable by other anti-racists doing the work.

Being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination.
- Ibram X. Kendi

How it works

The Intro to Wake Up series is designed to help you understand what this work is, where you are in it as well as provide an on-ramp to the Wake Up group. Founded in 2016, Wake Up is a growing group of white-identifying people working in community to dismantle white supremacy from the inside out. We use mindful introspection, intimate conversation, and intentional action to see, name, and dismantle the white-body supremacy in us all. We are committed to this lifelong journey. Cathy and Sally, with assistance from other Wake Up members, will facilitate each Intro to Wake Up meeting as we explore core questions and build skills in our antiracist journey. Sign up today

Session dates

These will be Zoom gatherings on Tuesdays 5:30-7:30pm PST. The next series start date is TBD.

Program format

This is a 3-month commitment meeting every other week for 12 weeks for a total of 6 sessions. Each session is 2 hours (5:30-7:30pm).

Grounding, meditation, land acknowledgement
Check-ins and homework share
Topic presentation
Group discussion, dyad/triad, and/or activity
Reflection
Announcements and actions

Over the series, we will explore a range of topics. Homework will be offered in between meetings with an expectation that it will be completed in the time between sessions. Get started on your antiracist journey.

There is no fee for the course though we do ask for a $20 (or more) donation per session, 100% of which will be distributed to Holistic Resistance and other black-led organizations doing the work.

Facilitators

Cathy and Sally Dew

Cathy and Sally Dew are sisters and long-time climate and racial justice activists. From organizing white support for Quest for Democracy in Sacramento to participating in Alternatives to Violence workshops inside prisons, Cathy and Sally are deeply committed to the fight. They are founding members of Wake Up Bay Area and cofacilitate an ongoing 6-sessions, 12-week intro series to continue building the coalition.

Here are some of the organizations they march for, donate to, and vigorously promote.
350.org, ACLU, All Of Us None, Alternatives to Violence California, Black Lives Matter, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Environment CA, Heart and Soul Center of Light, Holistic Resistance, Human Rights Campaign, Movement for Black Lives, Initiate Justice, Pachamama Alliance.

In the professional world, sisters Cathy (CEO) and Sally (Creative Director) run Oakland-based 2Plus2 Partners. They have a long history of providing the design, structure, drive and discipline to get projects done, partnering with internal teams to reimagine business processes and user experience in real time.