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About this class - This is a 10-week online class using the Zoom platform. 

Race and Allyship—A Course for White People

It is 2022 and among our top challenges as a nation is the inability to have strategic and meaningful dialogue around race and  racism. While one of the factors leading to this outcome is that the topic of race is complex and as a nation we don’t have shared understandings  of its history in the US, a larger reason for this outcome is that this topic is perceived as controversial and very easily triggers strong emotions.

In the US, the relative lack of meaningful integration between the lives of white with non-white communities insulates white people from  developing a healthy racial awareness. An unfortunate byproduct of living in predominantly white segregated spaces is the difficulty in knowing  how to show up as an effective ally!

This 10-week intensive is designed as an accelerated learning experience to help white participants build their capacity for engaging in difficult  conversations about race. Participants will grapple with their own white racial identity, explore race as a social construct, and develop a  comprehensive understanding of racism as a system of differential power. In order to develop a productive comfort with the discomfort of talking  about race, whiteness, and power, participants will engage in activities to develop emotional literacy.

Most importantly, participants will be challenged to strategize on transforming their personal education and conversations into being an active and effective ally.

This is a 10-week online class using the Zoom platform.  Thursdays: Feb 10, 17, 24, March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, April 7, 14

Amena Chaudhry Amena is a DIEAB* consultant and Equity Coach, who uses principles of Nonviolent Communication, Circle Process, and other participatory leadership theories to equip people and organizations with the knowledge, skills, and tools to develop deeper and authentic relationships. A nimble and innovate social justice practitioner, Amena’s Equity & Inclusion portfolio is a mosaic of her Learning & Development experience in both the corporate and higher education sectors, Restorative Justice experience in non-profit and government sectors, alongside her consulting practice and focus on C-Suite Executive 1:1 coaching.

Amena is passionate about challenging the assumptions we are socialized into about human nature and believes that all humans have a desire to be in good relationship with each other. She leans on this principle in her equity and inclusion work to help individuals and groups to shift from opinion-based conversations to building relationships built on deep listening and authentic, thoughtful sharing.

*Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Access, and Belonging

HND Value Statement

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this {article, book, exhibition, film, program, database, report, Web resource}, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or Humanities North Dakota.

However, in an increasingly polarized world, we at Humanities North Dakota believe that being open-minded is necessary to thinking critically and rationally.

Therefore, our programs and classes reflect our own open-mindedness in the inquiry, seeking, and acquiring of scholars to speak at our events and teach classes for our Public University.

To that end, we encourage our participants to join us in stepping outside our comfort zones and considering other perspectives and ideas by being open-minded while attending HND events featuring scholars who hold a variety of opinions, some being opposite of our own held beliefs.