Whites on the Front Line

In this short virtual documentary produced by Dean Radcliffe-Lynes, an African American woman and independent filmmaker, white authors and white anti-racists talk about the need to work with and organize other white people to actively combat racism, white supremacy and white privilege.

“I was struck by the increasing numbers of white people participating in protests and marches in support of Black Lives Matter, particularly after the killing of George Floyd”, says Dean. “They were even marching in cities and towns with little to no black people. I was curious to know if white people were finally starting to understand the injustices that black folks have endured for more than 400 years or was it just a trend? So I decided to ask them”.

You will hear commentary from authors and other folks actively involved in anti-racist work, including Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility: Why It’s Hard for White People to Talk about Racism; Chris Crass, author of Towards the Other America: Anti-Racist Resources of White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter; Carla Wallace, co-founder of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ); Tim Wise, author, White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son; and Tom DeWolf, author, Inheriting the Trade.

At a time when we continue to see black men, women and children dying at the hands of police; when the police are called on black people who are jogging, selling lemonade or canvassing in suburban neighborhoods; when departments of the federal government are told to halt their anti-racist and unconscious bias training so as not to offend white people; this film speaks directly to those white people who have been asking their black friends how they should respond? As one of the voices in the film states: “Black people didn’t invent racism, white people did!”

The virtual documentary is followed by a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Josie Gonsalves, anti-racist facilitator and writer with a diverse panel, including Robin D.G. Kelley, Historian and Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA, and Shameka Parrish-Wright, Operation Manager at The Bail Project and on the board of the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice research Community Council.

Support for this program has been provided by OSI-Baltimore.

For more information contact Dean Radcliffe-Lynes, deanlynes@aol.com

Dean Radcliffe-Lynes / Moderator

An Independent filmmaker and television producer who has been producing television specials for more than 30 years, including “A Celebration of Life: Rising Above Breast Cancer” that was distributed by American Public Television.

Josie Gonsalves / Moderator

Josie Gonsalves is an activist-artist and writer on social justice. Her current projects include producing “theactivistpopcast” for the People’s Organization for Progress, and curating a multi-media art exhibit “Interrupting the Mythology of Whiteness” under The Artist Recreates the World, both centered in Newark, New Jersey. Additionally, she is a facilitator to NGOs on anti-Racism, Racial Equity, and Implicit Bias.

Robin D.G. Kelley

Distinguished Professor and Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in U.S. History, UCLA and author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination, among others

Carla Wallace

A civil rights activist in Louisville, KY. She is co-founder of the Fairness Campaign and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and a member of the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Hall of Fame.

Chris Crass

Social Justice Advocate, author Towards the “Other America”: Anti-Racist Resources for White People Taking Action for Black Lives Matter and Towards Collective Liberation: anti-racist organizing, feminist praxis and movement building strategy.

Shameka Parrish-Wright

Shameka serves on the board of The Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research Community Council and The Sowers of Justice Network among others. Shameka is an Operations Manager at The Bail Project.

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Whites on the Front Line

Organizations Represented in the film

Panelists