Bill Blackburn was invited to participate in The Shift Network’s online African American Wisdom Summit. He was interviewed by Nadirah Adeye on his process of waking up to the pervasiveness of whiteness, unconscious bias and privilege as well as his path to becoming an ally to people of color.
The audio file of the interview can be heard using the audio player below. Nadirah’s introduction of Bill is shown here and is also included in the audio presentation.
When Bill was 11-years old, he watched on television as Black kids, barely older than he, were vilified and spat upon in Little Rock. It broke him open to being able to see the harsh realities that exist behind the shining chimera of Ozzie & Harriet America. He has worked to manifest the stated yet only aspirational values of our nation and culture ever since.
Bill spent six years with The UNtraining: Unlearning White Liberal Racism group, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, deepening his understanding of systemic and enculturated racism and white privilege. He has participated for over fifteen years in having difficult conversations and deep connections at Diversity 2000 retreats. He has worked on issues of peace with justice, global hunger, gay liberation, heart-centered community building, race and class issues, intersectionality, intimacy, circle processes, and communication across difference. Deep in his heart, he holds the truth that Black Lives Matter and that our culture as a whole is broken without that realization.
Bill is currently exploring the ways evolutionary consciousness can bring about The Great Turning, offering cultural competency trainings for healthcare providers in caring for LGBTQI patients and hoping to publish a fable of transformation soon!