“Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise him in the heights!

Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!

Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;

his glory is above earth and heaven.”

Psalm 128:1-2,13

As we read this Psalm, I’m imagining our voices joining with generations before us, all creation, and the cloud of witnesses, who have and continue to sing songs of praise. I can hear a large chorus with different parts coming in and out of focus. Maybe it sounds like a round, maybe there’s beautiful harmony, maybe some of the parts are really loud and full of energy, maybe others are singing quietly, reverently.

I imagine it sounds like something between a cacophony of noises and a harmonious symphony. When I imagine the songs of praises this way, I’m encouraged. I think it would be difficult, if not impossible, to keep the song of praise going just by myself, especially when I don’t always feel like praising God. Sometimes, I’d rather sing a song than a lament. Or not sing at all, and hold space for silence. I’m continuing to learn that praising God is not mutually exclusive, meaning it doesn’t have to be the only song I’m singing. We can: Praise and grieve. Praise and lament. Praise and ponder. And in this season of advent, may we continue to praise and wait.

Amanda Vetsch

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The staff of the Riverside Innovation Hub have recently spent time reflecting on the list of “White Supremacy Culture Characteristics” written by Tema Okun to better understand how the characteristics of White Supremacy show up in ourselves, our initiatives, communities, and institutions. Some of the staff attended a webinar co-hosted by Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and Tema Okun to mark the 20th anniversary of this list and to begin the launch of new website and updates to the list of characteristics of white supremacy. 

The phrase “white supremacy” often brings to mind images of burning crosses and the KKK. This association isn’t necessarily wrong, yet it isn’t fully accurate or entirely helpful. According to Layla Saad, the author of Me and White Supremacy, “white supremacy is the racist ideology that is based upon the belief that white people are superior in many ways to people of other races and that therefore, white people should be dominant over other races” [1] This ideology is baked into institutional structures, systems and bodies. In white-centered societies, like the United States, white supremacy is as common and permeating as the air we breathe. As Kyle “Guante” Tran Myhre says in his poem titled “How to Explain White Supremacy to a White Supremacist,” “white supremacy is not a shark; it is the water.” [2] When White supremacy is understood as an abstract concept, or an extremist ideology, it is easier to distance oneself from it, and remain blissfully ignorant to the deadly, daily realities of white supremacy. When we begin to understand the commonness of white supremacy, it becomes more difficult to shift the blame to other people and it requires us to wrestle with our complicity in it. White supremacy must become better understood if it is ever going to be dismantled. And who should be responsible for dismantling the systems, institutions, and ideologies of white supremacy? The burden of this labor should lie on the shoulders of those who built, sustained, and perpetuated it, white people and predominantly white institutions. 

To dismantle white supremacy, it’s necessary to understand how white supremacy manifests itself in individual bodies, communities, and institutions. Learning to recognize and name white supremacy will be ongoing work, until it’s thoroughly eradicated. I have hope that it’s possible to dismantle and eradicate white supremacy. Whiteness has been constructed and therefore can be deconstructed. One concept that could help individuals and communities become more aware of what white supremacy looks like, feels like, and sounds like is the list of “” by Tema Okun. 

Tema Okun used her experiences from facilitating and participating in antiracism workshops, her learnings from being in community with other leaders and thinkers, and her frustrating experiences at a workshop to write up a list that describes the characteristics of white supremacy culture. The list names some of the norms and expectations for people living in a white supremacy culture. Tema Okun articulates fifteen of these norms and expectations, or characteristics: Perfectionism, Sense of Urgency, Defensiveness, Quantity Over Quality, Worship of the Written Word, Only One Right Way, Paternalism, Either/Or Thinking, Power Hoarding, Fear of Open Conflict, Individualism, I’m the Only One, Progress is Bigger, More, Objectivity, and Right to Comfort. [3] She offers examples of the characteristic and antidotes to the characteristic. This list is by no means exhaustive, in fact, over the last 20 years, the author, Tema Okun has further clarified and added updates to the list of characteristics. This list is helpful as a guide or reference key to hold in our minds as we try to name the ways that white supremacy manifests itself within ourselves, our communities and institutions.

The staff of the Christensen Center for Vocation are using this list to examine our work culture and initiatives in an effort to name and dismantle the ways in which white supremacy shows up in what we do and how we function together. While it’s important to hold a critical lens to white supremacy culture, it is also important to name the antidotes to these characteristics, or better ways we can work, live, and be in community. Tema Okun offers examples of antidotes to each characteristic in her list. I believe that many of our core values can also serve as antidotes to the characteristics of white supremacy, especially when we can live out those values in our daily lives. In the Lutheran theological tradition specifically, many of our claims about who God is and how God is are directly opposed to the characteristics of white supremacy culture. In the second part of this blog series, we’ll explore a few of the characteristics, along with practical examples of antidotes to those characteristics and potential theological antidotes.

[1] Saad, Layla F. Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor (Sourcebooks, Inc., 2020) 12.

[2] Tran Myhre, Kyle “Guante”. “‘How to Explain White Supremacy to a White Supremacist’ (New Video),” March 17, 2016. https://youtu.be/DbwcXDunxA8 

[3] Okun, Tema. “White Supremacy Culture Characteristics.” Showing Up for Racial Justice – SURJ. Accessed March 12, 2021. https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culturecharacteristics.html.

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Amanda joined the Riverside Innovation Hub team in August of 2018 as an Innovation Coach where she spent a year learning alongside of two local congregations and seven other young adults. From June 2019 – November 2020, she worked as the Communications Coordinator with the Hub while she finished up her M.A. in Theology with a Concentration in Justice and Reconciliation from Luther Seminary. She now works with the Hub as the Congregational Coordinator and Facilitator, which includes communications, facilitating a learning cohort, event planning, and general coordinating. 

Prior to working at Augsburg, she lived, played, and learned in Rwamagana, Rwanda as a volunteer with Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM), studied Biology at Viterbo University in La Crosse, WI and grew up in Minneapolis, MN. 

During her time as an Innovation Coach, she learned a lot of things and is most grateful for the opportunity to teach and grow with people as they experimented with the Public Church framework. Her favorite part of the work is Accompaniment and the various ways it takes shape, but her most favorite is meeting with people over coffee, or hanging out at coffee shops, or really anything that has to do with coffee. During her time as communications coordinator, she learned TONS about effectively communicating, managing systems, and investing in learning relationships. She’s excited to continue learning and growing with this next learning community.

When she isn’t working, she is likely playing volleyball, hanging out with family, and friends, exploring the great outdoors, watching Netflix or reading. 

Amanda is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside of faith communities as they discern how to live out their values and theological commitments in their geographic neighborhoods. She is hopeful that the work we do together can contribute to healthy, just communities where everyone can thrive. 

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