White Supremacy Culture
& Remote Work
White supremacy culture, as defined by Tema Okun (Dismantling Racism Works), can be mirrored and perpetuated in remote environments. In order to mitigate white supremacy culture in virtual work, we created a crosswalk and resources to explore the intersections of both sets of practices.
These slides cover the connections between elements of white supremacy culture and virtual work.
This literature review summarizes the literature on and connections between virtual work and white supremacy culture.
Strategies to Mitigate White Supremacy Culture in Remote Work
In order to elevate inclusiveness and mitigate white supremacy in virtual spaces, the Remote DEI Collective developed the strategies below, connecting each to various white supremacy characteristics.
Create regular, proactive checkpoints to surface tensions, challenges, and learning opportunities.
Connected to: Defensiveness, Urgency, Fear of open conflict, Right to comfort, Paternalism
Schedule two meetings to make decisions: one to raise issues related to the decision and a second to make the decision. This allows time for reflection and multiple solutions and deliberately slows down the process of decision-making.
Connected to: Only one right way, Either/or thinking, Fear of open conflict, Power hoarding
Set an expectation that everyone on the team maintains a healthy work-life balance.
Connected to: Quantity over quality, Sense of Urgency, Progress is bigger/more, Individualism
Create a protocol to critique – or simply ask for feedback about – internal processes (rather than products) to be delivered externally. Look for built-in inequities and adjust accordingly.
Connected to: Objectivity, Perfectionism, Progress is bigger/more
"Building our team’s awareness of the ways white supremacy culture can be amplified in remote work cultures — and our team culture in particular — was an important step. Being clear about the reason why we use a practice is helping open us up to multiple ways of being and working with each other."
– Kristen Vogt, NGLC