White Organizers and White Organizations? Dilemmas of Whiteness in a Youth-Led Movement for School Integration

Abstract

In this ethnographic study, Alexandra Freidus investigates the dilemmas of whiteness that challenge a youth-led campaign for school integration in New York City. Analyzing field observations, interviews, and internal documents, she illustrates the ways whiteness shaped young people’s identities as allies and activists, contributed to an organizational culture that many members of color considered a “White space,” and operated as both an asset and a limitation in the group’s organizing tactics. Her findings point to the need for multi racial educational coalitions and social movements to critically and consciously engage with the dilemmas of whiteness inherent in their work.