Unpacking racist language in women's circles and beyond

Dear Sister,

As you read this, you are one of many women from around the world who are reading these same words.

We believe that because you are reading these words, you are drawn to this mission - creating supportive sisterhood across borders, cultures, ethnicities, and religions so that we can all heal from the pain of division and rise together.

Thank you for being here and being a part of this vision, and in reality -- the practice of sisterhood.

We believe that as women we all have the capacity to empathetically relate to oppression in some forms, but we do not have the awareness of what it is like to be in another woman’s shoes.

This is true for all of us, especially when thinking about different cultures across the world that are very different from our own.

Today we want to address something we feel all of us must learn, and this is especially important for the women in this community (ourselves included) who have benefited from the institution of white supremacy and white privilege.

First, we stress with heart and love, that we don’t believe in shaming each other.

We don’t believe this is the way to healing, but we do know that we all must educate ourselves, and use our voices to educate our communities so that we can thrive together in a new paradigm of trust, safety, and healing.

We hope to create a sisterhood that is committed to doing inner work to unpack biases and behaviors that keep the subtleties of white supremacy and the oppression of people of color in place.

If we all do this work, we can create revolutionary spaces for ALL of us to thrive.

It’s time we educate ourselves on the words and common English phrases that are rooted in racism and microaggressions

Yes, without meaning to, you may be using language that is harmful.

Below is a list of resources for you to read and process.

If you attend our circles or are leading women’s circles, we ask that you COMMIT TO STUDYING THIS.

Let’s not let our ignorance (intentionally ignoring) cause harm to our sisters in any way.

Let’s devote 20 minutes to look over the resources as an act of care for our sisters within our circles and beyond.

We have found these resources helpful when educating ourselves:


> Micro Aggression in Language
> Internalized Racism
> Racist Language and Origins
> White Supremacy Culture


This message comes from our care for the women of color in our community. We also trust that the women in our community who have benefited from white privilege will receive this message with humility and sincere willingness to learn, grow, and deepen in sisterhood.

As for ourselves, as stewards of this organization, we are still learning and are going to make mistakes. We invite feedback from our sisters and are willing to grow.

And with that, we will leave you with a question to reflect on...

How has the language used in circle impacted you?

Have you said or heard others say things that may not have been intentionally offensive but still had a triggering impact?

We invite you to hold space for conversations in your own community around what types of language will make people feel more comfortable.

The only way to truly learn is to listen to one another with an open heart.


In humility and care,

Lauren and Shaina