Social Work Commons^™

Staying Off The Megaphone And In The Movement: Cultivating Solidarity And Contesting Authority Among White Antiracist Activists, Amie Thurber, Kelley Frances Fenelon, Leah Marion Roberts

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the last two years, Black Lives Matter (BLM) emerged as a multiracial movement which foregrounds the experience, leadership, and values of Black people in the United States while suggesting distinct roles for White people to participate. Among these suggestions is the compellingly illustrative to “stay off the megaphone.” This exploratory, participatory case study traces how a group of White activists grapple with the literal and figurative megaphone in their antiracist activism. We focus on three key dimensions of engagement: content (how do White activists engage the megaphone—literally and figuratively?), subject positions (how are White activists positioning themselves within the …