White saviourism

White saviourism, or the white saviour complex, describes "when a white person, or more broadly a white culture, “rescues” people of colour from their own situation. We see the white savior complex in film tropes like The Help and The Blind Side, but also in volunteerism and activism work. In activism work, we commonly see this as “tokenism” – the practice of making only a perfunctory or symbolic effort to do a particular thing, especially by recruiting a small number of people from underrepresented groups in order to give the appearance of sexual or racial equality within a workforce." - Black Equity Resources

"The white-saviour complex also imposes the notion that the white person knows what communities of colour need, rather than listening to how they can truly be of help." - Black Equity Resources

Examples of white saviourism

1. Showing up	for rallies, marches, phonebanking, doorknocking, teach-ins, etc.
2. Voting with the movement	the cause (e.g., abortion, climate change, immigration) is the deciding factor in the active supporter’s vote
3. Persuading others	at school, at family gatherings, on social media, at work etc.
4. Acting independently within their place of influence	lawyers taking on pro bono cases, teachers using their classrooms, union members using meetings of their local

For a listen on white saviourism on a grand scale, check out the White Saviours podcast which details the WE Charity scandal.

If you have any suggested revisions or additional resources to share related to the above content, please email them to kenzie@lehub.ca.

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