My "DEIJ Hot Take"

with Daryl Sinclair

A few weeks ago, I met with Daryl Sinclair for a thirteen-minute conversation to share my “DEIJ hot take.”

FROM DARYL: “In this episode of DEIJ Hot Takes, Daryl Sinclair speaks with Dr. Sheena Mason, co-founder of the Togetherness Wayfinder and an assistant professor specialising in Africana literature and philosophy. They discuss the togetherness wayfinder, the challenges of abolishing race, and the importance of translating race into other identifiers like culture and class. Dr. Sheena Mason emphasises that to effectively combat racism, we must first recognise and dismantle the belief in race itself. The conversation highlights the complexities of identity and the potential for meaningful change in DEIJ work.

Takeaways:

• To end racism, we must undo our belief in race.

• The illusion of race was created for exploitation.

• Abolishing race requires identifying it for what it is.

• Translating race into culture and class can liberate us.

• Fear of losing identity can hinder progress.

• Racism reflects and maintains social hierarchies.

• We must try new approaches to address persistent issues.

• Change can lead to unforeseen positive outcomes.

• Questions about race should guide our discussions.

• Understanding our context can foster community improvement.”

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Biography: Sheena Michele Mason is an assistant professor of English at SUNY Oneonta. She holds a PhD with distinction in English from Howard University in Washington, DC, USA, and specializes in Africana and American literary studies and philosophy of race. She is published with Oxford University Press, Palgrave MacMillan, Cambridge University Press, and the University of Warsaw among other presses. She is the innovator of the togetherness wayfinder (formerly and alternatively called the theory of racelessness) and founder of Togetherness Wayfinder, an educational firm. Her book The Raceless Antiracist: Why Ending Race Is the Future of Antiracism shows how ending our belief in “race” and practice of racialization is required toward the goal of ending the causes and effects of racialized dehumanization.