Garrett Bucks founded The Barnraisers Project, an organization that “equips people who’ve never thought of themselves as organizers with the tools to move their social networks from denial and defensiveness to action.” Like any meaningful anti-racism work, it requires participants—in this case white people—to sustain discomfort and be willing to stare down stark truths that are easier to turn away from. But he believes personal turmoil is necessary in order to achieve meaningful change.
The way Garrett sees it, America was founded with two gaping holes in its heart — cavities created by the acts of enslaving Black people and taking land from Indigenous communities. Many generations later, Garrett believes it’s critical for white people to address the problems their ancestors created, and that white people continue to sustain. Courtney talks with Garrett about how it’s possible to find joy in the work required to become the person—and the country—we say we want to be.
Check out Garrett’s work at The Barnraisers Project, and learn more about its origins here. You can also explore Garrett’s blog, The White Pages. He writes in depth about his response to the January 6th insurrection here.
In this conversation, Garret mentions civil rights activists Ann Braden and Will Campbell.
To deepen your own anti-racism work, check out the Racial Equity Resource Guide, and the National Museum of African American Histories Being Anti-Racist resources.
