The Interrupting Privilege program
We bring together students and community members from across Seattle for intergenerational conversations about race, racism and its intersections.
While most discussions of inequality focus on violence, disproportionality, and discrimination, we further the discussion by tackling how privilege intersects with race, gender, sexuality, and citizenship status.
A Community Radical Listening Session
Recording oral histories that address race is central to our work. In partnership with numerous communities, we record and magnify these oral histories through these Radical Listening Sessions.
2016-2017
Interrupting Privilege first began in the spring of 2016, when the UW Alumni Association (UWAA) leadership team approached Dr. Joseph.
In 2017, the CCDE partnered with StoryCorps to record stories of discrimination from community members, students and stakeholders. To bring these conversations to a wider public, the CCDE hosted a series of listening parties throughout the 2017–2018 academic year.
2018-2019
In 2022, Washington State Public Schools saw a 177% increase in multiracial students over 15 years. How can schools create inclusive spaces for "generation mixed"?
In 2019, the CCDE dedicated a year to participatory research on the lived experiences of Black individuals in Seattle. Participants from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and ages, spanning from teenagers to those in their 70s, contributed to this comprehensive study.
2020-2021
The dual pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism severely affected Black communities. Our "Quarantining while Black" initiative explored their impact in Seattle and beyond, focusing on stressors, coping strategies, support systems, and ideas for transformation.
2021-2022
The CCDE and Resilience Lab, recognizing the heightened stress from COVID-19 and racism, secured a Mind and Life Grant for a partnership between the Interrupting Privilege program and Be REAL. This collaboration merges mindfulness with critical race theory to tackle racial exhaustion and support communities against daily oppression.
2022-2023
In 2022, the CCDE partnered with the Northwest African American Museum and the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business to engage entrepreneurs, students, and community members on the complex topic of “Black Capitalism.”
2023-2024
In 2022, the CCDE, UMAC, and the University of Washington Libraries collaborated to document and share stories from the UW community on the impacts of COVID-19 and systemic racism, involving participants from UW-Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma using radical listening.
2024-PRESENT
