An overhead black and white photo of a dense crowd of protestors holding signs, many of which read "Black Lives Matter" and "No justice, no peace."
A dramatic upward-facing view of the side of the St. Louis Arch. Golden hour sun shines on it in front of a darkening blue sky with a few clouds.

Over 5,000 people in the St. Louis metro area have participated in Witnessing Whiteness.

Since 2011, Witnessing Whiteness has led groups of white people in the work of examining the role of whiteness, white privilege, and racism in our lives and in American culture at large.

Our History

The St. Louis Witnessing Whiteness program was created in 2011 by Dr. Amy Hunter, in her role as the Racial Justice Director of the YWCA. Using the book Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It (Second Edition), the goal of the program was to provide a space where white people can work together with other white people to understand the history of racism and how it continues to show up in our systems and ourselves. Witnessing Whiteness was chosen to give white people an opportunity to hold each other in loving accountability to learn what Black, Indigenous, and People of Color already know about our history and systems. It was also designed to encourage participants to apply that knowledge and collectively move us toward antiracist action.

Following Dr. Hunter’s departure, Dr. Mary Ferguson led Witnessing Whiteness as the YWCA’s Racial Justice Consultant, beginning in 2016. Dr. Ferguson standardized the group formation process, creating a manual and training protocol for facilitators. She also partnered with the Race and Intergroup Dynamics Lab at St. Louis University to evaluate the effectiveness of the program through data collection. The program owes the foundation on which we stand to the work and vision of Dr. Hunter and Dr. Ferguson.

The program has operated as a semi-autonomous community of volunteers since Dr. Ferguson left the YWCA in 2022, with the YWCA providing Witnessing Whiteness with resources. The program has created new avenues to reach participants, both virtually and in person. Our facilitators also worked directly with Shelly Tochluk to create the new, updated curriculum for the third edition of her book, which we now use in all of our groups: Witnessing Whiteness: The Journey into Racial Awareness and Antiracist Action.

In June 2025, the program became fully independent from the YWCA, providing us with an opportunity to further evolve. Our community remains dedicated to the goal of increasing our understanding of racism, how it operates, and sharing that with other white people.

Nearly 200 volunteers have facilitated Witnessing Whiteness groups in the metropolitan St. Louis area since 2011, and we still hold to Dr. Hunter’s goals. The program has worked with over 5,500 individuals between the ages of 18 and 85, with faith-based communities, community groups, K-12 schools, universities, workplaces, professional organizations, and identity groups. While our primary focus has been meeting the needs in the St. Louis area, we have facilitated groups in Union, MO, as well as Elsah, Alton, Edwardsville, and Lebanon, IL. Since beginning online sessions in 2020, we have expanded our reach to groups in Iowa and Wisconsin.

Research shows our work is effective, and our community is committed to continuing the personal growth and learning that empowers us to walk alongside others who choose to join us.

What Participants Are Saying

  • “Witnessing Whiteness was a turning point in my journey. It challenged my assumptions, gave me language for things I couldn’t name before, and left me hopeful that change really does begin with me. That’s no small gift.”

    — Steve

  • “WW has helped me build a community of anti-racist co-conspirators who support, encourage, and challenge me in my journey of reckoning with my whiteness.

    I've been through the program multiple times as a participant, and I am always learning and growing with each iteration. The organizers are incredibly intentional and dedicated to this important work.”

    — Jane

  • “We all realized that we had very definitely benefited from our whiteness.”

    — Virginia

  • “Witnessing Whiteness helped me uncover blind spots I didn’t even know I was carrying. It wasn’t always comfortable. In fact, some moments were downright humbling; but the support of the group made it safe to keep going. I’m walking away clearer, braver, and grateful.”

    — Rick

Who We Are

Witnessing Whiteness is an organization run entirely by volunteers.

Our volunteers have all participated in the Witnessing Whiteness program themselves, are trained as group facilitators, and receive ongoing professional development.

Though based in the St. Louis metro region, our volunteers come from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, and other states around the country. We are teachers, nurses, marketing professionals, graduate students, and bus drivers. We represent a range of ages, faith backgrounds, neurotypes, gender expressions, and sexual orientations. We are united in our belief in the possibility of a world without racism.

Witnessing Whiteness in the News

A video of a CBS Evening News feature about Witnessing Whiteness. The video thumbnail shows protestors in Ferguson Missouri following the murder of Mike Brown.

A video of an NBC News feature about Witnessing Whiteness. The video thumbnail shows the portraits of four white individuals overlaid with the text “Workshop offers candid talk on race, privilege, and being white.”

A video of a CBS This Morning segment on Witnessing Whiteness. The video thumbnail shows the cover of the 2nd edition of Shelly Tochluk’s book Witnessing Whiteness overlaid above a photo of white people walking from behind.