Diverse community collaborating to dismantle historical barriers, revealing interconnectedness.

Unpacking White Innocence: How Family Stories Can Foster Decolonial Thinking

Theo Raines in Mind & Education December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Explore how a unique pedagogical tool helps white students confront privilege and contribute to a more just community psychology."

In an era where the echoes of historical racism persist within societal structures, the need to understand and dismantle systems of power is more critical than ever. The resurgence of overt prejudice in recent years underscores the urgency of addressing the subtle yet pervasive ways in which racial inequality continues to operate. Overcoming colorblindness and historical amnesia is essential for meaningful social change.

For many, the ideals of freedom, equality, and justice remain elusive. As activist Angela Davis reminds us, 'Freedom is a constant struggle.' This struggle necessitates allies, particularly from those who benefit from existing power structures. White individuals must actively engage in dismantling systems of oppression in which they are implicated, rather than remaining passive beneficiaries.

Community psychology, with its focus on social justice and community empowerment, has a vital role to play. However, traditional pedagogical tools often fall short in addressing the coloniality of power embedded in whiteness. This article explores an innovative approach—the Family Portrait Assignment—designed to facilitate decolonial thinking among white students, challenging them to confront their own privilege and contribute to a more equitable society.

Decoloniality and Community Psychology: A New Perspective

Diverse community collaborating to dismantle historical barriers, revealing interconnectedness.

Decoloniality challenges the systems that categorize and marginalize people, dismantling the 'Othering' that perpetuates inequality. It involves deconstructing the coloniality of power woven into structures of whiteness, requiring us to problematize and dismantle the perceived normativity of whiteness. This means recentering non-Eurocentric ways of knowing and prioritizing the experiences of communities of Color and Indigenous peoples.

When colonial ways of thinking go unchallenged, they can reproduce harmful social science approaches. Community psychology has long strived to challenge the discipline's underlying assumptions, seeking a decolonizing standpoint aligned with liberation. Decoloniality and liberation are intertwined, forming the basis of a community psychology committed to anti-oppression.

Defining Decoloniality: Decoloniality seeks to dismantle the power structures and knowledge systems that perpetuate racial, gender, and geopolitical hierarchies.
A Decolonizing Standpoint in Community Psychology: This approach integrates transnational, multidisciplinary, and sociohistorical lenses to challenge the legacies of colonial power and whiteness.
Critical Reflexivity toward Decolonial Thinking: Encourages constant self-evaluation in relation to others, the social context, and power dynamics.

Critical reflexivity, as articulated by scholars like Freire and Martín-Baró, involves a deep examination of one's role in perpetuating or challenging systems of power. By turning the lens inward and evaluating colonial ways of thinking, we can unlock a powerful tool for liberation and disrupt the structures of whiteness. The ultimate goal is to move beyond theoretical understanding and engage in practices that dismantle oppression and foster a more just and equitable world.

The Path Forward: Implications for Community Psychology

The current socio-political context demands community psychologists stand firm in their values and engage in decolonial and liberatory work. Learning to foster critical reflexivity in relation to a sociohistorical analysis of the coloniality of power and community psychology is key. A decolonizing standpoint in community psychology pedagogy requires reflection to disrupt the structures of whiteness embedded in community psychology pedagogy, theory, research, and action.

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Everything You Need To Know

What is the Family Portrait Assignment, and how does it facilitate decolonial thinking?

The 'Family Portrait Assignment' is a pedagogical tool designed to encourage white students to critically examine their family histories. It challenges 'white innocence' and promotes decolonial thinking within community psychology. By delving into family narratives, students confront their own privilege, understand the historical roots of inequality, and actively participate in dismantling oppressive systems. This approach moves beyond theoretical understanding, encouraging practices that foster a more just and equitable world, thus promoting decoloniality.

How does decoloniality relate to community psychology, and why is it important?

Decoloniality in community psychology challenges systems that categorize and marginalize people, dismantling the 'Othering' that perpetuates inequality. It involves deconstructing the coloniality of power embedded in whiteness, by recentering non-Eurocentric ways of knowing and prioritizing the experiences of communities of Color and Indigenous peoples. This is important because community psychology, focused on social justice and community empowerment, has a vital role to play in addressing the subtle yet pervasive ways in which racial inequality operates. It allows community psychology to align itself with liberation and anti-oppression.

What is 'critical reflexivity,' and how does it help dismantle structures of whiteness?

Critical reflexivity involves a deep examination of one's role in perpetuating or challenging systems of power, as articulated by scholars like Freire and Martín-Baró. It encourages constant self-evaluation in relation to others, the social context, and power dynamics. By turning the lens inward and evaluating colonial ways of thinking, critical reflexivity unlocks a powerful tool for liberation and disrupts the structures of whiteness. This self-evaluation process allows white individuals to recognize their implication in these systems and actively work to dismantle them.

What are the key components of a decolonizing standpoint in community psychology?

A decolonizing standpoint in community psychology integrates transnational, multidisciplinary, and sociohistorical lenses. It challenges the legacies of colonial power and whiteness by acknowledging and dismantling the 'coloniality of power'. This approach involves understanding how historical racism and oppression continue to influence societal structures, promoting critical reflexivity, and recentering non-Eurocentric perspectives. This comprehensive view helps to build a community psychology practice that is committed to anti-oppression and liberation.

How can white individuals actively contribute to dismantling systems of oppression, as suggested by this approach?

White individuals can actively contribute by engaging in decolonial work, as suggested by activist Angela Davis, and using tools such as the 'Family Portrait Assignment'. This involves critically examining their family histories, challenging 'white innocence,' and understanding their implication in systems of power. They should embrace critical reflexivity, constantly evaluating their role in perpetuating or challenging these systems. This active engagement helps overcome colorblindness and historical amnesia, fostering a more equitable society. Community psychology, by adopting a decolonizing standpoint, helps to guide this crucial work.