Anti-Racism & the Enneagram
In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.
There’s no better way to open a discussion about racism and prejudice as a white person than to quote a person of color who explains it better than I ever could: “racism isn’t getting worse. It’s getting filmed.” Will Smith said this years ago, and it is more relevant now, somehow, then when he had originally said it. Childish Gambino’s viral music video “This is America” depicts several historical instances in America where racism killed black people, including but not limited to a Jim Crow caricature to the Sutherland Springs shooting of 2017. Even American History X, a film made over two decades ago about the fierce prejudice and violent aggression at the heart of white supremacist groups, is, again and somehow, more relevant than when it was originally released.
This is not surprising to people of color. This has been their experience growing up in a culture designed for certain people to succeed and for other people to fail. The term some like to use is meritocracy. I like to call it systemic inequality.
And yet, as a white person, and has also been a widespread notion among many other white people during this crisis, I am not sure what to do. I am overwhelmed, but not nearly in as significant of a way as my black and brown brothers and sisters of color. There’s so much evil present at the heart of racism, and it is abundantly more than isolated cases of “bad apples.” In fact, it might be better for us to look at the bad “tree” of systemic and racial inequality which has caused so many “bad apples” to fall and kill too many unarmed black people.
For some of us, it’s easy to combat prejudice and step into anti-racism. Or to, at least, speak boldly, act boldly, respond boldly to it when we see it. Yet others, whether due in part to an unwillingness to address their own subconscious prejudices or otherwise, are more hesitant to speak up, act differently, and press into responses rather than react with inaction.
As the cult of the Enneagram continues to expand, claiming more and more followers every year, I thought it would be helpful to look at how each of the nine types might handle the ongoing fight and push for anti-racism. Again, has been stated many, many times by people of color, the time for flippant “I’m not racist” comments, ideologies, and theologies is over. The time is right (as it always has been) for white people to use their tools, their resources, their minds, and their hearts to make a more anti-racist world, particularly for their black and brown brothers and sisters, but also for their own white children to more easily step into anti-racism. If riot is the language of the unheard as Martin Luther King Jr. so aptly stated fifty plus years ago, we must now look at nine different and powerful ways we can hear what we have ignored and silenced for too long.
Three things before I launch; this post is written by a white person as a fool’s guide to reflect on the nine Enneagram personalities as they are reflected BY white people, specifically. This post is written for white people of all nine types to specifically engage in antiracism in their particular personality structure. Regardless, the way a white Enneagram type 3 and a black/brown Enneagram type 3 show up to the world are vastly different thanks largely to the racism present in the world even if their supposed underlying motivations are the same. Therefore, I will write to type 3s under the assumption I write to a white audience because black or brown type 3s need not be called on to fight racism (neither do the other eight types represented by people of color). They didn’t start the problem, but it is very much something they have to work to continually overcome using their type 3 resourcefulness, hard work ethic, and capacity to inspire others as a part of the way they combat prejudice they endure on a daily basis. White type 3s need not overcome any prejudice based on their race, but I write to offer insight on how they can use that same resourcefulness, hard work ethic, and capacity to inspire others to help with the anti-racism cause.
Secondly, I write this with the assumption the given audience has a decent knowledge of the Enneagram already. If you do not have this knowledge, I highly recommend the Typology podcast with Ian Cron, his book with Suzanne Stabile, The Road Back to You, and for the particularly nerdy, the EnneaApp. These tools are just the beginning of the journey; there’s many great resources to explore this personality theory but that isn’t the point of this post.
Third, I will describe how each type can engage in anti-racism under three different scales: “micro,” “meso,” and “macro.” Each of the three areas are where you show up in racist or anti-racist ways. No need for shame here; writing this and as I process my own type, I still have plenty of work to eradicate the prejudice I carry internally. And our brothers and sisters of color desperately need us to start doing our internal work sooner rather than later.
Here’s my brief synopsis of the three categories:
“Micro” (anti)-racism is how your internal world of thoughts, feelings, and instincts inform your reactions and also reveal where you are subconsciously racist that is less noticeable by others and primarily understood from honest reflection.
“Meso” (anti)-racism is how your external world of immediate connections, including significant others, parents, siblings, extended family, and friends, inform your capacity and willingness to speak out against racial prejudice and/or contribute to discrimination yourself, from subtle and “unintentionally” impactful stereotyping to overt, frank reinforcing of white supremacy.
“Macro” (anti)-racism is how your external world of vocation, social media presence/influence, and other capacities where you exist in the “world at large” reveals where you stand politically, socioeconomically, religiously, and otherwise. This is the way you show up (or don’t) as an anti-racist to groups of total strangers whether online or in real life.
Type 1s:
Racism is quite the whopper to attempt to eradicate, so a call for perfection as it pertains to racism in America (and the world) will not likely come this side of heaven. Instead, what is needed for type 1s to reform anti-racism on a “micro” scale is to check your inner critic when it chastises or criticizes attempts at anti-racism, even and especially your own. The tendency to hate mistakes will be exacerbated as you push into trying on anti-racist ideology, thoughts, heart postures, and actions. You will say the wrong thing at times, but it is far better for you to attempt and say something incorrectly than be silent for fear of potentially making things worse. Your deep desire and tendency to push for what is right will shine through your occasional mistakes anyway. Yet, reflect honestly, and also gently, the places or instances you may have moralized or judged in the past the experiences of people of color because they “should have known better.” On a “meso” scale, draw on your deep longing for order to call out the chaos of racially charged rhetoric and divisive, inflammatory stereotyping. Use that gut instinct of your right and wrong compass to critique (but not criticize) white family members who reinforce white supremacist ideology and politics. Believe it, the evils of racism and prejudice, on the “micro” scale deep inside your own conscience, to make it easier to step out boldly on the “meso” scale with overt racism from those close to you. On a “macro” scale, use your job and influence to promote anti-racist books, seminars, and podcasts. Broadcast these resources, again, from the “micro” scale of the rightness of doing so, particularly resources created and written by people of color. Your inner critic will hopefully be awfully quiet when you promote the brothers and sisters of color around you, especially to the world at large.
Type 2s:
Racism is definitely in need of “helping,” and your deep awareness of the feelings of others, particularly people of color, will come in handy to draw from in the fight against racism. On a “micro” scale, it may be hard for you to see or acknowledge places where you are prejudiced. Further, reflection is difficult already for you as it is. Yet, because of the ease with which you press into anti-racist actions, the time spent on honest and raw reflection of your own prejudices will cause your anti-racist actions to be far more powerful. Rather than helping from a place of pride and savior-complex, your anti-racism will draw from a “micro” scale of altruistic giving and wholehearted compassion that is sorely needed in an increasingly heartless and non-compassionate context. On a “meso” scale, it will be challenging to address the racist comments and rants of family members/friends and to know how to engage them. If, however, you draw from your heart, draw from your actions, and draw again from your “micro” scale of true altruism, you will find ways to speak graciously and firmly against the racism you hear even from those you love so deeply. On a “macro” scale, and with those who don’t know you well and who also don’t know your deep well of compassion and empathy, be sure to engage in anti-racism that draws from more than just the heart. In other words, show the statistics, the research, the knowledge you have on the subject, along with your natural tendency to draw on the emotional “rightness” of anti-racism, to show a balanced approach to the fight against racism.
Type 3s:
Racism needs a lot of undoing and a lot of doing after it, so there is ample room for you to go out and act on things to engage in anti-racism. On a “micro” scale, be sure to check whether your push for anti-racism is rooted more in the deep, moral rightness of it versus the social capital to be gained by advocating for anti-racist ideology. To be fair, sometimes these two things will feel blurry, but this can be used as an opportunity to work on true reflection which can often be a challenge in other aspects of your life. When you push for anti-racism because it’s right, and not because it’s popular, you will positively influence more people anyway. Even still, however, reflect on the spaces or times where you did participate in racial prejudice in order to “save face” to a largely white audience. On a “meso” scale, be sure to have the same perspective/worldview no matter the audience of friends and family you have around you. Whether they be socially conscious and “woke” or socially unaware and prejudiced, be sure you speak the same way, engage the same way, influence others the exact same way regardless of the audience you are around. Your words carry weight because you know how to read the room and become what’s needed to impact others. Be sure, however, that your perspective and worldview are the same no matter who you are around. On a “macro” scale, you likely have the affection and admiration of many people already. Use it, strongly, to take stands on issues, even and especially when it’s “unsexy.” Be willing and expectant to lose some influence, followers, or admirers by the way you don't make people “at ease” but rather stir the pot by speaking from your heart and speaking the truth about racism.
Type 4s:
Racism needs an abundance of empathy to be understood, as this is where we (I am a type 4) are useful in the fight against racism. On a “micro” scale, we feel a lot of different things all the time, but generally it is about how things affect us or how things could be better for us. Instead, let’s use our tendency to internalize or feel like the “outsider” to understand the “outsiderness” of people of color. In particular, with our brothers and sisters of color, a willingness to engage in and NOT fix the pain they have endured via racism is vital, especially for them to experience understanding from their white brothers and sisters when they often haven’t. Our place of prejudice will likely be due in part to our over-emphasizing of our own suffering over and ahead of others, so draw on our deep feelings, instead, to place yourself in the shoes of others instead of in the shoes of your own bloated, “Shakespearian” esque sorrow. On a “meso” scale, let’s use our intuitive understanding of our shame to speak to the shame of other white people, pushing them into anti-racism where before their “white shame” might have caused inaction. Further, be sure to not argue about prejudice in the way it is common for prejudiced white people to argue. We will walk away feeling discouraged, and this will feed our Eeyore syndrome all the more. Our efforts in anti-racism will always appear, on some level, to be subversive, even covert at times. On a “macro” scale, let’s use our creativity for things surrounding social justice and equity. Whether it be writing, speaking, drawing, singing, etc. let’s use the deep feelings we have to create pieces about anti-racism and not just self-reflection/anguish. Let’s draw from our love of all things grey and nuanced to make the racism present in the world more clearly black and white in its evil & oppression.
Type 5s:
In order for white complicity and silence to end, white ignorance must cease first. This is where your gifting as a deep-diving researcher will come in handy. On a “micro” scale, it may be hard for you to notice your prejudices due to the more objective perspective you attempt to have on paper and in your head. However, racism is generally more duplicitous in nature, and although there are plenty of racists who are overt in their bigotry, the places you may have prejudices might be buried deep in your subconscious. By reflecting openly, tapping into the emotions when they come, you will have a better idea of where you need to excavate prejudices to remove them. Besides, you likely see objectively why racism is foolish better than other types. On a “meso” scale, it might be a challenge to object to the prejudices you hear from those close to you as being quiet is your natural inclination in any kind of conversation. However, people generally trust your opinions because they are more well-informed than most. So if and when you speak up, use your wealth of knowledge and outside of the box thinking to disclose the evils of racism by showing how illogical it is not only to dislike people according to race but also how foolish it is to dismiss the well-documented history of racism. On a “macro” scale, use, again, your great capacity to research and study topics thoroughly and include, in detail, the perspectives and insights of researchers, scientists, and scholars of color. Even in the scientific fields, the closest to “objective” one can get, double and triple check that the results you find are the closest to “objective” as possible, specifically because all insights/perspectives were noted, even and especially experts of color.
Type 6s:
One of the pragmatic ways racism gets weakened is through legislation. As a natural law follower (and one who is suspicious of unjust laws/leaders), you have a particular capacity to notice how the “underdogs” of racism, i.e. people of color, are slighted. On a “micro” scale, you likely don’t trust yourself to do the right “anti-racist” thing but you also don’t trust yourself to say the right “anti-racist” thing too. Instead of thinking of all the wrong things that can happen in your quest toward anti-racism, dwell, instead, on everything that can go right. If and when you tap into your courage in the midst of your fear, you will likely provide a perspective that is multi-faceted and balanced to the discussion, both inside your head and outside of it with your family and friends. On that “meso” scale, it will be hard to resist when authority figures you trust and/or love say or do racist things. And yet, your very resistance will become extra powerful because those who love you well know how much value and energy you place on those trusted advisors/friends. It doesn’t mean you yell or strike back aggressively; it does mean, however, that you object, even if in a mild way. Just because they have been trustworthy in the past, that doesn’t mean that their racist perspective is trustworthy as well. On a “macro” scale, use that same energy fixated on rules and authorities to distinguish exactly how laws are unjust or how that authority is illegitimate and unjust. Being fixated on the rules and regulations can be a wonderful asset if you fight to ensure those rules and regulations are fair for all people. And fairness matters more to you than most other types.
Type 7s:
Your energy is infectious and just the sort of lightness needed to address the sheer and deeply heavy weight of racism. On a “micro” scale, be sure you don’t reframe your own prejudices without honestly reflecting about why they exist to begin with. Reframing doesn’t negate what’s already there. Understand, too, that this fight against racism is not fun or exciting or exhilarating. It’s often tiring work, and it can’t be fixed by intense optimism alone. On a “meso” scale, be sure to use that optimism to keep the peers around you energized in the struggle toward anti-racism. Yet, when those same peers reveal their prejudices, don’t reframe or excuse them and/or move onto a “happier” or “neutral” topic. Use your highly active mind to respond to their comments directly, changing your normally cheerful disposition to a more serious tone so as to reveal to those peers how seriously you take the topic. Further, show your friends of color that you can sit with them in their pain, regardless of how heavy it is to carry. One of your deepest fears is that people would leave you in that same space, so be sure to not leave them in theirs. On a “macro” scale, people notice your enthusiasm and tendency toward joy. And while the struggle toward anti-racism is a hard-go and very taxing, show, too, how energizing and invigorating it can be to sign petitions, go on marches, meet at demonstrations, etc. Use your own sort of FOMO to grasp how rewarding, exciting, and satisfying it can be to engage with this work and see things become better, especially for your brothers and sisters of color.
Type 8s:
If I were a betting man, I’d say 80% of the people I heard starting chants in the protests I’ve been to were type 8s. You are the general on a horse galloping ahead of the frontlines of your own troops for the sake of those being bullied. Yet on a “micro” scale, understand that you do bring more to the fight than an extreme fearlessness against the bullying of the police, white supremacists, etc. Further, even if you speak loudly, act loudly, and respond loudly, that doesn’t negate the quiet prejudices you carry deep in your own subconscious. Before, during, and even after your direct activism, be sure to reflect on some of the places you still harbor some resentment which can easily bleed and become prejudice. On a “meso” scale, you have zero problem engaging directly with the prejudices of those close to you. And yet, again, you have more in your toolbelt than a hammer. Although you fear showing your own vulnerability, if and when you do reveal it, particularly for the sake of people of color, it is just as powerful as any Facebook rant or tweeting exchange. The world is a scary place for everyone, but especially for people of color, and exposing yourself to that very scariness will allow you to draw closer to the experiences of the people of color you love. On a “macro” scale, again, it is not challenging one bit for you to challenge racist and prejudiced rhetoric. And yet, when you do challenge it (which you always should), be sure to not become too much alike the very thing you object to. You may not be as obviously racist as the people you argue with, but you can bring sugar along in the fight and not just the vinegar you so clearly and righteously see in them.
Type 9s:
You are the sweetheart of the Enneagram, and your kind, warm temperament is sorely needed when we are so exhausted and overwhelmed by the cold, sterile quality present in racism. On a “micro” scale, although you likely don’t deal with as many prejudices as other types, you do struggle with responding against it, likely more than other types. Be sure that you don’t spend energy narcotizing from the heaviness of the world and your sensitivity to it. Instead, use that very sensitivity to be the safest kind of space for your friends of color to share about their own pain and hardships. On a “meso” scale, it will be very hard to directly object to the prejudices and racism of those close to you. And yet, your generally kind and carefree disposition becomes extra powerful when you do stand up and resist against prejudice and racism, particularly with family members/close friends who think they can get away with rhetoric or ranting around you because you will “just accept it.” Refuse to merge with them in those spaces, even if you know and/or believe that deep down “they aren’t racist.” You are too sensitive and aware of the plight of all people to allow them to get away with their prejudice, unintentioned or otherwise. On a “macro” scale, you understand both sides well on any issue. Therefore, work to soften the rage of the fight toward anti-racism to make it more palatable for the “unconvinced” while also directly reject the harsh and overtly bigoted prejudice of the racist side, also for the sake of the “unconvinced.” You understand both sides, but your heart likely resides in one space. The unconvinced will likely look to the one who is kind and understanding to both sides to get your perspective.
This is by no means extensive or thorough. This is merely an avenue to start antiracism within white people, using a tool that has garnered a ton of popularity within white culture as a launching pad to make the world a better and less prejudiced world for our beloved brothers and sisters of color.
We are all made in the image of God, yet for four hundred years plus, we have treated entire people groups made in that very image horribly. The time to swallow pride, reflect on our own prejudices, empathize and understand the pain of our brothers and sisters, and step into discomfort necessary to promote change is now. Whether you are a 1 or a 9 or a 7, we all have giftings within us, designed by God, to usher in His kingdom created to give life and life abundantly to all people, regardless of their race. Let’s use them, then, to follow Jesus and repent from our theology, politics, and culture of white supremacy which is a kingdom of Hell and has the mark of the Devil all over it.