Meet Dan Balmer. He’s a self-proclaimed “racist in recovery,” who once hid behind the comfortable claim that he was “not racist.”
Then, one day he had an epiphany and posted this on TikTok:
"Hi, my name is Dan and I'm a racist. I have been in recovery for 30-plus years. Would anyone else like to share?"
Now Dan is doing what he can to help others understand what racism really is and how they can overcome those feelings. He’s developing online workshops focused on “racial bias deconstruction”, has launched a blog, and is doing what he can to help ease the scourge of racism. And, he's our guest on the Lean to the Left podcast.
Who is this middle aged White guy who claims he's a "racist in recovery?"
Dan Balmer is a teacher with a master’s degree in education. His master’s thesis was a simplified model of learning theory focused on addressing barriers to learning. Understanding these concepts has helped him create non-traditional approaches to his instruction.
Throughout his career, Dan has needed to adapt his teaching style to meet the needs of doctors, nurses, billing, registration, and transport staff. These skills were utilized in other industries, including as a financial advisor and traveling trainer of retirement benefits for a variety of clients.
Here are some questions we asked Dan:
Q. Tell us what brought you to this mission. And why is it so important?
Q. Why did you question yourself about racism? Did you have occasion to overtly claim that you were not racist?
Q. How do you know if you are really racist? What qualifies a person as not racist?
Q. Have you ever heard an obviously racist person describe themselves at not racist?
Q. For many people, they don’t even think about whether they are racist or not, perhaps not until they are confronted with a situation that tests them. Do you agree?
Q. What should people do if they come to realize that, gee, maybe they are a little bit racist. Is there such a thing as “a little bit racist?”
Q. Let’s talk about your workshop. It covers concepts that you say prevent growth and change. Take a minute to tell us about them.
Q. You wrote a blog entitled “The Luxurious Illusion of being Not Racist.” Tell us about that.
To learn more about Dan Balmer, please visit https://danielbalmer.org/. Check out his workshop for racial bias deconstruction at https://racistsinrecovery.thinkific.com/courses/first-steps-toward-racial-bias-deconstruction.
Listen to the interview:
View the interview: https://youtu.be/-6BA1Y1tjCo