Marilyn Davenport: colorblindess and intent v. impact

I grew up in Orange County, California. I love the people I grew up with, and I know there are plenty of lovely people who reside there today. These two facts make the recent incident very personal.

"Some Orange County Republican leaders are denouncing an email distributed by a long-serving party committee member that portrays President Obama's face superimposed on a chimpanee, with the words: "Now you know why - No birth certificate!""

"County GOP Chairman Scott Baugh has called for the resignation of Marilyn Davenport, an elected member of the party central committee who sent the email to some committee members and others last week." - LA Times, Sunday, April 17, 2011.

(Click here to see the local coverage.)

What followed the initial public outcry about the email was an "apology" issued by Ms. Davenport that was rather more self-justification than apologetic. And, I think I know why...and I think I know how we can understand its connection to an underlying cultural problem (affecting people on both the right and left of the political spectrum, possibly equally, albeit differently).

ISSUE #1. Colorblindness

Ms. Davenport says that her posting was "unwise", but that she didn't even think that the picture had anything to do with race. (Please note, for both strategic and heartfelt reasons, I'm choosing to believe her. It is quite possible that she DID NOT consider race overtly when she decided to send that email. Her candid - and seriously problematic - responses to reporters' questions only convince me of this.)

I find it ironic that just a few weeks ago I returned from offering a presentation that included a good number of images that showed our history of African American people depicted as primates as a way to highlight how ignorant most of us are regarding how our past is very much alive in our present. The images dated back to the 1700's and 1800's. I also offered images from the 1900's and a few that were within the last few years...several of which showed Obama as the chimp in the image.

The basic message I was trying to convey is that there is very long history in the U.S. of equating people of African descent with primates. It's been used as justifications for abuse, violence, and the attitude that African Americans are somehow less than human, and these themes have been around since the formation of our country.

The fact that Ms. Davenport could possibly be ignorant of this history and the ways that it continues in the present is a primary problem here. The wish to simply "leave race in the past" and "move on as a colorblind society" is largely to blame. (Please note: I advocate race-consciousness over colorblindness...for lots and lots of reason. But, that is the entire presentation. Not enough time for that here..)

Many of us in the white community tend to want to concentrate on the "good" part of our history in order to help make our children "proud" of being U.S. citizens. Further, since we don't pay sufficient attention to how race has played a role in our nation's historic and contemporary lives, we choose ignorance for ourselves and our young people. (See the recent legislation in Texas.)

However, we see here with Ms. Davenport that what we actually do with that approach is leave our citizenry incapable of navigating a complex, diverse world without unintentionally doing significant harm. In other words, we end up hamstringing ourselves....and ensuring that no resolution or healing to our nation's trauma regarding race is achieved.

ISSUE #2. Intent v. Impact --- not the same as being P.C.

Ms. Davenport, when asked about her choice of recipients, said that she'd chosen only those she didn't think would be offended. When further questioned, she was able to name that she felt those who MIGHT be offended would be those of other races. (For future reference, this, right here, is a really great way to know if something is racist. If you have a suspicion that it might offend an entire group of people of a certain background, this is a sure fire way of knowing that it is likely racist.)

That said, let us be clear that ignorance is not the same thing as innocence. Ms. Davenport acted in a way that injured. Her impact is highly problematic and hurtful.

Also, let us recognize that this issue of intent v. impact is not the same as being politically correct. This is about being able to choose to act in ways that do not continue to build on hundreds of years of racism. This is also about being educated, thoughtful, and able to represent the diverse swath of people you represent with every action taken.

ISSUE #3. Anti-racism from within the GOP.

Now, Mr. Scott Baugh deserves some praise here. Regardless of whatever politics might underlie his strong opposition to Ms. Davenport...the fact remains that he's able to name that it's not her intent that really matters here. He stops short of explaining intent v. impact and then veers into the politics of it all. But, it's important that he get credit for demonstrating that the GOP is not exclusively the home of people who give less than a damn about ending racism.

So, thank you, Scott Baugh. You're headed in an important direction...and I look forward to seeing you at future events meant to highlight issues of race, racism and the need to dismantle privilege...particularly the kind of privilege that continues to give white people the ability to hide behind claims of colorblindness, ignorance, or innocence. We need everyone standing up against racism...and it's important that we not see it as a political issue. Both right and left...all of us together...is the vision needed.

And for my part...I'll be happy to sit and chat with Ms. Davenport. I think I can help explain why her words of "apology" sound so hollow to so many....and I think I can do it with a loving spirit. So, Ms. Davenport, feel free to give me a call. It's taken me a long time to see how racism moves and continues...and if you're interested, I'd be happy to share what I now perceive.

Unmasking Whiteness - June 2011

Please help spread the word to those who might be interested!

AWARE-LA is happy to announce that we are offering our 3rd annual workshop series on building white anti-racist practice and community in an intensive 4-day institute designed specifically for white people.

The institute will run from Thursday, June 23rd through Sunday, June 26th 2011 and will take place on the downtown Los Angeles, Mount St. Mary's College, Doheny campus.

The cost for attendance is only $200 (before March 31st) in order to ensure that it's accessible to grass roots organizers, students, and those without institutional funding. A limited number of partial scholarships are available (see our info sheet for details).

This series invites white people to deepen their self-awareness and build community with other white people taking up work for racial justice. Through personal reflection, small and large group dialogue, and experiential activities, this institute invites the exploration of subjects such as:

• The meaning of whiteness
• White privilege and multiple identities
• How to resolve guilt and shame
• Systemic white supremacy (institutional racism)
• Development of an anti-racist practice and identity

Please visit the www.witnessingwhiteness.com main page to download our information sheet and flyer.

Notes from my field

Update #2

Thanks for your patience as I delved headlong into my work this semester. Two issues to report.

First update: A fellow colleague and I conducted our first race and culture dialogue after our Convocation last month, the first time I've been part of a multiracial team on campus. We had 28 individuals attend, which was our largest group yet. It was clear that this new change is moving us in the right direction, and I'm happy to report that the gentleman who joined me as a facilitator is willing to continue doing this work with me!

I'm still working on getting out of my office more to initiate those one-on-one conversations. I know I need to make time. But, something else has been also been calling for my attention...and this is the next update.

Second update: My new classes have begun. Two sets of students: one just beginning a preliminary teacher credentialing program, the other a group of veteran teachers. Both courses attend to issues of equity, diversity, and how that can and should affect a teacher's pedagogical approach.

Specifically, I'd like to share with you what is inspiring me at present. My students. I just completed reading personal narratives from the veteran teachers. I was blown away and grateful that I am working with them.

They are a diverse bunch. At least half appear to be children of immigrants, and a good number of them are first generation college attendees. They are Latina (with heritage from Mexico, El Salvador, and/or Cuba), African American, Irish, Scottish, and more. They are from the mid-west and the west coast. They are Catholic, public, and private school teachers. They recognize ways that they either have or have not felt advantaged and/or disadvantaged by the multiple social positions they occupy. They are individuals, first and foremost.

But there are also some themes that are so striking that I want to share them with you. In the midst of their sense of self as individuals, they are also keenly aware of themselves as members of a society that often does not offer an equal playing field. They are, as a group, absolutely committed to responding to the injustice they see within our education system. Whether they learned to use their voice as young women, challenging unfair wage discrimination, or as children watching their parents make sacrifice after sacrifice to send their children to Catholic schools where they felt they'd receive a high quality education, these are a group of highly self-reflective and insightful teachers.

Whether they challenge stereotypes by refusing to let any negative message about a lack of potential due to their racial background settle into their psyche or chose the teaching profession to ensure that they are positive and uplifting role models for those who are may succumb to negative messages, these are a group of highly dedicated and inspiring teachers.

And then, much to my joy, those students who self-identify as fitting into the category of "white" or "light skinned" are open to naming how that has or has not offered privileges. The sense of responsibility to serve and act in order to open doors (and perspective) for those they teach struck me. They teach in a diversity of settings. Those who teach primarily black and brown students speak of ensuring that they learn the cultures of the communities served. Those who teach primarily affluent, white students speak of bringing consciousness to them regarding race, class, and culture so that the young ones will be better able to navigate the world in a way that respects difference. They have learned much about power, privilege, and opportunity from their years spent in the field of education so far, and they are responding by taking up a course of study that will help them become leaders on their campuses. And, I'm so glad.

I don't want to overstate anything here. These are primarily individuals I'm just getting to know, and I am responding to introductory papers 3-5 pages in length. That said, I just can't help appreciating the position I occupy....and the students with whom I feel privileged to spend this semester.

California's Proposition 8 - Privilege and the Naming of Neutrality

My commentary here will be brief. I just want to alert you to a current issue/debate going on here in California that can be used to help us increase our ability to see how white privilege often shows up in our public debate.

Having said that, this issue is really not about race at all. It's about Proposition 8, an initiative passed by California voters that ended the ability of gay and lesbian people to legally marry in this state.

On August 13th , a pair of editorials were published in the LA Times. Links are posted below. They are both short and worth reading.

Lose the Ruling, Attack the Judge

A biased ruling on gay marriage in California

As you can see, neither say anything about white privilege. But, what I'd like to offer here is that there are links between the arguments presented here and the criticisms against the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court.

Basically, (and I'm probably abbreviating this too much) what I see is that when a group that has long held a position of power (and sees its way of life as the "norm") fears that there is another group becoming increasingly powerful and thereby potentially 1) receiving increased benefits from the system and 2) creating a cultural shift regarding what is considered "normal", there is a backlash. This backlash targets the less systemically powerful group as "biased", as though being part of a "minority" group automatically makes one incapable of rendering an objective and fact-based opinion.

Let's be clear, though, that the point I am raising is that the group that has long held power assumes that its representatives ARE absolutely neutral and are somehow more capable of generating a reasonable and fair perspective.

Pasted below is a perfectly crafted (in my opinion) satire of this issue as presented on Stephen Colbert's comedy show in regards to how it plays out in terms of race.

Stephen Colbert's THE WORD - Neutral Man's Burden

We should watch out for, and argue against, this problematic tendency whenever it arises. Because regardless of how you feel about this particular issue (gay marriage)...it is all tied up with power and privilege, and the people who are in a position to wield institutional power most often in this country are still both white and straight.

Notes from my field

Update #1:

This is a story about how my anti-racism practice shows up in my work world.

A couple of years ago, upon the publication of my book - Witnessing Whiteness - a fellow faculty member (turned administrator) mentioned feeling that convening a book club of faculty/staff at the College to read my book would be a good idea. Fabulous! I thought. I wanted to be able to share my work with my colleagues, but was really worried about being seen as some type of self-perceived know-it-all about race.

This colleagues put out an invitation to the College and two book groups emerged, one on each of our campuses. I attended each session on both campus, and other members facilitated the conversations. After a year, about 12 individuals remained invested in the discussion (some inspired by the book's contents), and discussion revolved around how to keep it going.

Throughout, I tried to hold my tongue and allow the process to develop organically (again, anxious about being too much in control).

What emerged was a plan for two types of dialogue spaces to occur the following academic year. One would be for open, unstructured conversation. The other would be in a more "workshop" format". All faculty/staff would be invited, and we'd develop the conversation and structure as people convened.

In order to support the process, I volunteered to show up to the first dialogue with a workshop structure and provide facilitation. It was mostly centered around community building and sharing interests, concerns, and goals. In no way was I invested in being the primary facilitator over the long run.

Much to my surprise, 23 individuals responded to that first invitation (including the College President) to spend two hours on a Friday evening discussion race and culture. I acted as facilitator. Things went well...very well. I was asked to continue to provide leadership and continue providing facilitative support.

Deep down I knew that there was an emerging problem. Invitations and facilitation for these dialogues were being done exclusively by three white women (myself, the originally inspired administrator, and one other invested, senior colleague). I knew the basic message conveyed was not a good one. And I also knew that my work life felt overwhelming.

I call the building in which I work a vortex. Once I enter each day I am completely swept up in the impressive array of logistics and conversations that I am responsible to guide and resolve. Over the course of the year I knew the value and import of reaching out to the people of color colleagues on campus in order to seek collaboration. I knew that multi-racial collaboration was the only to allow the dialogues to become safe spaces for the diversity of our staff/faculty to show up.

Because I didn't get out of the vortex, last year's dialogues were primarily attended by white faculty. Honestly, really honestly, this worked for me. I understand white caucusing. I think the work with white faculty is extremely important, and I was actually a bit happy to start there...realizing that pain awaited a person of color attending and listening to well-intentioned, but troubling, remarks about race/culture from some of my white colleagues.

But I also knew that something needed to change.

This change finally occurred this summer. During my break, I finally made it over to the office of a colleague of color who I admire and respect and who I've had conversations with in previous years about race. I knew he understands issues of power, privilege, and diversity really well. He's also a veteran staff person on campus.

I told him my story, unsure of what I was asking, if anything. But, I knew I needed to explain my efforts and why they looked like they did.

The feedback offered was a bit different than I'd imagined --- and that's precisely why it was important to take the step to ask for it.

It's resulted in a new collaboration. I don't know what levels of commitment we have to one another. But, he and I will be co-facilitating a first dialogue after our College's convocation in a couple of weeks. We've planned together, and it felt really good.

So, what's my point in telling this story?

I'm not perfect, and neither has been the enactment of my anti-racist practice on campus. I know that. But, I also know that taking one step at a time, continuing to reflect, and continuing to try and rectify and challenge areas where I'm not as good I want to be is a powerful thing...and essential for those of us who need to stay motivated to keep stretching ourselves.

I'm hopeful about this upcoming academic year...and I'm also nervous...for two reasons.

1) I'm choosing to invest more in my home community. That has already led to some challenging conversations. More are surely on their way.

2) This means I must set aside moments to escape the vortex of my job in order to have the one-on-one conversations necessary to build trust with other colleagues and repair any damage that might have been done during last year's white led approach.

Wish me well! I'll need all the positive thoughts coming my way that I can get.

Murder or mistake in Oakland, CA?

Oakland, CA. White cop. Unarmed Black man lying face down. Shot in back.

Murder or mistake?

As a middle-class, white woman with a retired police officer for a father (who I've always considered quite a good person), my life experiences lead me to give law enforcement officers the benefit of the doubt. Am I perfect? No. Do I face life and death situations regularly? No. Might I, in the face of some challenging experience, pull a gun when I thought I was going for my taser? I have no idea.

From what I read it seems that, at the trial of this white officer, the argument was made that this is what happened....that it was a mistake...that he meant to go for the taser. I write this is someone who is likely quite average when it comes to news. I am relatively aware. Not fully aware. Don't have time to read everything. Not completely unconscious. I try to keep up. Relatively aware. And reflecting on that middle-zone status is what has prompted this post.

My personal reaction to the verdict --- Manslaughter--- has been internally disruptive.

It comes down to this progression:
1) Manslaughter? Ok. Not absolved, but given the benefit of the doubt on the intent. Ok. Seems fair enough to me.
2) Protests? Hmm. A little reactionary? I mean, he was found guily of manslaughter, yeah? Not exactly let off the hook.
3) Posts and texts of outrage from my antiracist community? Oh, yeah. Right. Of course. Old story. Same outcome. (Great facebook note from Josh who did a Tim Wise style "flip the script" scenario -- Imagine if, and create the scene of a white man shot in the back by a black man and then the trial is transfered to a location with an all black jury...and then consider whether it's a fair trial. -- Thank you for that.)

And, I'm left wondering...

Here I am, someone who really thinks about white privilege and racism every day. I mean, every day. So, with as much attention as I put on trying to see and understand how racism, both subtle and not so subtle, both individual and institutional, is allowed to manifest, what is going on with me and my search for some type of "balanced" response? And, what might that say about the average white person who doesn't think about this stuff at all?

I admit, not proudly, that I spent about a week or so pondering how reactionary our country's political life seems. And, I lumped this in with it. It then occured to me that I needed to consider my vantage point. Why am I willing to read a few paragraphs in the paper, hear that a person is claiming it was a mistake, and simply believe it?

Two things. Yes, my experience with my father and unthreatening police officers in my life is one factor. But so is my ability to project myself onto this individual. Nothing in my life has caused me to believe really deep down that the average white person is intent on doing damage to people of color. It's not how I grew up, and it's not who I've met in the course of my life. I consider that a good thing, as far as it showing that many people really don't espouse overtly racist beliefs in the zones where I've lived.

These two factors led me to do an internal check. What if I were in this situation? I'm psychically putting myself in the place of the perpetrator and deciding that I can see that perhaps I would have made that error. Maybe. And maybe is enough to humanely go for manslaughter, right?

Now (thanks Josh) it's time to flip the script:

What if my entire set of life experiences taught me something radically different? What if my experiences with law enforcement consisted of scary events where people were injured at the hands of the police? What if my own family and friends had been victims and the police were not exactly appropriately protecting and serving? What if my life taught me that more often than not white people have gotten away with murder through getting the benefit of the doubt (at best) or outright racist policies (at worst --- see our history if you're skeptical)? What if my understanding of bias research ALSO tells me that people in our society are more likely to see black victims of police violence as more deserving of it than white victims (even when the situations are identical).

Put that all together, and then what?

I'm not pretending to say I know what the outcome of the trial should, or should not, have been. I wasn't there. I didn't hear the entire testimony. And, I'm only relatively aware (as I suspect is true for most.)

So, what can I say for sure?

White privilege struck again deep within me. It allowed me to think I was judging the situation on its "merits" in some type of objective way, as though I was being less emotionally "reactive" and more "balanced" than those who are responding angrily. When, in fact, it was my personal life experience that, without consciousness in the moment, shaped all of my initial thoughts and reactions.

So, the question becomes...for white people who are convinced that they are colorblind and that they aren't affected by race at all, what is the likelihood that they would do the type of internal check that I had to do in order to be aware of how privilege was shaping my "objective" response?

I'd wager that for most the likelihood is small to nil. Our culture doesn't support this level of deep thinking nearly enough. It's usually perceived as "guilt-induced" or "self-flagelating". Note that I don't believe I'm doing either of the two. I'm being honest. That's it. I'm noticing. I'm witnessing. I'm recognizing that varied experiences lead to varied perceptions which lead to varied conclusions.

So, what's the resistance about? Simple: The type of self-eval I did on myself messes up the (largely white-held) view that we're collectively beyond race and that we can be "objective" about these things.

It's not until I accept and attend to the fact that the effects of racism/privilege enter my psyche that I feel prompted to consciously work to get rid of it.

Believing we're "colorblind" in our responses shields too many of us from this recognition (sadly).

Do you agree? What's been your experience with this?

A great (if not new) resource about Liberals and white privilege

I know this isn't new. But, I think this blog post from Alter Net (see link below) could be a good resource for those of us who are trying to figure out how to talk to our progressive/liberal white friends/colleagues about race. The 10 misunderstandings described here are all too frequent, and the more we can get our minds (and speech) wrapped around why they are problematic the better.

White Liberals Have White Privilege Too! Ten misunderstandings white liberals have about race

Good luck as we keep trying to have these courageous conversations!

For the sake of transparency...A main prompt for this post arose from a really close friend of mine who is engaged in important work around prison justice. There are many, many good-hearted white people involved in these efforts and their dedication is both profound and appreciated. AND, it seems that there are many people of color who really need those of us (white people) engaged in this work to see the ways we bring our racial selves to the table...and this often means we have to learn that we do indeed have a racial self and that it often comes with socially learned habits of mind and action that (although subtle to us white folks) are really damaging to the people of color we are trying to work with.

Hopefully resources like this can help us prompt each other (and our friends/colleagues) to look more deeply at ourselves without defensiveness, so that we might learn how to better do our work with one another.

Best wishes as you continue on...