ALERT: I'm moving! New postings are at ShellyTochluk.com

Thank you for visiting! I have moved (upgraded)! All new and old blog posts are now available at shellytochluk.com, my new website. I will no longer post to this site. Please visit shellytochluk.com, subscribe to my email list (if desired) to receive alerts and updates, and click on the "blog" tab to see blog posts starting July 2015. I hope to stay in touch!

Baby Steps into Activism: A Time Sensitive Call to Action

Becoming politically active is not unlike choosing to walk across a mine field. It takes years to figure out how to avoid making regular missteps. And yet, taking action that sparks controversy and upset is bound to happen. No doubt about it, it’s painful to find out that regardless of your best intentions, people you care about think you made an error.

Navigating challenging feedback is tough, especially when there has been a serious attempt to outreach to a diverse set of people before taking action.  What do you do when two of your closest advisers give you different advice? When it comes to issues of race, as a white person, I have frequently felt challenged when two politically-minded friends of color have expressed totally opposite viewpoints and suggestions.

One of my closest friends recently faced this challenge. He’s a white rapper invested in social justice. He just released a song called Listen, and it highlights the receipt of military-grade weapons by a local school district. It’s a good song, and it’s an amazing first step into political activism.

And, it’s not a perfect effort (from an activist's standpoint). There’s a particular phrase that sets things up a bit too much as him being a “protector” for students of color. Since my friend is a white guy, this easily calls to mind the “white savior” idea. We’ve talked about this, and he’s been receptive to feedback.

This one point of feedback, however, should not detract him from forward movement. A large number of people of color in his life are saying: “Yes, you have to do this. Yes, this is a great song. Yes, this is useful. Yes, we are behind you.” A diverse, creative, well-connected set of people have also come together to help produce a video for the song that should help it reach a wider audience and support action steps

But, even with these folks working for free…there is money to be raised to help make the video shoot happen. This is where seasoned activists and caring individuals come in. If you want to help support a budding activist in walking this path, please take a few minutes and contribute even a little to his Kickstarter campaign.

If we can get a bunch of people to contribute even $5 or $10 each, we can demonstrate that taking a risk to put yourself on the line, in the path of critique, is worthwhile. This is a great way to help me send the message to my friend he should continue down this challenging road of learning how to walk the activists’ path.

Please donate whatever you can and share with others who recognize the need to support an emerging activist and all those rallying behind him.

Click here to donate!

Are We Teachers or Security Guards?

Should a teacher be fired for refusing to search students?

My AWARE-LA colleague, Vitaly, has just written an article explaining how he is being threatened with termination as a Los Angeles Unified School District teacher for refusing to use a metal detector to randomly search his students. Although the policy itself is alarming and implemented unjustly in many schools, this particular situation needs attention because this 21-year veteran educator has created a vibrant, trusting environment for students living in a housing project, a continuation school for students who have been kicked out of traditional schools. These students, attending class in a one-room schoolhouse in the projects with their sole teacher, are inspired to learn and dedicated to the restorative justice and critical pedagogy (a la Freire) this teacher brings to the school.

Vitaly and his students have created one of the most inspiring classrooms I have ever witnessed, and it is likely to be destroyed without outside support and pressure on district officials. Please take a look at the article Vitaly just wrote for the school district's union newspaper about the situation, Are We Teachers or Security Guards?, (article is on page 9 and continues on page 15). It documents research indicating that random searchers have been shown to be destructive and undermine the basic intent, to create safe schools. Please share this post with others to raise awareness about this situation.

#StudentsNotSuspects

Unmasking Whiteness Institute 2015 - Space Available!

AWARE-LA will offer its 7th annual workshop series on building white anti-racist practice and community in an intensive 4-day institute designed specifically for white people from Thursday, July 23rd through Sunday, July 26th, 2015. The event will take place on the downtown Los Angeles, Mount Saint Mary's University, Doheny campus.

We limit this group to approximately 25 participants. At this time, there is space available. Last year we began a waiting list by mid-May. This year, spots appear to be filling up more quickly.

The cost for attendance is only $200 (before April 1st) and $225 (beginning April 1st) in order to ensure its accessibility to grass roots organizers, students, and those without institutional funding. A limited number of partial scholarships are available (see our info sheet for details via the website link below). We are sorry that we cannot help support housing needs for out-of-town folks. But, we recommend reaching out via your networks for space sharing options in the city.

In case you've never heard of us, 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
• Institutional racism
• Development of an anti-racist practice and identity

Please visit the www.witnessingwhiteness.com main page to download the information sheet, flyer, and registration form. Contact information for more information is on the flyer.

You can also visit the AWARE-LA home page and search under the "projects" tab.

Multicultural Teaching Institute 2015

Last June, the first (what I hope will be annual) Multicultural Teaching Institute offered me tremendous insight into how teachers at the early grades need to be aware of issues affecting transgendered students. I had no idea! So much great collaborative learning took place, it was really inspiring. This upcoming June 2015 I will be a part of this conference again, and I'm truly looking forward to learning from the other presenters. Take a look at the Institute's website to learn more. Registration is now open. I hope to meet you there.

http://www.multiculturalteaching.org/

A hands-on, collaborative conference to provide real-world tools in multicultural teaching for teachers of pre-k through grade 12.

Teachers will:

• engage in creating multicultural lessons and teaching practices
• develop a deeper understanding of personal limitations and blind spots in teaching
• expand ability to critically evaluate self and practices within the classroom
• reflect on personal experience and implicit biases

Ferguson, Eric Garner, Unconscious Bias, and Witnessing Whiteness Dialogue Groups

There has been no shortage of words spoken and printed on the primary subjects of this piece. I offer my voice now to highlight some of the important messages I received.

First, Sandy Banks describes findings from a highly respected Stanford researcher, Jennifer Eberhardt, which highlight that deep, subconscious stereotypes exist in the majority of us, regardless of race. These stereotypes can be triggered subliminally, heighten fear responses, and result in deadly reactions against black people. Of this, there is really no question. Banks' December 5th LA Times article on how "police expectations damage black men's realities" is an important starting place for understanding how we all may be subject ot this very upsetting and damaging phenomena of internalized, subconscious stereotyping.

Caryl Rivers then offered an op-ed in the LA Times on December 11th which describes how "confirmation bias" a long history of helping whites demonize blacks." This article provides additional context for how unconscious bias and stereotypes are triggered based on the tendency to "interpret or remember information in a way that confirms what we already believe." This type of bias helps explain why even though "as Harvard sociologist Charles Ogletree has pointed out, 'ninety-nine percent of black people don't commit crimes, yet we see the images of black people day in, day out, and the impression is that they're all committing crimes.'" The essential take away from this work is that we will never resolve the real divisions that exit between blacks and whites in the U.S. until we recognize and confront the power of confirmation bias.

One result of confirmation bias is the belief among many white people that the U.S. has effectively ended systematic and institutionalized forms of racial discrimination. Paul Gorski's early December blog post highlights the irrefutable evidence that our society remains one in which "white people on average gain substantial benefits from their whiteness." His offering, in response to angry white voices on social media, helps us see that the very structure of our society continues to breed and maintain inequity and that its systemic nature is not simply a product of individual bigotry.

The need to attend to the systemic issues, as Paul Gorski does, is essential. And in order to truly get underneath the way pervasive, subconsious bias arises and is maintained through institutional structures, we need to each delve deeply enough into our own psyches to honestly evalute how we continue to be affected by bias. Debby Irvine does this on a regular basis. Her blog post explaining her shock as she witnessed herself rise as a white male approached her (as a show of respect) at a conference is illustrative. What she realizes is not simply that she gave respoect ot a white male (which is fine), but she reacted differently to others she encountered earlier the same day. This is the point. Subconscious bias is just that...below our level of conscious control. It is essential to consider that this same impulse to treat one person with increased deference and respect works in the opposite direction. This impulse come from the same kind of bias that causes the split-second, anxiety-fueled decision by some police to pull the trigger against a black man when it is not absolutely required. All of us who are not in law enforcement should consider ourselves forunate that our unconscious bias is unlikely to prove deadly.

It was Debby herself who alerted me to a useful TED Talk by Verna Myers who recently spoke about how to overcome our biases. Besides the culminating message letting us know that we need to boldly walk toward our bias, she offered a specific (and rather profound) first step for those of us who are white. She said, basically, that we need to stop worrying about being "good" people and we need to start focusing instead on being "real." So, what does she mean by that? Well, the 18 minute speech is worth listening to in full. But, at the core, what I found essential is that she is alerting us that if we only focus on whether or not we are "good", then we will be forever resistant to the unsettling question that needs to be asked..."how does Ferguson live wihtin us?" In other words, where in me does a fear of black men reside? Where in me is there unconscious bias?

Why are those questions so essential? In additional to our personal actions, subconscious bias also allows news events to go unexamined. Take a recent event in Los Angeles for example. A military-grade shipment of arms was recently sent to and accepted by the Los Angeles Unified School district (LAUSD) police. From what I understand, the initial delivery included a tank and grenade launcher. Wow! What makes any of us believe that it is even remotely appropriate for school police to be armed with military equipment? Close your eyes and imagine a scenario that would warrant the use of military equipment on a school campus. Who is in the scene? What racial background are the people in the scene? A close friend of mine, one who is working hard to combat subconscious bias, has written a song called "Listen" about this situation.This song highlights the need for a vision that replaces the fear of youth of color with an embrace of their gifts and inherent potential.

Thankfully, there are many who are responding to the anger, protests, and confusion unleashed by the recent grant jury deciisons by taking action to learn more about oureslves and each other, an esential step in breaking down unconscious bias. After all, we have to first learn about our bias and raise it to the level of conscious awareness before we will ever be able to learn techniques to eliminate its effects. A Decmeber 9th Colorlines article called "The White Conversation on Race" highlights the fact that there are many whites in St. Louis who are seeking conversations about undoing racism with each other.

One of the links within the article is to a CBS Evening News clip of a Witnessing Whiteness Dialogue Group. This group has been onging in St. Louis for the last four years. What I love most about this clip is that it offers a positive example of how white people can come together to learn and grow. It's not about segregating ourselves and it's not about guilt. This work is about taking responsibility for understanding how racism continues to play a pervasive role in our society, and it helps us learn how to take action (both within ourselves and with each other) to combat its effects. Look closely and you'll see the dialogue participants are holding my book. Am I thrilled to see this? Yes, of course.

You see, during these last couple of months circumstances have prevented me from participating as fully in the conversation about these issues as I would have liked. So, yes, I was thrilled to learn that throughout it all, something positive was coming from my work. And that's the point I'd like to end by making: We never know how our voice will affect people. We don't know how far and wide the message will extend. But every once in a while, if we keep doing the work of consciousness-raising AND taking action for justice, someday we just might get a message back that indicates people are positively affected during a critical time. We can make a difference. Each of our voices matter.

Straight Vanilla: White Culture and its Flavor

"My life is straight vanilla," a friend once said to me during a catch-up phone conversation. There wasn't anything to report. No adventure, no excitement. She considered her life boring and has since alluded to a diffuse and pervasive sense of meaninglessness. She didn't see her life as having flavor, culture, or spice. As I listened to her speak, the word "plain" came to mind.

In seeing the words "vanilla" and "plain" as synonymous I continued with a fundamental error  in thinking that I have found common within many in my white community. My explanation requires a bit of storytelling. You see, for many years I conflated "vanilla" and "plain." As a child, I believed vanilla ice cream was plain ice cream. Vanilla meant no flavor, the same as plain. I saw plain yogurt in stores as a curiosity. Who would ever choose plain? I never chose anything plain, and I never chose vanilla either. It was as though my taste buds were not sensitive enough to pick up vanilla's flavor. My error in thinking was never questioned.

Somewhere along the line I began to taste vanilla. I don't recall when it happened. But I remember noticing that I liked Vanilla Bean ice cream and Very Vanilla Yoplait yogurt. I realized that each had a distinctive taste. Vanilla candles spelled pungently, and vanilla body wash woke me up in the morning. As I increasingly recognized the flavor of vanilla, I began pouring an extra 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla in batter when baking.

What I have since realized is that saying "vanilla" is the same as "plain" is like saying that being white has no flavor, that it is plain and has no associated culture via generalizable assumptions, tendencies, or beliefs. For most of my life, I was not sensitive enough to see how being white shaped me, contributed to the way I thought, behaved, interpreted events, and saw others. seeing my white culture as plain masked its effects on my life. My error in thinking was never questioned. In fact, my white culture taught me not to see being white as real or meaningful. My white culture taught me to only see myself as an individual, to relish in my uniqueness.

Knowing that what white culture is, means, and includes is often hotly contested, I can still say that it is partially because of it that being white equaled being "plain" in my mind. If anything, I associated being white with my life having no culture. I thought it was colorless, flavorless, lacked spice, and was boring. The fact that my ancestors had elected (and been coerced to some degree) to take on a white identity and give up our heritage to fit in to the white group is 100% a part of this. Ultimately, my cultural and ancestral history supported my inability to see white culture as a flavor, like vanilla, hard for me to taste.

At this point in my life I see being white as part of my life's flavor. I may not fit into all that some say is associated with white culture. But, that's ok. No one fits 100% into the categorical box that is used to describe any particular culture. Said a different way, no generalized description of any culture fully captures all of those who are influenced by that culture.

White culture is real to me now, just like I now recognize that vanilla is a flavor. White culture is perceptible, even if I would never claim I exemplify all of it. Seeing white culture as "plain" did me, and those around me, a disservice. When I saw white culture as having no flavor, no influence on my life, it led me to believe I was culture-less and it made me unable to perceive how my thoughts and actions were infused with ideas and assumptions I did not realize were affected by my culture.

I love the taste of vanilla, and I appreciate seeing white culture. Being aware of its flavor helps me choose how much of it to keep as part of my life and where certain elements should be shed. Although my life may not be "straight vanilla" or exclusively shaped by white culture, I now recognize how much of my life is infused with it. And, I can now more consciously and responsibly choose how to enact the recipe of my life.

(More is written about my own process around my sense of cultural loss in Chapter 1 of Witnessing Whiteness, just in case you're interested.)

The Daily Show Does White Privilege: Differing Perceptions by Race and NY's Stop and Frisk Policy

Finally! I had been watching, waiting, and hoping that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart would come through and handle race issues, particularly white privilege, in a way I would applaud. It finally happened during the first half of August of this year. With John Oliver having taken over for Jon Stewart for the summer, and race issues practically a daily topic of conversation due to the trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin, it was about time. It coincided with a couple of other recent events as well, a judge handing down a decision about New York's stop and frisk policy as well as a report indicating that (surprise, surprise) black and white people have different perceptions about how far we've come in eliminating racism from U.S. society.

I am posting this only days after the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech. I do this knowing that there is truth on both sides of the progress debate. There has been much that has changed AND there is so much more change needed.

Let us start by talking about why it is that so many white people are able to remain unaware of the significant discrimination (both overt and subtle, both individually perpetuated and systemically entrenched) that people of color continue to face on a daily basis.

As I did with the Colbert Report when I saw helpful video clips there, I created a workshop that can be used with groups (using humor as a way to enter the discussion). I haven't had the opportunity to use this workshop yet myself, so seasoned facilitators should feel free to modify as you see fit.

Teachers and facilitators can download the workshop description, agenda, facilitator's notes, and handouts on the Witnessing Whiteness book web page: www.witnessingwhiteness.com. The files are on the "Xtras" page.

For those of you who just need to laugh in the face of the challenge we face, here are links to the two clips I used as a foundation for the workshop.

Have fun!

Video clip #1 - The R Word - Jessica Williams and Samantha Bee convene two panels to discuss the state of race relations in the United States. Tuesday, August 6, 2013 (4:15 minutes)
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-6-2013/the-r-word

Video clip #2 - Frisky Business - Mayor Bloomberg thinks New York's stop and frisk program is being unfairly stopped and scrutinized even though it's done nothing wrong, Tuesday, August 13, 2013 (7:08 minutes)
www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-august-13-2013/frisky-business

Unmasking Whiteness 2013 - Space Available!

Please help spread the word to those who might be interested! Space is still available!

AWARE-LA is getting ready to offer our 5th 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 27th through Sunday, June 30th, 2013 and will take place on the downtown Los Angeles, Mount St. Mary's College, Doheny campus.

The cost for attendance is only $225 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
• 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.

New Professional Development Resources for Educators

I've just created a new set of dialogue scenes that provide school communities with tools to guide discussion among administration, faculty, and staff about common, destructive interaction patterns and attitudes arising from 1) white privilege, 2) internalized superiority, and 3) unresolved emotions.

This set was inspired by requests from many educators (over the last few years) who asked me to create more dialogue scenes like the one that is within the Chapter 2 Workshop of the Witnessing Whiteness Series. (That scene is oriented around a meeting in a non-profit organization).

After two years of interviewing, planning, writing, and revising, these scenes are finally ready for your review and use! (They are in advanced draft phase, so your input and feedback is welcome! They have been reviewed by fellow educators, but they are just beginning to be tested with audiences. So far, so good. They resonate with many. But, I'm sure these will be refined over time.)

Some of the scenes are more specific to public schools, and others target dynamics common in independent/private schools. Check them out and see which ones might be useful for your faculty and/or teacher development courses.

Dialogue scenes to prompt discussion include:
1. Committee Meeting on Creating Inclusive Classrooms
2. Committee Meeting on Campus Inclusivity
3. Grade Level Meeting on Multicultural Curriculum
4. Increasing Parent Engagement
5. Ethnic Representations in Schools
6. Student Evaluation and Assessment
7. Classroom Structure and Discipline

An introduction to the series is also available and offers descriptions of the seven dialogue scenes, a full listing of the destructive patterns treated, and a sample facilitation agenda. Facilitator's notes are also available. All resources are available at no charge on the Xtras page at www.witnessingwhiteness.com.

I'd love to hear how things go if you decide to use them! As is always true, it's best if those who facilitate the dialogues have a lot of experience both with facilitation and with racism/diversity issues.

Hate crimes in Yorba Linda, CA and the standardizing of the white experience

I'm not much of a blogger. Two posts in one year, and a year so filled with racially loaded issues that I could have been busy on a daily basis all year! It's a shame really. I tire of the sound bites and the irrationality so regularly displayed in the national media and via endless internet chatter. It seems that the stories that arrive and disappear with relatively little fanfare somehow touch something in me.

A case in point, a recent article in the Los Angeles Times from November 21, 2012 : "Black family reports hate crimes in Yorba Linda"

Yorba Linda is an upscale city within Orange County, California. It lies about an hour south of Los Angeles. A black police officer who works in Inglewood  (a city within Los Angeles County where I taught elementary school for 10 years) moved there with his family, happy to be living in what is perceived to be a safe community. But then a number of racist acts took place targeting the family home, the young adult son, and then the 6-year old child. These incidences ranged from rejection to verbal assault to actual physical attack on the family home.

So, what do I have to say about this that the news story doesn't tell? It's how much this reminds me of the most subtle of ways that our reactions and words undercut our ability to truly recognize the depth of the problem of racism and to feel the anger and upset that should be poring out of us all.

I was raised in Orange County. I have friends who grew up in Yorba Linda. My father was a police officer, like the black man chased out of his neighborhood. And I worked in Inglewood long enough that I still feel somewhat attached to the place where the black man works. So, to some degree this is personal for me. And while I may have strong opinions about the inequity of our law enforcement and judicial systems, I don't assume that any individual police officer is anything less than a courageous individual intending to support and serve a community to the best of his/her ability unless there is evidence to suggest otherwise.

What jumped out at me when reading this article was a quote from the Orange County Human Relations Commission. This commission tracks hate crimes and the wife of the black officer had reported the incidences to them. Good for her! And then 'good for them' for deciding to make the move to get this issue made public, bringing it to the attention of politicians, and intending to hold "listening sessions to gauge the experience of African Americans in Orange County."

And yet, here's what strikes me: People already know a lot about what happens to black families in Orange County. A local pastor from the Christ Our Redeemer A.M.E. church in Irvine is even quoted as describing how he regularly hears congregants sharing their "challenges." But, that's not really the issue. Yes, I think the information they're seeking is already well-know...to SOME.  The issue is why is that SOME so small? Why don't more people know that racism is rife in Orange County?

I would suggest that it has to do with the way we respond to racism, by using approaches that downplay our community culpability. It's a sort of "bad apple" approach, where we get to believe that because "those people who did that thing" are racist, that there is nothing required from all us "good, community-loving people."

I'll try to explain what I mean. Here is a quote offered by the executive director of the Human Relations Commission. It reads, "It just illustrates that even amid our really wonderful community, life is different for some people."

That's actually the statement that offends my sensibilities most. I completely understand the political nature of this person's position, and therefore the use of moderated, neutered language. And I also believe that the pastor from Irvine quoted above may have been doing something similar (but for different reasons). And surely, to label an entire community and all its inhabitants as fundamentally racist would be a gross overreaction and defeat any effort at dialogue and the development of shared understandings.

Yet, I strongly question the veracity of saying that Yorba Linda is "a really wonderful community", when used as a blanket judgement. This is where white privilege is really rearing its ugly head, in my opinion, and in a way that I wish we could name a lot more than we do. Yorba Linda is NOT a really wonderful community for some people, and it is populated by some people who are the cause of that fact.

Here is what I would propose...and I think it's simple in implementation. (It's the need for it that is challenging to accept). We need to regularly name our privilege. How would this translate? Easy.

"It just illustrates that even amid WHAT APPEARS TO THOSE OF US IN THE RACIAL MAJORITY TO BE a really wonderful community, life is different for some people WHO ARE SUBJECT TO ONGOING RACISM)."

At least this owns the fact that the "really wonderful community" part is not the STANDARD experience of those in the community. It's not, and it never will be until those of us with the privilege of NOT experiencing racism can more readily and regularly recognize that we fail to see the racism around us because we don't want to see it.

(And to be fair, this issue also must extend to all of us. The institutionalized systems set in place hundreds of years ago based upon a fundamental mistaken attribution (from symbolic to literal) wherein white (people) were considered good and pure, and then black (people) were linked to evil and all things bad must be fully understood and its remnants fought against. This long-standing systemic white supremacy has made black people in our society subject to racism from multiple directions, not only from white people. So, there is a lot of work to be done, by many groups.)

But, as a white person myself, I take ownership of myself and how my white Orange County society shaped me. And, I think that's a healthy thing to do. It's healthy and good to believe that when even one family is being driven out of a community solely due to the color of their skin that we cannot call it a "wonderful community" without some serious qualification. And, ultimately, this rant of mine is just arguing for the recognition that 1) a qualification is necessary, and 2) we need to work on being able to recognize the need for it. Because, ultimately, if we don't see the privilege in the standardizing of our white experience, then there is little hope that we'll be able to honestly live in ethnically diverse communities that are ever going to be wonderful for all who live in them.

Stephen Colbert Does White Privilege

I don't know who to applaud, Stephen Colbert himself or one (or more) of his writers. But someone over there really understand white privilege in a deep way. And even better, that person or persons also knows how to offer up a scathing commentary about it within the satire Stephen Colbert does best.

Two particularly insightful clips from Stephen's "The Word" segment are really useful. Their penetrating and hilarious treatment of relatively recent events prompted me to build a workshop around them for some high school students last year. I've only presented this workshop once. But, it was fun, and I thought perhaps someone out there might want to make use of the resources I developed.

You can download the workshop description, agenda, and handouts on the Witnessing Whiteness book web page: www.witnessingwhiteness.com. The files are all on the "Xtras" page.

As a preview though, here are links to the two clips I used as a base for the workshop.

Have fun!

The Word: Neutral Man’s Burden ---- episode #05095

Episode: #05095

Sonia Sotomayor's personal background should be neutralized the way Band-Aids were when they reached out to minorities. (05:16)

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/238783/july-16-2009/the-word---neutral-man-s-burden


The Word: The Great White Wail --- episode #06153
The Pigford claims prove that there's money in being a victim, and when something is valuable, white men get to take it. (04:57)
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/367132/december-02-2010/the-word---the-great-white-wail

Unmasking Whiteness - June 2012

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

AWARE-LA is happy to announce that we are offering our 4th 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 28th through Sunday, July 1st 2012 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
• 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.

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...