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.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
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.)
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.)
Monday, September 2, 2013
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
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
Saturday, May 11, 2013
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:
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
Saturday, April 6, 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
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 forsome 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.
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
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.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
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: 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
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-burdenThe 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
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