A Conversation about Derald - PowerPoint Presentation

1. A Conversation about Derald Wing Sue’s Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence. Talking about race talk

2. GOALS OF THE BOOKUncover reasons why race talk is so difficultExpose explicit and hidden rules that govern how race is discussed in contemporary US societyIlluminate detrimental consequences of failures to honestly dialogue about raceOutline benefits of successful conversations about racePropose solutions in overcoming obstacles to honest racial dialoguesDerald Wing SueRace talk and the Conspiracy of Silence. Understanding and Facilitating Difficult Dialogues about Race (2015)

3. Race talk represents a “clash of racial realities” Race and emotions Race talk evokes avoidance strategiesSuccessful race talk is crucial for increasing “racial literacy” WhY IS RACE TALK SO DIFFicult?

4. KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF RACE TALK IN THE CLASSROOMDisinclination to participateHeightens powerful and uncomfortable emotionsParticipants feel their perspectives or worldviews are being challenged or invalidatedAs discussion becomes more uncomfortable, efforts to dilute, diminish, change, mystify or terminate the topicSuch strategies experienced as microaggressions by students of colorWhen situation seems to “get out of control,” white faculty often collude with white students by shutting down the conversationWhat is race talk?

5. Politeness ProtocolAcademic ProtocolColorblind ProtocolNORMS OF RACE TALK

6. “Emotions such as anger and frustration, for example, are disruptive to Western European classroom decorum where calm discussions filled with logic and reasoning are philosophically aspects of appropriate student and faculty behavior (Valentine et al 2012). Classrooms are political spaces, microcosms of race relations in the broader society, and teachers represent the agents that enforce the types of interactions dictated by the norms of the learning environment” (68)ON THE ACADEMIC PROTOCOL

7. Sue identifies “four types of intersecting layers of fear” that lead white faculty to terminate racial dialogues:Fear of appearing racistFear of realizing their own racismFear of confronting white privilegeFear of taking personal responsibility for ending racismWHY DO WHITE PROFESSORS SHUT DOWN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT RACE?

8. Denies racialized experiences of people of colorDenies existence of privilege enjoyed by whitesPerpetuates a myth of meritocracyMasks or makes invisible structural inequalitySustains social hierarchy by providing cover of innocenceJustifies inaction in trying to combat racial inequalities based on power and privilegeConsequences of colorblindness

9. “Race talk is frightening because it threatens to destroy the fabric of naïveté and innocence that has shielded many from acknowledging their continuing roles as unintentional oppressors in a cultural context that is inherently unfair to people of color. It allows color-blind individuals to escape responsibility for taking action to end injustice, unfairness, and racism in our society” (91)Colorblindness and Race talk

10. Invisibility of whiteness and colorblindness two sides of the same coinLuxury of refusing identification with whiteness is itself part of white privilegeWhile many white people accept that people of color experience life as second-class citizens, that realization does not typically lead them to acknowledge that white people are therefore necessarily advantaged, and effectively benefit from racismConfronting the reality of white supremacy and white privilege is work and it is hard – takes a cognitive and emotional tollWhite privilege

11. Condemning racism is socially acceptable, doing something about it is not. Antiracism requires substantial effort.“I sometimes visualize the ongoing cycle of racism as a moving walkway at the airport. Active racist behavior is equivalent to walking fast on the conveyer belt. The person engaged in active racist behavior has identified with the ideology of white supremacy and is moving with it. Passive racist behavior is equivalent to standing still on the walkway. No overt effort is being made, but the conveyor belt moves the bystanders along to the same destination as those who are actively walking. Some of the bystanders may feel the motion of the conveyor belt, see the active racists ahead of them, and choose to turn around, unwilling to go to the same destination as the White supremacists. But unless they are walking actively in the opposite direction at a speed faster than the conveyor belt, unless they are actively antiracist—they will find themselves carried along with the others” (cited on 186)antiracism

12. Two personal transformations that make race talk easier:Developing a non-racist identity, which for whites, according to Sue, means developing a white racial identity (owning their own privilege and biases) Becoming antiracist, starting with breaking the silence on racismMaking race talk easier

13. Understand your own racial/cultural identityAcknowledge and be open about one’s own racial biasesBe comfortableUnderstand the meaning of emotionsValidate and Facilitate Discussion of FeelingsControl process not the content of race talkUnmask difficulty of dialogue through process observationsDon’t allow difficult dialogues to be brewed in silenceUnderstanding differences in communication stylesForewarn, plan and purposefully integrate race talkValidate, encourage, and express admiration to students who speak when it is unsafe to do so11 Strategies for teachers and facilitators

14. Steps to become antiracist:Search out information on everyday lived experience of people of colorSeek out interracial relationshipsBecome open to race talk with people of colorExpress positive racial messages to family, friends and coworkersStand against racist jokesJoin/form community or professional groups that work on behalf of multiculturalism, diversity and antiracismPlan, coordinate, or attend antiracism forums with othersVote for candidates who share your viewsSupport public policies that increase access and opportunity for allAdvocate for multicultural curriculum in schoolsStopping the conveyor belt, orLiving an Antiracist Life

15. Facilitating successful conversations about race and racism goes a very long way in working toward racial justiceThese conversations prerequisite for real changeEmpowering for us as educatorsTake-away Points