Preparing to Talk About Race Stephen Brookfield

Transcript:Preparing to Talk About Race Stephen Brookfield:
Preparing to Talk About Race Stephen Brookfield http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/ sdbrookfield99@gmail.com Adjunct Professor, Teachers College (Columbia University), Emeritus Professor, University of St. Thomas (Minneapolis-St. Paul), Distinguished Scholar, Antioch University He, him, his Born in Liverpool, England (1949) American since 2002 Married with 2 children, both born in New York city Lived in St. Paul since 1992 Leads the pop punk band The 99ers (6 albums on Spinout Records) Struggling to become a white antiracist How are we feeling about today? Go to: sli.do.com Enter Code: 18760 Vote for as many responses as you like Important for leaders to disclose 🤔😡🙂😟 Disclose your commitment but also your acknowledgment that this is complex & difficult work Talk about what your own racial identity means for how you approach these conversations Maybe use courageous conversations ground rules Singleton, G. 2014. Courageous conversations about race: A field guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin (2nd. Ed.) Courageous Conversations Ground Rules Stay Engaged – be present, emotionally alert, listen carefully Speak Your Truth – talk about what’s real for you, not what you think others want to hear Accept & Expect Discomfort – after all, NOT talking about this is the fundamental problem in many settings. But admit that it will often be uncomfortable, that people won’t know the “right” thing to say, that the unfamiliarity of this kind of talk will make it intense Accept & Expect a Lack of Closure – this conversation won’t solve racism, won’t bring about massive institutional transformation. But if we DON’T start with some honest conversation about where we all are, then change will be very difficult Two Kinds of Preparation Technical (Content) – reading, viewing, thinking, reflecting on nature of racism, white identity, white supremacy, anti-blackness etc. Technical (Process) – how to model disclosure, choose good narratives, build trust, scaffold learning from simple to complex Emotional (EQ) – this is inherently emotional work in which people are laying bare their identities, experiences, convictions and feelings. It will sometimes be raw & contentious and people will become distressed, angry, and uncomfortable Emotional (Mistakes) – this is inherently unpredictable work & you’ll constantly feel like you’ve screwed up, made mistakes, said or done the wrong thing, and mishandled situations There are two ways do anti-racist work – IMPERFECTLY or NOT AT ALL! We’re Preparing for a BRAVE (not a Safe) Space Where we expect to experience discomfort Where we expect the expression of