UNLEARNING RACISM
We know that racism is a very serious issue in our present society. So, how can we combat it? Read on to discover some very practical tools to take action. What you are about to read was presented at the Non-Violence is a Choice Conference in Oregon.
The “Unlearning Racism” session was presented by Janice Cockrell, of the Baha’i faith, who has international family members and is a pediatric doctor. An incident at the school her grandchild attended spurred her to do volunteer work at that school to help them deal with racism. Using tools from that experience, she presented a number of videos and indicated areas where we could each take action on the individual level.
She made a distinction between personal and institutional (historical and present), racism which was quite valuable. On the personal level there are a number of self-tests available on the internet to help one evaluate one’s own unconscious biases using Implicit Association Tests.
She introduced us to the book, Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People by Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald (http://blindspot.fas.harvard.edu). This book explores the results of the test data and what those results reveal to us. Using the results of the tests can aid us in aligning our behaviors with our stated beliefs regarding race relations, or other groups of people or individuals we might have a hard time with. There is no shame in having unconscious bias; it is a shame if you don’t do anything about it once you realize it.
While discussing institutional racism she covered its history in America. She covered slavery and indentured servitude, black laws/codes, curfews and “Sundown towns,” government sponsored segregated housing projects, redlining in real estate, and the refusal of banks to loan to blacks during the Jim Crow era.
She followed this with an exploration of ‘advantage,’ showing a YouTube video entitled, “What is Privilege?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD5f8GuNuGQ.
She also recommended reading “White People Facing Race, Uncovering the Myths that Keep Racism in Place” by Peggy McIntosh which focuses on the concepts of meritocracy, manifest destiny, white racelessness, monoculture, and white moral elevation. At the end of her paper, Peggy McIntosh recommends two movies: “Mirrors of Privilege” and “The Color of Fear.”
Janice also recommended Ta-Nehisi Coates’, “The Case for Reparations”, in The Atlantic, June 2014.
From there she went on to discuss possible small actions that each of us can take to improve the situation, after showing the YouTube Video: “Cracking the Codes: Joy DeGruy, A Trip to the Grocery Store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTvU7uUgjUI
Some recommended personal actions a person can take:
Recognizing personal biases is an important first step,
Associating with others who are unlike oneself but who have common interests,
Speaking out against injustices that you are personally witness to,
Voting to remove black laws from the books,
Philanthropic contributions to black institutions and groups,
Supporting local black businesses,
Mentoring black youth,
Appreciating black contributions to culture and society.