Dismantling Racism: Where are You? Where is Charlotte? Marcus Gaddy, Charlotte Community Scholar, BSW Class of 2016 Susan McCarter, PhD, MS, MSW - Associate Professor of Social Work University of North Carolina Charlotte BEFORE reading any more of this poster, please take a pen and an index card and write down how you define racism. Then, consider systems where you know disproportionality and disparity exist. How do YOU define racism? For more information, contact: Marcus Gaddy at or Susan McCarter at Conclusions Race - Race has been defined as historically provisional social constructs or characterizations (Bobo & Fox, 2003). Racism - Racism has been defined as “social and institutional power combined with race prejudice. It is a system of advantage for those considered White, and of oppression for those who are not considered White” (Race Matters for Juvenile Justice- Racial Equity Institute). Racism has also been defined as a belief that all members of a particular race possess characteristics, abilities, and traits that make them inferior or superior to another race or other races (Hoyt, 2012). Institutional Racism - Institutional racism is the manifestation of racism in social systems & institutions (National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 2007). It is the combination of polices, practices, or procedures embedded in bureaucratic structure that systematically leads to unequal outcomes for certain groups (NASW, 2007). Disproportionality- Disproportionality can be defined as the overrepresentation of a particular group of people in a particular institution or system (American Public Human Services Assoc., 2015) Disparity- Researchers have defined disparity as the unequal or inequitable treatment of one group in comparison to another. (American Public Human Services Assoc., 2015) Implicit/Unconscious bias- Implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. The implicit associations we harbor in our subconscious cause us to have feelings and attitudes about other people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, and appearance (The Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity, 2015). Terms/Definitions 1) A clear understanding and acknowledgement of racism and its effects in America is essential to an equitable society. 2) Racism is larger than individual acts of meanness – both implicit biases as well as institutional racism need to be examined. 3) Because racism is a race-focused problem, dismantling it requires a race-focused solution. 4) We are all gatekeepers and all (regardless of race) should explore a race analysis/training. 5) Policymakers and systems need to conduct racial equity impact analyses to assess disproportionality and disparate outcomes. DR Training Survey Respondents’ and Results Vision: A Charlotte Mecklenburg community where the composition and outcomes of juvenile courts cannot be predicted by race or ethnicity. Mission: To build a collaboration of community stakeholders who will bring their constituencies to the table and partner in the courts’ efforts to reduce disproportionality and disparities. Visit: Race Matters for Juvenile Justice with the Racial Equity Institute offered 5 two-day Dismantling Racism (DR) trainings between February 19 th and June 10 th Each participant was asked to complete a < 7 minute, pre- and post-test online survey. One hundred and forty individuals completed the pre-test between February and June, 66 completed the post-test between during that same period, and 42 individuals responded to both the pre- and post test surveys with at least 50% survey completion. Of those 42 respondents, 7 identify as male, 35 identify as female, and 0 as other. Fifty-two percent (22) identify as White, 41% (17) as African American/Black, and 2 respondents identify as another race/ethnicity and one identifies as Asian. Two of the respondents who identify as “other” indicated they are also Hispanic/Latino and one respondent who is White also identifies as Hispanic/Latino. Respondents’ ages varied with three individuals between 20-29; – 16; – 12; – 9; and two were 60+. The majority of the respondents hold graduate degrees (28 with graduate degrees, 13 with undergraduate degrees, and 1 with HS/GED). The majority also work in the education field (Education - 23; Courts - 7, Other - 5; Social Services - 3; Law Enforcement - 2, Student - 1; Not Employed - 1) with 14 respondents working at their current position between 1-5 years (< 1 year – 6; 6-10 years – 5; years – 2; and ). Most were raised in the Southeast (Southeast – 31, Northeast – 8, Outside of the US – 2, and Central US – 1) and most also considered their families of origin to be in the middle class – 23 (upper class – 1; upper middle – 12; upper lower – 5; and lower – 1). Can you think of any way that your work will change as a result of participating in the DR workshop? “Yes, I am excited to use what I have learned in my courses. I think my students will greatly benefit from this information.” “Opening the dialogue…we’ve been scared to talk about this too long.” “Yes – in intentionally building anti-racist teams and practices.” “Addressing the issue of race in all areas of work and paying closer attention to disproportionate outcomes.” Can you think of any way that your work will change as a result of participating in the DR workshop? “Yes, I am excited to use what I have learned in my courses. I think my students will greatly benefit from this information.” “Opening the dialogue…we’ve been scared to talk about this too long.” “Yes – in intentionally building anti-racist teams and practices.” “Addressing the issue of race in all areas of work and paying closer attention to disproportionate outcomes.” track-the-overuse-of-suspensions-in-american-middle-and-high-schools/OutofSchool-OffTrack_UCLA_4-8.pdf Although students of color and White students are suspended from school at proportionate rates for mandatorily reported offenses, for discretionary offenses, African-American students had a 31% greater likelihood of disciplinary action when compared with other identical White students. Besides education, consider other systems with disproportionality and/or disparate outcomes. Survey Respondents Define Racism Before the DR TrainingAfter the DR Training “Prejudicial opinions and or treatment of a person based on their race.” “ Oppression of a group of people based on race.” “Faulty beliefs about a specific race that typically implies one race is superior to another and discrimination of another race based on beliefs and assumptions.” “Discrimination based on a social construct that is not biologically valid.” “Prejudicial treatment of any person based on race; treatment that stereotypes others based on race and creates barriers to their success.” “Oppression of any group by another with a view toward maintaining dominance by the oppressing group.” “A belief that members of a race have certain characteristics across the board and feeling they are inferior to another race.” “It's more of a system than I originally thought, and a construct created by those in power to oppress people of color in order to maintain their power.”