Ending Racism to Build Power Group Agreements & Core Values

Core Values & Group Agreements Valid information Free and informed choice Internal commitment to the choice Compassion As you can see I’d like to offer the group some core values. Core values, basic assumptions, or maybe ground rules as a more common description. Only these are a little more than the usual ground rules like for instance, respect one another’s opinions, or everyone turn off their cell phones. I’d like you all to consider modeling behavior that will further trust and understanding. I think these are important behaviors to model because of our differences. I believe after looking at your interviews that you all are fighting the same fight in you own ways. Trust, understanding and the information you will receive in the next few weeks can potentially turn all of you into the force we need for the Dallas labor movement.

Valid information Share honestly don’t hold back Share info relevant to issue including your feelings about the issue

Free and informed choice Define your own objectives and make your own choices Choices are based on valid information

Internal commitment to the choice Be personally responsible for the choices you make Choose in best interest of your broader community

Compassion suspend judgment on others and ourselves have a basic concern for the good of others

Group Agreements Cell phones on stun Please refrain from focusing on smartphones and laptops Everyone participates, no one dominates Confront issues, not each other Respect- We’re all working as hard as we can Avoid oppression olympics. Avoid discussion of how members of oppressed groups undermine each other. When you feel judgment turn to curiosity.

Ending Racism to Build Power

Ending Racism to Build Power Objectives: Will be able to articulate the four areas of oppression Will articulate a commitment to create organizational change as related to inclusive practices, common needs campaigns, and explicit diversity efforts

White Privilege & The Invisible Knapsack Find a partner ID one or two items from the invisible knapsack that resonate with you Share with your partner what & why You can choose to add something to the knapsack 6 minutes total

Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes: A Class Divided VIDEO Blues Eyes Brown Eyes: A Class Divided [instructions: while watching the film, think about how this experiment relates to race] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/video/flv/generic.html?s=frol02p66&continuous=1 Part 1: The Daring Lesson, from 20 second mark to 1:30, then from 3:20 to 10:27 Part 3: 14 Years Later, screen all of 6 minutes and 52 seconds.

Table Talk Questions How did the teacher describe kids who were on the “outs”? What words did she use? In what ways did the kids’ actions express their dominant position? How did the kids on the “ins” benefit? What did you notice about the kids who were on the “outs”? How did they behave? How did they express their feelings? What were the rules? Who did they benefit? How were the rules communicated? How did the rules keep them divided? How could the kids challenge the rules? What happened when they did?

Debrief/Report back

The 4 I’s of Oppression Ideological- our thinking about specific groups Interpersonal- ex: clench your purse in elevator, name- calling, verbal or other abuse Internalized- drug abuse, alcoholism, self-harming, acting out, low expectations Institutional- policies such as criminal justice policies that target specific groups – ex: stand your ground

4 Corners Exercise You’ll have 5 minutes at each station At the station: Identify how that kind of oppression plays out in society Identify how that kind of oppression plays out in your organization or your experience of our movement You will report on the last station you visit, so review that whole flip chart!

Exercise - Organizational Change 1. Work with other leaders from your organization (if no one else from your organization is represented, then work with another person who is also singly represented). 2. In 10 minutes, brainstorm a list of interventions that you could work on together to address racial justice. It can be a long list. Write them down and prepare to report out 1-2 ideas.

Exercise - Organizational Change ID a set of interventions that your team will commit to working to implement. Be realistic – it may only be 1-2 things. Write your team commitment(s) on sheet of paper in marker & be prepared to share.

Premises #1 Systems of power that have been layered onto perceived differences. Part of the impact of these race and racism are social constructs. They represent systems to make the perceived differences seem more real and more significant. Intersectionality is real and there are more systems of power that intersect with race, such as gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity and other identifiers.

Premises #2 Racism and white privilege are systems. They are bigger than any one person. No one of us (or group of people) takes the blame for racist systems. But we have choices. Our actions can be complicit with these systems or we can intervene and stop them.