1. Ending Racism to Build Power
Group Agreements
&
Core Values

2. 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.

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

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

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

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

7. 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.

8. Ending Racism to Build Power

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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]
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.

12. 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?

13. Debrief/Report back

14. 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

15. 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!

16. 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 ideas.

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

18. 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.

19. 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.