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Clearing the Way for Community

Learning to recognize, understand, own, and respond to everyday forms of racial/ethnic bias among Friends

Using this tool…

Welcome! This powerpoint was created by Dyresha Harris for BYM’s Interim Meeting. Attending a workshop is a very different experience than reading a powerpoint, and this isn’t meant to replace that. But we have decided to share this as a reminder to those who were present and a conversation starter for those who weren’t.

The best way to use this powerpoint is to select the “Notes” option that will appear if you hover over the lower left hand corner (or “Presenter view”). This will create a pop-up window with notes that will follow the images as you click through.

For questions about this material as well as reproduction and usage, please contact OIC@BYM-RSF.ORG

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Clearing the Way for Community

Learning to recognize, understand, own, and respond to everyday forms of racial/ethnic bias among Friends

Created by Dyresha Harris for Baltimore Yearly Meeting, 2017. For questions about reproduction and usage, please contact OIC@BYM-RSF.ORG

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Spirit-Led Work�

SPICES:

Peace

Equality

Integrity

Community

Bring all of yourself

We are each other’s birthright!

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

We are each others birthright; we were born wanting, deserving, and expecting to connect with any and all human beings on the planet. Just look at babies and how they lock eyes with anyone in their midst, expecting to see and be seen. Over time we are taught (whether through fear, hurt, discomfort, or a sense of superiority/inferiority) to look away from each other. However,it is possible to reclaim our connection by examining the things that interfere with it.

When we look at SPICES, notice that Integrity and equality are intertwined with Peace and Community. “True peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice”-MLK

It can be easy for many of us to do this work intellectually, but for it to be successful, we must do it with not just our minds but our hearts, body, and spirit. Our bodies in particular can be useful tools for self reflection and reframing.

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Understanding Bias

Click below to see the clip: https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000004818663/peanut-butter-jelly-and-racism.html?playlistId=100000004821064

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

I’ve been asked to speak specifically about racism and not everyone in the room has been the target of racism. However, we have each experienced being put down or invalidated based on identity in one way or another, whether that is gender, sexual orientation, class,ability, geographical region, or simply age...young people are targeted in many ways because of their age and life stage. We have all also all put down or invalidated others in one way or another, even if we didn’t mean to. Unfortunately, our society teaches us inequality through media, education systems etc. We are steeped in an ongoing story that came long before us. You can’t get very far in this society without that being the case. I like to look at oppression as a poisonous gas that we all took in even though we didn’t want to. This short clip from a great series done by the NYTimes helps illustrate this.

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That subtle, everyday….I dunno… “thing” that happens.

Microaggression

Micro invalidations

Aversive Racism

Implicit Racism

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

From experience and what we have heard from Friends of color in Quaker spaces the type of challenge we often face is not often very overt acts of racism and bias (like being called an epithet or barred from participating because of identity). It tends to be small things, often unintentional things that build up over time and make people feel alienated, disrespected, dehumanized, invalidated, invisible, made to feel outside than the group (othered) or exotic and special (but in the way a fine antique or a zoo animal is fascinating). Some people would say “offended” , nothing wrong with that word, but doesn’t fully capture it for me, usually it’s a blanket term for much more specific feelings like the ones I listed.
In some circles the word people use for this is “microaggression” or “microinvalidation”. When specifically about race, they are also sometimes referred to as “Aversive racism” or “Implicit racism”

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That “thing” defined...

“…brief, common, everyday, verbal, behavioral, or environmental exchanges, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, invalidating, dehumanizing, or negative slights and insults toward marginalized people or groups ”- paraphrase therapists Sue et all

...and draw power from making reference to broader, pre-existing, and ongoing “stories of inequality”.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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Gabriella wants to apply to law school and wants a recommendation from a White professor, Professor Jones. She has been studying all semester with her White friend Beth who has already gotten a recommendation from this professor. Since they are doing about the same is his class, she decides to ask as well. Gabriela states her request to Prof. Jones as the class is ending.

Here is an example to help make this idea concrete. It is based on events that have happened to real people.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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Scenario 1: Prof. Jones says to Gabriela: “That’s ridiculous! There’s no way a hispanic girl is going to be smart enough to make it through law school. That would be a waste.”

Scenario 2: Prof. Jones looks surprised as says: “I think it’s great that you’re trying for that, Gabriela. But law school is really academically challenging. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

Research suggests that this subtle version may be more damaging.
A 2007 Test of Princeton students gave fictional scenarios that involved blatant racism, micro-aggressions, or situations with no racial bias to think of a response to. It showed that those who had encountered the micro-aggressions had the most congnitive impairment. (Slavato,re & Shelton, 2007, p 814 in …
Numerous studies throughout the 2000s have shown correlations with students who experience discrimination and ADHD, low self-esteem, low academic motivation and depression in… The results of micro-aggressions can last for weeks or years. “From Racial Microaggressions by Mary Meeks. The effects of microagressions have also been linked to hypertension and other stress related illnesses.
From a biological standpoint, microaggressions are some of the most dangerous forms of racism and are linked to many stress-related illnesses like stroke, high blood pressure, heart attack etc.

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Scenario 1: Prof. Jones says to Gabriela: “That’s ridiculous! There’s no way a hispanic girl is going to be smart enough to make it through law school. That would be a waste.”

Scenario 2: Prof. Jones looks surprised as says: “I think it’s great that you’re trying for that, Gabriela. But law school is really academically challenging. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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That “thing” defined...

“…brief, common, everyday, verbal, behavioral, or environmental exchanges, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, belittling, dehumanizing, or negative slights and insults toward marginalized people or groups ”- paraphrase therapists Sue et al

...and draw power from making reference to a broader, pre-existing, and ongoing “story of inequality”.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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…interactions that communicate dehumanizing messages…

...and draw from an ongoing story of inequality...

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...“the ongoing story of inequality”...

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

In September 2017, unknown students put a banana on the door of the only all black dorm room in their building. While the act of putting a fruit on someone’s door could seem minor, the reason it carried such weight is because of the ongoing narrative. CLICK
To justify slavery, black Americans had to be dehumanized. ... The American Eugenics movement, connected people of African descent to apes suggesting that they were less intelligent and attractive while also being stronger, dirtier, more aggressive, and more dangerous. Social scientists and policy makers of the day frequently made reference to this “science” when creating unequal policy.
CLICK x3. We continue to see these characterizations today. For instance, we see it in the description of Mike Brown as a “beast”. These depictions have real consequences. For instance, one study found, the more animal-like the description in the media of a black man on trial, the more likely he was to be sentenced to death.
So all of that is being tapped into in the simple act of putting a banana on a door handle. Understanding the story it’s drawing power from helps understand the reaction to such actions.

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Verbal Behavior Environment

“Are you sure you’ll be able to remember that?”

“What college did you go to?”

Only asking men to help in moving equipment.

Hosting a paid community building event without a plan for making sure those without money can participate.

Demeaning or stereotypical images or language in the space.

Physical spaces that aren’t safe or accessible to some members of the community.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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EXPLORE...

Take a moment to think of a time that you may have experienced something like this as a result of an identity that you have. Sometimes this comes to us as a general fog or feeling. But try to think of a specific occurrence. What was said, done, seen, or experienced?
Notice your body.
Split into groups of 3 or 4. Try to get in a group that is at least half people you don’t already know.
(Briefly) share your story. For you, what was the pre-existing narrative that it plugged into and drew power from?
What was the impact it had on you physically, mentally, emotionally in that moment? Since then?
Each person should take about 2 minutes.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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…Intentional or Unintentional

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

Key tricky things about micro-aggressions:Comes from subconscious bias, so when we commit a micro-aggression, we may think: “That’s not how I meant it. I’m not racist and they think I said a racist thing. So they must be misunderstanding me.” We may even think we have given a compliment.
We may blame actions on other plausible explanations and will genuinely feel like these explanations are true. We see this in the discussion around Trayvon Martin or Eric Garner for instance. (Well, it wasn’t because he was black, it’s because he was wearing a hoodie. It wasn’t because he was black, it’s because he was selling illegal cigarettes)
Studies suggest that our brain can process 11 million bits of info but conscious mind can only process 40-50, so a lot is going on below the surface. They also show our subconscious bias is a better predictor of our behavior than our stated values. (Implicit Bias Review, Kirwan Institute)that uses computer programs (http//implicit.harvard.edu) to measure implicit or unconscious bias has resulted in a slew of studies over the past few years that show that the vast majority of Americans have a bias against people of color.
Hundreds of tests have been done studying this. More likely to shoot black than white unarmed individuals, more likely to give painkillers to white children, listening less to patients, how public defenders prioritize cases. These are studies with people who don’t think of themselves as prejudiced.

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Our different lenses...

It’s hard to see the water when you are swimming in it. Sometimes, we are even trained not to see it as part of the bias.
Repetition and patterns are significant.
We are more aware of what we are more affected by.
Being aware is part of navigating society as a person targeted by inequality.
When your group is considered “the norm” everyone learns about your culture/experiences, but not vice versa.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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The tight lens:

Was it biased or not? Who’s Right & Who’s Wrong

This is your baggage!

Conscious/ Unconscious Bias

Awareness/Sensitivity to Bias

1) Person/group that acted is biased (racist, sexist, homophobic etc.) and thus bad. We should punish them!

2) Person/group targeted is “overly” sensitive and thus wrong. We should silence them!

3) It was all just a big misunderstanding!!! Let’s stop talking about it and just eat cake!!

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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Broadening the view…

Explore the impact(s) of this interaction in the context of an unequal society. How does it affect people & the environment?

The Ongoing Story of Inequality

Intentional Bias

Unconscious Bias

Unequal laws & rules

History

Education

Media

Different life experience

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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...“the ongoing story of inequality”...

Is this cover racist?

What is the impact of this cover in the context of the ongoing story of inequality? How does it affect people? What dynamics does it create?

How can we move forward together to interrupt and change this story moving forward?

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

In April, 2008, Vogue magazine hit the stands with this cover. A big controversy ensued over whether or not it was racist. CLICK This centered over the fact that it bore an uncanny resemblance to a World War I poster and seemed to liken LeBron James to a giant ape in the style of King Kong. This made reference to the ongoing story of inequality that we discussed earlier and the idea of black men as a threat to white women.
Much of the ensuing conversation centered around whether the photographer disliked black people and intended to be racist as well as whether or not she should be fired. This illustrates the right or wrong approach.
CLICK.While consequences in situations like this may be appropriate, what would this conversation look like if Vogue decided to tackle this through the broader lens? Perhaps Vogue would do an interview with the photographer exploring what felt appealing to her about this image and where she remembered seeing similar things growing up. Perhaps they would include an article on the ongoing story of bias against black men. Perhaps include op eds from people who were affected by the image, explaining the impact that it had on them. These could be more powerful options than simply removing an individual.

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…brief, common, everyday

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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Find your center, find your response...

Use your body to help find a response in moments where you are the target of or have acted out a form of bias. These suggestions can help.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017

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Change is Possible

Studies have shown that the following are effective ways to overcome implicit bias:

Acknowledging it! The more people acknowledge their bias, the less likely they are to act in biased ways.
Contact with people and images that contradict stereotypes
Taking the perspective of others and educating yourself
Working with people of different backgrounds in collaborative settings with groups with equal status (and numbers) and support from authorities.
Allowing time for decision-making. Rushing leads to more bias.
A sense of personal and communal accountability, the expectation that you will have to share and justify your actions/feelings/beliefs to others.

Dyresha Harris, BYM, 2017