Disjointed thoughts from the 2nd Part of White Privilege: Essential Readings
I recognized the anger of my first post about this book. I felt guilty, like I was being mean to White folk for their not knowing. I sat in that.
Alex posed a powerful prompt in "asking" me to process through where I identified my own privilege. I completed that review of self on my birthday. Making the list was fairly easy. It was cathartic. I've got growing to do. I was reminded that you can't make changes to the rough edges of who you are if you don't know who you are... I need to amend that statement...
You can't make changers to the rough edges of who you are If you...
1) Don't know who you are
2) Don't recognize your edges as being rough
3) Don't care that your rough edges a seriously impact the quality or ability of life for others.
4) Don't sincerely internalize that you are capable and responsible to the world around you and the people in it.
I think this is where my anger returns. Specifically with White Privilege...
How often do we, people of color/colleagues of color/so on and so forth, have to shine the light on the rough edges of Whiteness?
Is shining a light on those edges powerful enough, especially if White folk don't (want to) understand that the edges are rough?
What happens when you expend the effort to educate and your pupil flat out displays resistance?
How do you motivate yourself to educate when you know the resistance is coming? -Alex?
Self-care is a constant struggle... I'm working on it...I am fighting through this material and the racial climate right now. I want to give up on diversity work and White folk often... daily... But... I remember #4 ...
4) I sincerely internalize that I am capable and responsible to the world around me and the people in it.
No pretty conclusion on this one...
Monica Johnson's Blog for Social Justice in Higher Education and Beyond
Love this post, Mojo. Love your willingness to dive in and identify your various forms of privilege--on your Born Day nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI loved this: "you can't make changes to the rough edges of who you are if you don't know who you are..." Amen.
for me, I trying to learn how to turn windows into mirrors. I realize that implicit biases are not just for the dominant groups to learn about PoC. For example, if I am honest, I know that my default, implicit bias toward some conservative White evangelicals is that they "don't get it" and will be resistant until they prove otherwise. Not exactly fair (and yes, even accounting for systemic issues and issues of power that benefits the dominant group). A more theological answer toward motivation is this: it's like sharing the gospel and evangelism, which is a big part of my faith tradition. A much revered missionary I know shared with me once that you can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can never count the number of apples from a seed. The point being that I ought to go in to an interaction assuming that my job might primarily be to plant seeds (someone is called to plant the seeds, while others are called to harvest). So of course if someone has not had any significant interaction with me about diversity, how else would they respond but with resistance? I need to remind myself that I am not that good, that no amount of my persuasive argument will change hearts and minds on the spot. So I take comfort in knowing that my job is to faithfully winsomely plant seeds. Thanks for your question. And at the same time, I do get tired, and self-care is something I have struggled with as well.