"President Clinton's Initiative on Race" by White House Photographer - http://clinton4.nara.gov. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
“In conflict you don’t bring a knife that cuts, you bring a needle that sews.” ~ African Proverb
How to Frame a Conversation about Race in America
In 1997 President Bill Clinton called for a national dialogue on race. Here we are 17 years later and it’s abundantly clear that in spite of numerous initiatives to get people talking about race in this country, we still have a long way to go. We have yet to find a workable, replicable and scalable approach where people can talk about race in order to defuse tensions and create understanding.
Ideally, such a dialogue would lead to developing a broader range of options for living into Dr. King's future where people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
Ideally, such a dialogue would lead to developing a broader range of options for living into Dr. King's future where people are judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
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Color Explosion. Photo © Alice Merkel
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What follows are three suggestions for framing a conversation on race which might ease the way toward creating those better options for our collective future. These suggestions are for people who are willing to self-reflect and look deeply at the role that racism plays in their lives. Those who’ve convinced themselves that they’re “color blind” or that the problem of racism exists entirely outside of themselves will not be good candidates for the kind of dialogue I am suggesting:
1. Begin with the premise that we are all racists – at least unconsciously so.
No one escapes racism’s corrosive effects. Even when we have worked to “unlearn” racism, it still lingers beneath the surface of our awareness – hence the inclusion of the words “at least unconsciously so” in the premise.
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Three Suggestions for Framing a Conversation on Race
For more, see: One America Initiative: "On June 14, 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton announced One America in the 21st Century: The President's Initiative on Race. This initiative, established with Executive Order 13050, was a critical element in President Clinton's effort to prepare the country to embrace diversity.[clarification needed] The main thrust of the effort was convening and encouraging community dialogue throughout the country. The committee developed dialogue guidelines designed to help communities discuss how to heal racial and ethnic divisions wherever they exist." - Wikipedia
Among the most powerful antidotes to racism is accepting that – regardless of our skin color – we’re each influenced by unconscious racist tendencies.
The good thing is that, far from being a statement of self-blame, “I am a racist” is actually a powerful learning stance. From this position we can uncover our assumptions about race in ways that would remain invisible if we assumed that we are free of racist behaviors. Only when we are willing to admit to our own racism, can we examine and correct those unconscious behaviors that are not aligned with our desires to create a just and equitable society.
Participating in a dialogue where everyone is willing to acknowledge and own their racist assumptions, conditioning, tendencies and behaviors is likely to produce radically different outcomes than a dialogue where only some people acknowledge themselves as racists. If you are having trouble thinking of yourself as racist, perhaps taking the Harvard Implicit Association Test will give you some insight.
Participating in a dialogue where everyone is willing to acknowledge and own their racist assumptions, conditioning, tendencies and behaviors is likely to produce radically different outcomes than a dialogue where only some people acknowledge themselves as racists. If you are having trouble thinking of yourself as racist, perhaps taking the Harvard Implicit Association Test will give you some insight.
The Implicit-Association Test (IAT)
If you’re having a hard time accepting the premise that you are consciously or unconsciously racist, it’s possible that taking the Harvard Implicit Association test will provide you with some surprising insights about your unconscious assumptions about race and racism. Learn more at Harvard University's Project Implicit website and in the following section:
"The implicit-association test (IAT) is a measure within social psychology designed to detect the strength of a person's automatic association between mental representations of objects (concepts) in memory. The IAT was introduced in the scientific literature in 1998 by Anthony Greenwald, Debbie McGhee, and Jordan Schwartz." - Wikipedia
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The Psychology of Blink: Understanding How Our Minds Work Unconsciously - Part 1 of 2 with Dr. Anthony Greenwald (right)
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From theUniversity of Washington YouTube channel: "Recent psychological research has revealed widely held unconscious thought patterns that most people would rather not possess. Dr. Anthony Greenwald, psychology professor at the University of Washington, describes his research developing the method (described in Malcolm Gladwell's, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking) that reveals this unconscious mental content, demonstrates the method and describes how the unconscious mental content that it reveals affects our behavior."
The IAT measures the strength of associations between concepts (e.g., black people, gay people) and evaluations (e.g., good, bad) or stereotypes (e.g., athletic, clumsy). ~ Project Implicit
SeattlePI article: Doctors treated black patients worse in University of Washington study. Most doctors prefer whites to blacks in test available to the public
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From the article: "This is a composite of images shown on the Implicit Association Test for racial bias, which asks test-takers to associate words with rapidly flashing images. It is part of the Project Implicit online lab, which was created by three professors, including University of Washington professor Tony Greenwald."
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2. Set a context of "listening as action" and make the dialogue an advice-free zone.
Racism’s power is fueled by hatred, ignorance, mistrust and fear. But all of those things wither in the face of love, compassion and forgiveness. A potent way to defang the demon of racism is to simply listen to the stories of how racism has affected the teller without acting on any urge to fix the story or the person sharing it.
Likewise, it is critical when listening to how racism has affected someone to refrain from giving any type of advice – the chances are quite high that your well-meaning words will not be received in the manner that you hope them to be. A simple "Thank you.", perhaps modified by something along the lines of “That must have been really hard for you.”, will go much further than any advice you might feel compelled to share.
Likewise, it is critical when listening to how racism has affected someone to refrain from giving any type of advice – the chances are quite high that your well-meaning words will not be received in the manner that you hope them to be. A simple "Thank you.", perhaps modified by something along the lines of “That must have been really hard for you.”, will go much further than any advice you might feel compelled to share.
3. Dwell in the not knowing and practice non-attachment.
Most folks would love to solve the problem of racism. To concoct a successful plan of action to rid the human race of its scourge would be worth a dozen Nobel Peace Prizes. But racism is not a problem to be solved. It’s a vast sticky mess with tendrils that reach deep into the tenderest places - the human heart and soul. Racism defies easy answers and makes paving stones out of good intentions - and we all know upon which road those paving stones can be found!
A dialogue on racism is the perfect practice field for dwelling in not knowing because what we don’t know about racism dwarfs what we do know about it. It’s a practice field for listening carefully, looking deeply, sitting quietly, and waiting for something to become clear before taking any action.
Let’s underline that last point: waiting for clarity and resisting the rush to action that so often wells up inside of us when we are confronted by uncomfortable issues is a critical part of acting intelligently and it’s grossly under practiced. Conversations about racism offer us a practice field for developing the kind of patience and thoughtful care required to deal effectively with the enormity of the many interlocking messes that we find ourselves confronted with.
Let’s underline that last point: waiting for clarity and resisting the rush to action that so often wells up inside of us when we are confronted by uncomfortable issues is a critical part of acting intelligently and it’s grossly under practiced. Conversations about racism offer us a practice field for developing the kind of patience and thoughtful care required to deal effectively with the enormity of the many interlocking messes that we find ourselves confronted with.
To be successful, any conversation on race needs to begin by staking out common ground, because without establishing a measure of shared meaning the path to a mutually desired future state is impossible to tread. Starting from the premise that each of us is a racist (to some degree or other) opens up a large expanse of common ground.
That common ground can then be fruitfully explored by examining the many ways that racism wounds us both individually and collectively, touching each of us to a greater or lesser degree.
That common ground can then be fruitfully explored by examining the many ways that racism wounds us both individually and collectively, touching each of us to a greater or lesser degree.
Additional thought: Borrow from Open Space Technology here, and assume that if you convene a dialogue where participants agree to the above premise as a starting point, then you can trust that whoever shows up are the right people - even if there are only two of you.
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Wounding Racism Polarizes People in COmmunity
It can be useful to recognize that racism wounds each of us in at least three direct ways:
1.) Racism wounds us when we are its target.
2.) Racism wounds us when we target others.
3.) Racism wounds us when we witness it in action.
This framing allows us to see that virtually everyone has experienced the effects of racism at some point in their lives.
1.) Racism wounds us when we are its target.
2.) Racism wounds us when we target others.
3.) Racism wounds us when we witness it in action.
This framing allows us to see that virtually everyone has experienced the effects of racism at some point in their lives.
With the above assumptions as starting points - that each of us is racist to some degree - that racism has impacted each one of us - that no one escapes racism's corrosive effects - a different approach to talking about race might be opened up, an approach that offers the promise of cleansing and healing the poisoned wounds that we suffer individually and collectively as a result of racism - conscious and unconscious, overt and covert, institutional and individual.
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Three Approaches to Framing a Conversation on Race
Here are three approaches to framing a conversation on race based on what's outlined above. If you try these out, I’d recommend you have people work in dyads, triads or quartets - larger groupings of people make it harder to listen deeply to the speaker and may make people feel uncomfortable about sharing their personal experiences of such a sensitive topic.
The questions framed below are designed to allow people to start where they are with the people closest to them – no special training, facilitation or set up is required. They’ll work just as well if everyone in the conversation shares the same racial background, as they will if the participants all come from different racial backgrounds. They’ll also work as starting point for a more coordinated effort should a community organization wish to invite their members into the conversation.
The questions framed below are designed to allow people to start where they are with the people closest to them – no special training, facilitation or set up is required. They’ll work just as well if everyone in the conversation shares the same racial background, as they will if the participants all come from different racial backgrounds. They’ll also work as starting point for a more coordinated effort should a community organization wish to invite their members into the conversation.
Choose one of the sets of questions below and then take the questions in order, allowing each person to answer the first one before moving on to the second. Pause often to allow time for people’s stories to sink in. Remember to breathe!
A First Possible Approach
- How has racism wounded you?
- How has racism made you stronger?
- What is a forgiveness you are withholding due to racism?
- How are you generating and sharing compassion?
A Second Possible Approach
- How has racism wounded you?
- How have you healed those wounds?
- What is the healing you bring to others suffering from racist wounds?
- What forgiveness lies between you and your desired relationship with racism?
A Third Possible Approach
- Tell a story from a time when you first felt the impact of racism in your life.
- Tell a story from a much more recent time when you felt the impact of racism in your life.
- What has changed for you in the interval between these times?
- What arises for you in reflecting on this?
Parts of this post are drawn from the book, Things Racial, by Barbara Waugh and Stacy Cusulos. You can find more info here:
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http://www.thingsracial.com/Resources.html
The same day that I completed working on this post, I read an eloquent post entitled “Which Side of History Are You On?” by Jess Rimington. She writes compellingly that we are still in the era of Civil Rights with much more work to be done. If you found this post useful, you’ll likely find great value in hers as well:
Good luck in your efforts.
May your conversations be fierce, yet kind-hearted. ~ Ken Homer, Collaborative Conversations
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Author Ken Homer is the founder of Collaborative Conversations: Include More Voices - Make Better Choices.
Ken Homer helps organizations leverage collaborative conversations to access awareness and insight for 21st century business transformation and enlightenment. Learn more about Ken at his Author Page here.
Watch Conversational Shared Meaning by Ken Homer with at the I-Open civic wisdom library on Vimeo.
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Read the transcription, "Conversational Shared Meaning" by Ken Homer in the I-Open library on Scribd below.
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