Why Kanye’s message got lost

 

Here’s why Kanye’s message got lost:

President Bush’s well-publicized offense at Kanye West’s statement in the wake of Bush’s initial response to Hurricane Katrina, “President Bush doesn’t care about black people”, is a stunning example of how subtle or “modern racism” plays out among us.  West was speaking about the inadequacy of the institutional/structural/symbolic level response of our leader to a crisis that disproportionately affected poor communities of color.  President Bush experienced West’s comment as about his personal values.  Given Bush’s very public relationship and respect for Condoleezza Rice and (at one point) Colin Powell, I don’t think his personal attitudes are the issue here.  I believe that this exchange illustrates the misunderstanding that confrontations about “racism” are primarily challenges about personal level prejudice.  Modern racism invites/compels us to look at the impact of institutional and cultural level policies and practices in the often invisible perpetuation of historic and/or current injustice.

If President Bush were to participate in one of our workshops, he could come to see that the despite his personal friendships across race, it is the structural imbalances that led to Katrina and its deplorable aftermath; these are what need to be named and addressed systemically if racism is to end in this country.  These imbalances are old and embedded in policy AND for many years they have continued to be ignored by governmental leaders, furthering the illusion that racism need only be addressed at the personal level. This institutional lack of prioritization has the impact of making equal access to opportunity less possible for many of our citizens.  This is systemic racism and can be practiced by any of us, no matter how much we abhor personal racism.  This is the type racism/oppression we must confront in the 21^st century, and it exists in many forms. In this sense, Kanye West was right!

Filed under: Uncategorized , Kanye West, Katrina and its deplorable aftermath, modern racism, President Bush, racism

Q&A with Dr. Batts, Part III

Is racism the only construct that holds us back? What other isms that keep folks from truly working together?

All isms can hold us back. Our country has trouble talking about differences.  The notion of “assimilation” has been over learned.  Many feel there is something wrong when we focus on our differences. Sexual orientation and religious oppression are also very difficult…and class…”America’s dirty little secret.”  And then there is militarism…these issues link.  We need a peace curriculum that teaches us how and what we can do about this.  This should be part of every U.S. citizens education just like, say English or Math.  We have to challenge the moral exclusion that has some of us seeing ourselves as not connected to the issues of those who are “not like us.”  A young man in our program was arrested by the police last week for what is such a misunderstanding.  Yet, the system does not allow this young man the opportunity to “have his say” before he is put in jail for several hours (after his friends got together and paid a $500 fine).  The young people in our program, from all cultural groups, see this young man as a part of them and they are there for him…that’s what we need from all of us!

Will we be talking about race in the same way in the next 100 years?

It depends on what we choose to do about racial reconciliation.   If we do not engage in genuine healing, yes!  Do you know we had a civil rights act of 1865 (we just discussed it with 23 young people in our summer youth program) that was stronger than the one we had in 1964?  It was repealed as Jim Crow was instituted.  When I hear the call now for a repeal of the current act, I am not surprised given that we still have not done the work to create a belief in the full equality of every human being.    We need to re-educate ourselves about how the isms are not just about laws to not discriminate.   This is just one step and not transformative without work to change cultural values and individual hearts, minds and behaviors.   This will take an on-going commitment…I think about “it’s time we made smoking history.”  We really could do that AND it would take a commitment from the cigarette companies as well.  To end racism it will take a societal commitment and the resources to do so over time.  AND individuals can begin now by thinking about, talking about and learning about race and then teaching others.  There are many things that individuals can do.

Another example, a white woman from another suburb of Boston, is a school teacher.  Her school now has several Sudanese students who came here due to the war there.  She took it upon herself to drive to Boston for a year to take courses and learn about the culture. She then created  a curriculum and got permission from the school principal to teach the teachers in her school.  In so doing, she became an advocate for whites challenging racism that has taken hold among many others in her town.

Filed under: Valerie Batts , cultural issues, race, racial issues

Q&A with Dr. Batts, Part II

When VISIONS comes into an organization to do training or facilitate sessions, what is the one thing that almost always brings anger or resentment?

If whites feel blamed, they typically show this response.  If people of color feel quieted in the expression of their experiences of racism, they often show this response.

How do you bring people together at the end of the sessions? What lessons can be learned from  people opening up about their feelings around race and class and gender?

We typically help participants see through the process that the “isms” are societal forces that impact all of us.  For many whites, this means also “trying on” that group identity is as important as individual identity. That’s often a hard lesson in the U.S. as we have such a cultural value on “individualism”. Yet it is critical.  As people begin to understand that oppression is about the statistical odds for individuals based on their membership in groups in addition to their individual effort.   Participants begin to see that in some ways they are in groups where the statistical odds are greater for “success” and in some groups the odds are less.  This allows increased compassion and a desire to change the larger forces so that this is not present for anyone…

When does it do more harm than good?  When leadership in an organization is not committed to exploring how to make changes at the rules, policies and practices in an organization; when they are just paying lip service, checking off the box.  It leads to cynicism, political correctness AND a furthering of the belief that we have solved this problem.  Another way to say this is to say that there is no “quick fix” for these issues and many organizations seek one.

What do organizations get from going head on into talking about race? Can things improve?

Learning to talk about race is a powerful tool for learning to talk about “difference” period.  Organizations improve worker productivity as each employee feels valued.  Learning to value and utilize similarities AND differences among employees directly affects the bottom line of any business. Because of our history, the first steps in this process can be difficult AND those organizations that stay with it, experience increased worker satisfaction, creativity and innovation.  Employees also report that their family and community lives improve also.

Filed under: Valerie Batts

Q&A with Dr. Batts, Part I

Why did people react so  strongly to the Shirley Sherrod incident?

Um…my first response is “which people?”  Did you notice that there were differing reactions?  I think that for many blacks and perhaps for others who have a personal connection to the legacy of “Jim Crow” in the United States, Sherrod’s  actual comments to the NAACP resonate.  Many have had to learn to practice forgiveness so as to continue to move beyond the impacts of the history of legalized segregation.  For many of these folk, and I include myself, given my experiences of growing up in Rocky Mount, N.C. in the 1950′s, it is difficult to see politicians and the media “play political games” with her story.  It reflects the deep divide that still exists in our country regarding race and the need for racial healing.  For many whites and for blacks and others who did not live with segregation, given the really of modern racism (the myth that we have ended or at least mostly ended these problems), there is a sense that it is “reverse” racism to even talk about race, much less admit to racist attitudes and behaviors.      This incident seems to me to illustrate what I see in our work all the time.   We still have a small group of whites who want to return to a time of white supremacy; we have a large group of folk who want to believe the problems are all but solved for a variety of reasons, and we have a small group of folk who want to tackle our unfinished legacy.  This is roughly how it has been since the mid-1970′s.

Why don’t we know how to talk about race better?

Just like we “have to be taught to hate,” we have to be taught to have genuine racial reconciliation. Martin King said it back in the 60′s. “Like life, racial understanding will not be found ready made.”  Given our country’s history, we have some serious understanding still to do.  My graduate work in the 1970′s in psychology involved studying how racial attitudes and behaviors were going “underground”, not changing.  This work on modern racism asserts that most U.S. citizens in the 1960′s did not have enough contact and re-education to actually change their attitudes; we changed laws and tried to “outlaw” discrimination.  It led to racism becoming more covert; not to our learning how to effectively address it.

We keep hearing the term Post-Racial. Is it true? And what does it really mean?

Post racial…this would mean that we as a nation and as individuals would have enough understanding of the impact of the history of racism in this country on all of us to be able to have effective conversations that led to addressing both the past and the present conditions.  It would mean that we would do the work needed to genuinely needed to begin into live into a vision like:

“Until the philosophy one race superior and another finally is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned”, there will be trouble…”. (I have a great song on this).  This vision is specifically learning to hear and  understand how race still impacts us without getting into blame and shame..but rather into genuine dialogue, and problem solving.

Our kids are watching us, and the way that we talk about race, culture and class. What should we be doing to teach them better?

Our kids need to see us being willing to get out of our comfort zones.  I was talking to a well to do white woman from Newton, MA, for instance who came over to Dorchester (black neighborhood) to volunteer at a local Peace Institute.  She acknowledged that the fact that she would need to address race issues NEVER came to her mind.  She just completed a VISIONS four day workshop and is now amazed at how she had that reaction (response).  She is also clear that most of the people (who are white) in her circle in Newton would have no clue what she knows now.  She is now talking actively with her children about all of this and in so doing beginning to model for them that it’s ok to know and to look for what to do about it…

Which brings to mind another story.  We were seeking to hire a senior administrator a few years back.  One of our top two candidates was another white woman from Newton.  This woman worked with a “progressive” Jewish organization and was looking to move on.  The day before her scheduled interview, she called to cancel. Upon probing, she acknowledged that she had never been in Roxbury (the historically black neighborhood where we are located) and that she was terrified at the thought.  Before this experience, she noted, “I would never have thought I had any racial bias AND I realize that I am not prepared to explore working in that neighborhood.”  I wonder if this woman would be willing to share this awareness with her children as an example of how racism can exist, lying dormant, even among the most well intentioned person.

Filed under: Valerie Batts

How do we engage in racial reconciliation? Reflections from the field

I have gotten some very differing responses so far to my reflections on the Shirley Sherrod case:

1) You have to “dumb down” the recommendations.

2) You need to give examples.

3) You need to talk about this! It’s much harder to put in writing.

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I encourage each reader to think about point 1 and 2 of the recommendations noted. Step 1 invites us to begin to have a “real” conversation. Point 2 shows how.

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Is it opinion to say that “it’s hard?” I hope not. We all come to this conversation in such different places, especially in most U.S. work settings. Given that, I think it is very difficult to genuinely:

**Acknowledge the historic legacy of oppression (in this case on the basis of race/ethnicity) at four interlocking levels (Step 1). I invite those who are committed to this journey to begin by examining the levels and thinking about the questions below (even if you think you have already “been there, done this?). I include some continued reflections on the Sherrod case AND I encourage you to use your own examples.

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Personal – attitudes, beliefs, values, thought and expressed, verbally, non-verbally

• What have a “caught” and/or been taught (or not taught) about cultural differences? How does this impact how I work with my colleagues?
• How come the USDA director (or someone on staff) felt the need to act so quickly? What might be going on personally that led to such quick behavior?

Interpersonal – behaviors, interactions between people

• How does my tone and approach communicate culturally? What might I miss about my “impact” given that I know my intentions are good? How does this play out in perceived “safety” in my work place, community, family, etc?
• The speed of the USDA’s behavior is offered as an example and also of the interlocking nature, in this case.

Institutional – roles, policies, practices; who controls media?

• How does our organization/group favor those with historic power? Why is this important in our organization?
• What are the policies and practices that facilitate honest dialogue about differences within the U.S. government? Chris Edley noted on CNN recently that this was a miss when he worked in the Carter and Clinton administration. We surely see this in the U.S. senate. A recent article in Diversity, Inc. pointed out the lack of diversity among this critical element of government. The examples go on. It’s best to think in your context.

Cultural – who determines what is considered “right and beautiful?”; who controls media images?

• How does our organization/system support those with historic advantage? Whose cultural group norms are seen as normative in most U.S. settings? What does it take to change this view?
• How does our culture begin to shed a light on ALL U.S. citizens who are willing to acknowledge their need for addressing racism? Is it easier to hear this from Ms. Sherrod, than from say, Former President Jimmy Carter or Former State Representative Cynthia McKinney? How do we begin to hear and value the pain and the possibility and need for redemption for us all?
• Simply, how do we address anger effectively in our country, at the cultural level?

How do these levels interact in my experience (pick one setting)?

*Step 2 is the critical how for effective reflection and on-going group understanding and problem solving for the awareness’s that begin to come as groups wrestle with the impacts of power imbalances and the process of change that is indicated. This step compels us to

Acknowledge differences in our perspectives that may be based on our role in a given social system. Let go of defensiveness. Learn to “agree to disagree” and stay in dialogue.

What are examples that come to mind at any level or levels?

Filed under: Valerie Batts , cultural issues, race, racial issues, take action, USDA

Sherrod’s Story highlights need for racial reconciliation skill building [Part 2]

Some of the steps are::

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1) Acknowledging our historical legacy needs to occur at four interlocking levels: personal, interpersonal, systemic and cultural. Try on understanding HOW this legacy might play out in attitudes, behaviors, rules and policies and in community values.

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2) Acknowledge differences in our perspectives that may be based on our role in the social system. Let go defensiveness. Learn to “agree to disagree” and stay in dialogue.

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3) At the personal level, blame is not helpful. Who is or is not a racist, is not the point. At the same time, because of our desire to be a “colorblind” society and/or our discomfort with being wrong or bad, most of us do not recognize our

remaining internal biases. Think of negative racial attitudes as like “germs”. They are likely in us and perhaps lying dormant until an incident happens. Was the fact that the Secretary of the USDA acted so hastily to ask for Ms. Sherrod’s

resignation, for instance, an illustration of some unconscious part of him that didn’t fully trust her to be non-racial in her behavior? If this is so, it is not a sin; it is emotional misinformation. All of us have some of this that is likely to

be aroused in times of stress. The goal in our work is to teach ourselves and others to know and see this, so we can root out the “germs”, not allow them to lie dormant or to fester.

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4) Take time to understand the origin of current inequities in the United States. Do not be fooled by the notion that we can resolve these inequities solely by each individual pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps. If that were so, we would not have such tension among us. Politicians are using racial fears to win elections. Realize also that lack of economic resources for many whites, is a key factor in the continuing lack of equity in the U.S. As Ms. Sherrod came to know through her work, class and race both can limit access to opportunity. History demonstrates that those with the most economic access have, sought to keep poor whites from seeing how their challenges as a group are similar to those of blacks and other people of color. Imagine how we might change this moving forward.

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Our country needs to heal so that we can fully be ALL our “sisters and brothers” keepers. Mistrust and lack of connection between and among our communities makes us less safe both at home and in the world. We all benefit, as we come to know each others’ stories and realities. We must understand how policies work for or against “access”. We then learn to account for our privilege, share our resources, apologize for our mistakes and our lack of information and to begin the process of true healing and reconciliation. Ms. Sherrod’s case illustrates the need for these very teachable skills. Will we use this moment to hold our political and media (cultural leaders) and ourselves and our family accountable for learning and applying these skills? Do we have the will to let the healing begin?

Filed under: Valerie Batts , cultural issues, multicultural, NAACP, race, racial issues, Shirley Sherrod

Sherrod’s Story highlights need for racial reconciliation skill building [Part 1]

The firing of Shirley Sherrod is perhaps the most recent and glaring example of a simple fact- US citizens do not know how to talk about race in a way that will truly invite healing and conciliation. For over 25 years, in our work at VISIONS, INC., we have been inviting individuals and groups in a variety of settings to honestly engage this issue in ways that lead to healing, compassion and power sharing. Sometimes it’s painful, most times it’s enlightening. We need communication and problem solving skills – and

an on-going commitment – to have effective “solving” of our racial issues.

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Extremists in the Tea Party movement as well as the New Black Panthers and their sympathizers are more interested in dividing us than bringing us, with all our differences and similarities together. But they don’t speak for the rest of us. Our experience and study after study show that most US citizens, no matter what their ethnic or cultural group want effective race relations. But we all know that it isn’t easy to reach that goal. The first and perhaps most difficult barrier is frankly that most white citizens believe we have largely achieved the goal of racial equality. Most believe that blacks and other people of color have equal access to opportunity. Such a belief mitigates against the “facts.” The continuing economic, social, psychological and other disparities among and between groups, gets viewed solely as the individual’s problem; not as a consequence of our pained racial history of disparate treatment on the basis of group identity. The need for individual and group healing as well as policy shifts that will affect “life chances” for individuals and groups, is minimized in this cultural and political climate, except when there is a “racial incident.”

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Shirley Sherrod spoke to the NAACP about a personal experience of racism before becoming a public employee that impacted her thinking about implementing policy. She described her own healing journey to provide support to ALL farmers, as well as to recognize that class, as well as race can limit opportunity.

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In so doing, Ms. Sherrod modeled what we all must do to move forward.  It is not possible to effectively address racial issues in the United States without looking at the impact of the legacy on each of us, individually and collectively. For most white U.S. citizens, this will mean letting go of the need for the problem to be fixed. It will mean for all of us, letting go of “who is to blame.” We have a legacy in the U.S. that has not been honestly addressed. When we inherit a legacy, we also inherit the consequences of “debt.” Racial disparities and class disparities are our consequence. Whites and people of color have to understand the ongoing impact of this reality. This is our

societal truth.

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I wish we had some magic dust! Yet, in order to genuinely heal from our legacy, we must engage in work that is like learning a new language. It takes patience, practice and on-going use. It will be uncomfortable and/or otherwise difficult; initially AND its outcomes are rewarding.

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Tomorrow we will post the second half of Dr. Batts’ article, which outlines steps we can take right away to help us move forward.

Filed under: Valerie Batts , cultural issues, multicultural, NAACP, race, racial issues, Shirley Sherrod

the VISIONS inc. blog

Welcome to the blog for VISIONS inc.

We are very excited to get this up and running so we can share our mission with the world in a new and dynamic way!

For now, please see http://visions-inc.org for more information about what we do and the services we offer.

Filed under: administrative