Some of the steps are::
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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.
.
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?
Advertisement
Filed under: Valerie Batts, cultural issues, multicultural, NAACP, race, racial issues, Shirley Sherrod
