Let’s Stop Hiding From RaceLet’s Stop Hiding From RaceLet’s Stop Hiding From RaceLet’s Stop Hiding From Race

john a. powelljohn a. powell

Williams Chair in Civil Rights & Civil Liberties, Moritz College of Law

Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity

Moritz Faculty BrownbagJanuary 27, 2009

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Presentation OverviewPresentation Overview

Influences on How We Think, Talk, and Act on Race Implicit BiasFramingColorblindnessTargeted UniversalismSystems Theory

Toward a Transformative DiscourseStrategic approaches for the classroom

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Influences on How We Think, Talk, Influences on How We Think, Talk, and Act on Raceand Act on Race

Source: Lester, Julius. Let’s Talk About Race

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Hesitancy to Talk about RaceHesitancy to Talk about Race

Most people do not know how to talk about race in constructive and transformative ways.

Reasons for the hesitancy include:Fear of stigmatizing groups and creating self-fulfilling

propheciesConcern about reinforcing negative stereotypesFear of stimulating frames that create resistance to social-

justice policy and encourage inter-group conflict Ignoring similar stresses of whites

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Why We Need to Talk about RaceWhy We Need to Talk about Race

To not talk about race is to talk about race.

Race plays a critical role in the creation and perpetuation of many social, political, and organizational structures that control the distribution of opportunities.

Race affects all aspects of our lives. Where we live, who our children’s friends are, what social

programs we support, how we vote, etc.

We must address race to understand the history of our nation’s democracy and the future well-being of its people.

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Consequences of Not Talking about Race Consequences of Not Talking about Race

Racial disparities are masked

Misperceptions about equality are reinforced

Support for equitable interventions is decreased

Diversity becomes less valued

“Color-blindness” gains salience

Inadequate proxies (such as class) gain visibility

Understanding of “linked fate” is weakened (we fail to see that institutional arrangements are functioning poorly for everyone)

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Perceiving RacePerceiving Race

Racial categorization occurs automatically, regardless of any efforts to divert attention from race.

Within moments of perceiving someone, we automatically judge that person in terms of in-group favoritism Is that person is an “us” or a “them”?

We unconsciously think about race even when we do not explicitly discuss it. Drew Westen’s The Political Brain Implicit Association Test

Implicit thoughts can overpower our explicit positions

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Implicit BiasImplicit Bias

People have multiple networks that may be activated without our awareness.Depending on the situation, one network becomes

dominant over the others

Even though we may fight them, implicit biases reside within us…

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Our Unconscious NetworksOur Unconscious Networks

What colors are the following lines of text?

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Our Unconscious NetworksOur Unconscious Networks

What colors are the following lines of text?

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Our Unconscious NetworksOur Unconscious Networks

What colors are the following lines of text?

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Our Unconscious NetworksOur Unconscious Networks

What colors are the following lines of text?

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Our Unconscious NetworksOur Unconscious Networks

What colors are the following lines of text?

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Implicit Bias – The Shooter GameImplicit Bias – The Shooter Game

In a video-game experiment, images of suspects - both armed and unarmed, black and white – flash rapidly on a monitor. Within a split-second, subjects must decide whether to shoot.

Participants must assess whether the man in each picture is carrying a gun. Within 850 milliseconds they must press one key to shoot or another to leave the figure unharmed.

After repeated experimentation, people’s mistakes, although rare, follow a pattern: They shoot more unarmed blacks than unarmed whites;They fail to shoot more whites than blacks are holding

weapons.

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What Would You Do?What Would You Do?

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Implicit Association TestImplicit Association Test

http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/08/19/

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Implicit Bias – Unconscious ModelingImplicit Bias – Unconscious Modeling

The Kanizsa Triangle

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DebiasingDebiasing

Given the strength of implicit biases, how should we engage in debiasing?

Encouraging people to ‘consider the opposite’ can be a productive strategy in some circumstances.

Attempting to debias by avoiding race will not work.Frames are still operating

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FramingFraming

How messages are framed affects how they are perceived.

Conversations about race and diversity must be honed to ensure that messages are effective.

Consider the false dichotomies we often use when we think and talk about race. These binaries are actually frames.

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False Dichotomies and FramingFalse Dichotomies and Framing

From which top hat will the magician pull a bunny?

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False Dichotomies and FramingFalse Dichotomies and Framing

Neither one. When a question is framed as a dichotomy, it is more difficult to think outside of the “either – or” mindset.

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Analyzing How We Talk About RaceAnalyzing How We Talk About Race False dichotomies as frames:

1) Black / White A racial continuum has yet to be accepted by most people

2) Civil Rights / Post-Racialism Older Americans: Civil Rights angle Younger Americans: a post-racial perspective Whites tend to be absent from this discussion

3) Race is not important / Race is important Not important = colorblind Is important = color conscious

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Colorblindness v. Color-ConsciousnessColorblindness v. Color-Consciousness

Colorblindnessblindness

The logic: Since we know race is socially constructed (not scientific), we should eliminate racial categories

This perspective assumes “that the major race problem in our society is race itself, rather than racism.”

Attempting to ignore race is not the same as creating equality

john a. powell. “The Colorblind Multiracial Dilemma: Racial Categories Reconsidered.” (1997)

Is colorblindness an appropriate shift in how we perceive race?

NO. Colorblindness will not end racism.

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Colorblindness v. Color-ConsciousnessColorblindness v. Color-Consciousness

Color-ConsciousnessConsciousness

This perspective acknowledges that race can be a divisive issue in our society

Policies and interventions need to address race; otherwise they will only provide partial solutions to problems that are grounded in race

Acknowledging race through a multicultural frame can reduce prejudice

Color-consciousness fosters an appreciation of each group’s contributions to society

Philip Mazzocco. “The Dangers of Not Speaking About Race.” 2006

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PrimingPriming

Our environment affects our unconscious networks.

Priming activates mental associations.Telling someone a scary story activates a frame of fear

Claude Steele’s “stereotype threat”:For example, tell students about to take a test that Asian

students tend to do better than whites, and the whites will perform significantly worse than if they had not been primed to think of themselves as less capable than Asians.

http://www.eaop.ucla.edu/0405/Ed185%20-Spring05/Week_6_May9_2005.pdf

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Race-Neutrality?Race-Neutrality? Given the forces of implicit bias, framing, and priming, race

neutrality is not a reasonable or effective goal.

We need a new paradigm:

Targeted policies alone are not desirable because they appear to show favoritism toward a certain group, thus stigmatizing them

Universal policies alone are not useful; they fail to account for the fact that people are situated differently in the economic and social landscape of society

So… Targeted Universalism

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Targeted UniversalismTargeted Universalism

Targeted universalism is an approach that supports the needs of the particular while reminding us that we are all part of the same social fabric.

Universal, yet captures how people are differently situated

Targets those who are most marginalized

Targeted universalism is a common framework through which to pursue justice. A model which recognizes our linked fate A model where we all grow together A model where we embrace collective solutions

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Targeted UniversalismTargeted Universalism Targeted Universalism recognizes racial disparities and the

importance of eradicating them, while acknowledging their presence within a larger inequitable, institutional framework

Targeted interventions must recognize the interconnected nature of our structuresAttempts to address singular issues in isolated ways will

ultimately fail

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Systems TheorySystems Theory Systems Theory is a transdisciplinary model that focuses on a web

of relationships and processes and not on linear, singular causation or the intent of one or even a few individuals.

In a complex systems model, actions and inactions have multiple effects, and the delayed or distant consequences are often different from more proximate effects.

From a systems perspective, causation is cumulative and mutual.Outcomes are caused by many actors’ and institutions’ actions

and inactions over time and across domains.Outcomes are the result of causes that accumulate over time

and across domains.

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Visualizing Systems TheoryVisualizing Systems Theory

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System InteractionsSystem Interactions

Source: Barbara Reskin. http://faculty.uwashington.edu/reskin/

We must pay attention to how people are situated by looking at

multiple indicators and

the relationships

that exist between

those indicators.

Toward a Transformative Discourse:Toward a Transformative Discourse:

Strategies for the ClassroomStrategies for the Classroom

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Transformative Discourse: Strategic ApproachesTransformative Discourse: Strategic Approaches

Linked fate: The fates of all people are linked We need to understand the effect that institutional

arrangements have on all individuals.

Unity: Focus on terms that bring people together rather than those that are divisive “Us/them” mindset a “we” perspective “We, the people…” recognizes “All the people”

Annie E. Casey “Race Matters” Toolkit – How to Talk About Race. http://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/howtotalkaboutrace.pdf

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Transformative Discourse: Strategic ApproachesTransformative Discourse: Strategic Approaches

Opportunity: “Opportunity” is a safe frame to use because people are not likely to present themselves as being against opportunity.This term also resonates with people because

opportunity is a deeply-ingrained American value.

Use of narratives: “Narrative trumps numbers.” Quantitative data is not particularly useful in prompting

people to alter the race frames they already employ.

Annie E. Casey “Race Matters” Toolkit – How to Talk About Race. http://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/howtotalkaboutrace.pdf

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Transformative Framing of RaceTransformative Framing of Race

Don’t frame issues around “what’s fair”

Reinforce the belief of opportunity for all

Assert that system flaws hurt everyone

Don’t focus on who or what is responsible for present inequities

Steer the conversation toward the results being sought (i.e., a quality education for everyone)

Don’t focus on exceptional individuals

Talk about where systems we all rely upon break down and how we can fix those systems

DON’TDON’T DODO

Frameworks Institute Message Brief: Framing Race

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Additional SuggestionsAdditional Suggestions

Provide potential solutionsWe need to be able to articulate what we support - not just

what we oppose. Martin Luther King, Jr. did not give a speech about “I

have a complaint…”

Create empathetic space

Acknowledge racial progressRecognize our racial history and connect it to our futureExplain how past injustices still matter today

http://www.equaljusticesociety.org/2008/12/talking-about-race-in-the-obama-era/

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Revisiting Race NeutralityRevisiting Race Neutrality

Inside or outside of the classroom, the question is not if we should talk about race, but how we should talk about race.

Race-neutral tactics may appear to have appeal, but in reality, we’re not seeking race-neutrality – we’re seeking racial fairness.

Race neutral tactics only make sense if people are already situated alike.Because people are situated differently, we must

consider a systems perspective that accounts for multiple indicators and their relationships.

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Achieving Transformative ChangeAchieving Transformative Change

Transformative change in the racial paradigm in the U.S. requires substantive efforts in three areas:

Acting: Linking these understandings to the way that we act on race and how we arrange our institutions and policies.

Talking: Understanding how language and messages shape reality and the perception of reality.

Thinking: Understanding how framing and priming impact information processing in both the explicit and the implicit mind.

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www.KirwanInstitute.orgwww.KirwanInstitute.org

Appendix:Appendix:

Structural RacializationStructural Racialization

Subsidized Housing Policies

Discriminatory &Unfair Lending

A Housing MarketThat Does Not Serve

the Population

Racial SteeringAnd Discrimination

ExclusionaryZoning

Housing Housing ChallengesChallenges

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Dominant public paradigms explaining disparities: “bad apples”Defective culture Individual faultsPersonal racism

Overlooks policies and arrangements:“diseased tree”Structures InstitutionsCumulative causation

Attribution of DisparitiesAttribution of Disparities

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The Importance of Institutional ArrangementsThe Importance of Institutional Arrangements

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Structural Racialization Structural Racialization

Institutional racism shifts our focus from the motives of individual people to practices and procedures within an institution.

Structural racialization shifts attention from the single, intra-institutional setting to inter-institutional arrangements and interactions.

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Structural RacializationStructural Racialization

Structural racialization refers to the ways in which the joint operation of institutions produce racialized outcomes.

Structures matter and are not neutral. They unevenly distribute benefits, burdens, and racialized meaning.

This uneven distribution has negative consequences not just for those with the greatest need, but all of us.

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The Arrangement of StructuresThe Arrangement of Structures

How we arrange structures mattersThe order of the structuresThe timing of the interaction between themThe relationships that exist between them

We must be aware of how structures are arranged in order to fully understand social phenomena

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These cows are ill. Why?

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Photo source: AP

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Effects of Policies and Structures Effects of Policies and Structures

Racialized policies and structures:Promoted sprawlConcentrated subsidized housingLed to disparities between schools

Achievement gap

Discipline rates Funding disparities Economic segregation Graduation rates Racial segregation

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Cycle of SegregationCycle of Segregation

Lower Educational Outcomes for Urban

School Districts

Increased Flight of Affluent

Families from Urban Areas

Neighborhood (Housing)

Segregation

SchoolSegregation

Structural racialization analysis allows for a

view of the cumulative effects of institutional

arrangements.