Creating a Call-in Culture For Deepening Equity · 2017-09-01 · Creating a Call-in Culture For...

SANTA MONICA COLLEGE

Creating a Call-in Culture For

Deepening Equity Grounding Our Community of Discourse

Facilitated By Veronica Neal, Ed.D. | [email protected]

7/31/2017

In this workshop we will explore the importance of building authentic communities where we can explore the challenges and opportunities of our equity

work by applying the tools of a “calling in” culture.

1 Organized by VAKN | [email protected] | 2017

WELCOME AND OVERVIEW

Workshop Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

Articulate the difference between call-in and call-out culture

Identify barriers to “true” community

Begin identifying approaches to creating a call-in culture

Practice calling-in

Facilitator Starting Assumptions:

• There will be more questions than answers

• This is an ongoing learning process

• We are equals/peers in this learning space, working together for student success

• Our values, cultural identities, and past experiences matter … They are in the room!

• Conflict is always possible; expect intrapersonal discomfort.

• We are all prejudiced; prejudice is learned and can be unlearned.

• We are here to learn from each other

Four-Fold Way:

Summarized by Michael Welp, Ph.D., www.equalvoice.com

1. Show up, or choose to be present.

2. Pay attention to what has heart and meaning.

3. Tell the truth without blame or judgment.

4. Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.equalvoice.com/


PERSONAL CONTRACTING

I, _____________________________________________________

Understand that it is okay to be imperfect with regard to my understanding of people who are different

from me.

I give myself permission to reveal ignorance and misunderstanding.

I give myself permission to struggle with these issues and to be open and honest about my feelings.

I am a product of my culture, upbringing, environment, and experiences, and “I am who I am” – perfectly

imperfect. I do not have to feel guilty about what I believe, but do take responsibility for:

__ Letting go of my role of teacher in this space and opening to my role as learner,

__ Accepting as much new information and knowledge as I can, and

__ Challenging myself to examine my assumptions and beliefs.

__ I grant myself permission to accept and appreciate the other members of the group as they also

struggle with these issues and to be open and honest about their feelings.

__ I agree to respect the confidentiality of all the personal information shared in both our small and large

group work.

___ Today, I am committed to working on the following areas:

___________________________________ _______________________________________

_____________________________________Signature

Adapted with permission for educational use only from Professional Development Group, Inc. 1993 ©



NAME STORIES ACTIVITY

◦ What is the story of your first, middle, or last name?

◦ Who gave you your name? Why?

◦ What is the ethnic origin of your name?

◦ What are your nicknames, if any?

◦ What do you prefer to be called?

Pavilion; retrieved: January 29, 2013;

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/name.html


http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/name.html


CREATING SHARED LANGUAGE

Diversity:

Equity:

Equality:

Social Justice:

Inclusion:

Socially Justice Inclusion:



DEEPENING PERSONAL EQUITY

Equity Literacy Abilities (Adapted from Gorski, 2014)

Instructions: On a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “poor” and 5 being “excellent,” how would you rate

your equity literacy skills? Please explain your responses.

Ability to RECOGNIZE biases and inequities, including subtle biases and inequities in self,

others, curriculum, and school practices.

Ability to RESPOND to micro-aggressions, biases and inequities in the immediate term.

Ability to REDRESS biases and inequities in the long-term.

Ability to CREATE and SUSTAIN a bias-free and equitable learning environment.

Ability to APPLY an equity cognitive-frame to individual and institutional practices.

” Equity Pedagogy intends to challenge fundamental societal

structures of inequity by equipping students [and employees] with

basic skills [i.e., equity literacy abilities] which will help them

be facilitators for social change

[as well as collective and individual success].”

Adapted from Reference: http://educ533group3equitypedagogy.weebly.com/



INTRA, INTER, AND INSTITUTIONAL DYNAMIC THAT DISRUPT

EQUITABLE INCLUSION

Unconscious Bias

“Unconscious bias applies to how we perceive other people. We are all biased and

becoming aware of our biases will help us mitigate them in our work [with

students].” – NX Leaders (2012)

Unconscious Bias

Personal Example:

Micro-aggressions (vebal/explicit): Micro-insults, Micro-assaults, and Micro-invalidations

Personal Examples:

Micro-messages (often nonverbal/implicit): Micro-inequities and Micro-affirmations

Personal Examples:

MICRO-MESSAGES (ROWE, 2008)

Characteristics: Small, often unconscious, unspoken, actions, which are constantly sent and received.

Micro-Inequities: Micro-inequities have a powerful impact on the target and create a sense of exclusion,

disrespect and a feeling of being unwanted whereas micro-affirmations do the reverse.

Examples of Micro-inequities: Eye rolling, looking away during an important point, ignoring someone,

not greeting someone, interrupting, disregarding, discounting, etc.

Micro-affirmations communicate inclusion, trust, respect, genuine willingness to see another’s

perspective and contributions.



COGNITIVE FRAMES SHAPE OUR INTERACTIONS WITH OTHERS… HOW?

Cognitive Frames Are Culturally Bond And Learned Overtime…

Become Embedded In Our Neural Pathways… And Shape Our Thinking

Organize Our Understanding Of Large Amounts Of Information And Experiences



CONNECTING CONCEPTS:

BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH COLLEAGUES AND STUDENTS



CREATING A CALL-IN CULTURE

Calling Out

Call-out culture refers to the tendency among progressives, radicals, activists, and community

organizers to publicly name instances or patterns of oppressive behavior and language use by

others. People can be called out for statements and actions that are sexist, racist, ableist, and the

list goes on. Because call-outs tend to be public, they can enable a particularly armchair and

academic brand of activism: one in which the act of calling out is seen as an end in itself…

In the context of call-out culture, it is easy to forget that the individual we are calling out is a

human being, and that different human beings in different social locations will be receptive to

different strategies for learning and growing… One action becomes a reason to pass judgment on

someone’s entire being, as if there is no difference between a community member or friend and a

random stranger walking down the street (who is of course also someone’s friend).

Call-out culture can end up mirroring what the prison industrial complex teaches us about crime

and punishment: to banish and dispose of individuals rather than to engage with them as people

with complicated stories and histories…

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/guide-to-calling-in/

Calling In

“Calling in as a practice of loving each other enough to allow each other to make mistakes; a

practice of loving ourselves enough to know that what we’re trying to do here is a radical

unlearning of everything we have been configured to believe is normal.”- Ngọc Loan Trần

http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2013/12/calling-less-disposable-way-holding-accountable/

by Ngọc Loan Trần; nloantran.com.


http://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/a-note-on-call-out-culture

http://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/a-note-on-call-out-culture

http://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/guide-to-calling-in/

http://www.blackgirldangerous.org/2013/12/calling-less-disposable-way-holding-accountable/

http://nloantran.com/


CALLING-IN STARTERS

By Dr. Veronica Neal (2015)

1. Appreciation

“Thank you for sharing that… I am sure that wasn’t easy to say…”

“Thank you for having the courage to sharing a different view…”

“I appreciation your honesty… “

2. Affirmation

“I can see that this really matters to you… “

“I understand that you care deeply for our students; we have that in

common…”

“I am glad you are engaged in this dialogue, which isn’t easy…”

3. Invitation

“I would love to hear more about your perspective on this…”

“Are you open to having a longer conversation?”

“I would like to share my perspective…, are you open to hearing that right

now?”



CALL IN PROTOCAL

Step 1. Identify if a micro or macro-aggression or micro-message has occurred. Determine how to address the

issue, using the following questions:

1. Who should do the calling-in?

2. Is it target-centered?

3. Have you identified the appropriate balance between addressing the issue as an individual problem and as a

systemic one?

4. Do you have the time and the emotional resources to engage in a dialogue…If not now, when?

5. What are your desired outcomes? Are you comfortable stating them aloud?

Step 2. Consider your personal role, cultural capital, power, and degree of risk. What can you do based on

your positionality?

1. How would you approach the subject with this individual?

2. What would your mindset be?

3. How would you open the conversation?

4. What questions would you ask?

5. How would you communicate your perceptions and how you felt about the specific situation?

6. What outcomes would you expect?

7. How would you communicate your expectations?

8. What type of follow-up will there be?

Step 3. To pursue the ideal outcome, you may want to think about some of the following questions:

1. What does the person(s) harmed need?

2. Are there other community members (such as bystanders or members of the same marginalized group) who

have been impacted? What do they need?

3. In what ways does the culture of this community support this behavior?

4. Does the person harmed feel safe in community with the person who caused harm?

5. Is the person who harmed willing to learn and change their behavior?

Adapted from Things We Need to Consider When Choosing Between Calling Someone Out or Calling Them In; Johnson (2015);

Resource: Activity Developed by the Network Exchange for Women (2012); Things We Need to Consider When Choosing

Between Calling Somone Out or Calling Them In; Johnson (2015).



RESOURCES

SUPPORTING STUDENTS AND OUR COLLEAGUES

Spend time thinking ahead about how you will react to strong emotions when they arise. Look at the table

below. Add additional emotions you think may emerge, and list potential response strategies.

Brainstorm:



INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS AND BALANCING POWER

Cultural Patters in Racial Discourse

Adapted from “Courageous Conversations About Race” by Singleton, G., & Linton, C. (2006)

White Talk/Dominate Discourse Color Commentary/Marginalized Voices

Verbal

Values placed on expressing oneself and

consciously or unconsciously controlling the

dialogue.

Example: who speaks first, longest, and most

often

Impersonal/Formal

Typically spoken in third person and prone to

explain opinion through use of other people’s

stories/exp.

Example: “I am married to a person of color

who things that…I grew up around Asians and

they said… I studied abroad and found that

culture… ”

Intellectual- Abstract Conceptual

Reasoning/Logic

Dialogue is more abstract and disconnected

from immediate and local reality; Example:

“Statistics say… Does the data really say that it

is because of… I once read that… The research

suggests…”

Task Oriented

Organized around the need “to do” something

and to find solutions may be hold less value in

introspection and storytelling.

Example: “When are we going to get to

action… What do you want me to do… Give

me strategies…”

Nonverbal

Characterized by silent respect for as well as

disconnect from the one talking and/or

positional/cultural authority.

Example: Folded arms, silence, sighs, rolling

of the eyes, refusal to offer direct eye contact

Personal

Example: Spoken in first person, value place

upon sharing one’s own story; “The police

pulled me over… As a Chicano, I don’t feel

respected by my peers… People assume that I

will be silent and just agree because I am

Asian

Emotional

Dialogue centered on an immediate and local

racial reality. More value placed on

qualitative analysis and feelings.

Example: “I don’t feel as though you like or

respect me as a Black instructor… I don’t feel

safe or support…

Process Oriented

Organized around the need for respect,

validation, and affirmation. Developing trust

in others occurs through the examination of

racial attitudes and beliefs in public from both

a personal and group perspective.

Example: “How do you feel about this Latino

student? How do you believe students of color

feel about you as a teacher? What is the

impact of having a majority white identified

faculty have on the culture of the campus?



ENGAGEMENT PEDAGOGIES: KEEPING THE CONVERSATION

GOING

From Teaching Tolerance Let's Talk! Discussing Race, Racism and Other Difficult Topics With Students;

http://www.tolerance.org/lets-talk

Part of developing skills for facilitating conversations about race and racism with your students is

equipping them with strategies they can use themselves. Some pedagogical approaches can help students

learn to sit with their discomfort and learn to moderate that discomfort over time. Below are two

approaches that Teaching Tolerance recommends:

1. Reiterate. Contemplate. Respire. Communicate. (RCRC). Explain these steps as a method for

communicating while feeling difficult emotions. These steps are not intended to move students away

from their emotions, but instead are tools to help them self-regulate.

Step 1: Reiterate. Restate what you heard. This step will enable students to reflect upon what they

have heard as opposed to what they think they may have heard. Repeating what they have heard

limits miscommunication and misinformation.

Step 2: Contemplate. Count to 10 before responding. Students can think about their responses and

use the time to compose what they want to say. Taking the time to think about their responses

moves students away from immediate emotional responses that can potentially derail the

conversation.

Step 3: Respire. Take a breath to check in with yourself. Suggesting students breathe before

responding may help them settle their thoughts and emotional responses during difficult

conversations. (See below for Peace Meditation as a respire option)

Step 4: Communicate. Speak with compassion and thoughtfulness. Students should do their best

to speak to their peers as they want to be spoken to, assume good intentions and seek

understanding. Explain that, when they disagree with something someone has said, they should

focus on challenging the statement rather than the person who said it.

2. Check in with students. In order to stay on top of students' feelings of safety, risk, trust and comfort, it

is important to monitor the emotional temperature in the classroom and check in with students about how

they are feeling. This awareness will assist you in knowing when to stop and address strong emotions

students may be experiencing.* Checking in nonverbally to gauge students’ comfort levels allows all

students to participate without being singled out or put on the spot. Try some of the following ideas:

Fist-to-Five. You can quickly gauge a number of things—readiness, mood, comprehension—by

asking students to give you a “fist-to-five” signal with their hands:

o Fist: I am very uncomfortable and cannot move on.

o One finger: I am uncomfortable and need some help before I can move on.

o Two fingers: I am a little uncomfortable, but I want to try to move on.

o Three fingers: I am not sure how I’m feeling.

o Four fingers: I am comfortable enough to move on.

o Five fingers: I am ready to move on full steam ahead!

Stoplight. Use the colors of a traffic light to indicate student readiness and comfort. Throughout

the lesson, you can ask students if they are green, yellow or red. Students can also utilize the “red



light” as a way to request a break or a stop when they are feeling strong emotions or have been

triggered.

o Green: I am ready to proceed.

o Yellow: I can proceed but feel hesitant about moving forward.

o Red: I do not want to move on yet.

*Note: You may not be able to provide complete safety for some students—particularly students who are

members of marginalized, non-dominant or targeted identity groups. It is also true that an overemphasis

on identity risks reducing the diverse realities of our students’ lived experiences in and outside of school.

3. Allow students time and space to debrief: Everyone engaged in an emotionally charged conversation

needs support systems in place to allow for the safe “discharge” of residual emotions. Students may have

thoughts or questions that arise once they have left your classroom. Provide them with the opportunity to

debrief what they are learning and their experience of learning it. Two strategies are listed below:

Talking Circles. Gather in a circle and create, or review, the norms that will help build trust in the

Circle. Select an object of significance to serve as a talking piece that signals participants to

engage equally in the discussion. Whoever holds the talking piece can speak, while the rest of the

Circle listens to and supports the speaker. Pose a question or statement to begin the discussion. It

could be as simple as, “How do you feel about today’s lesson?” As the facilitator or Circle

Keeper, you will participate as an equal member of the group. As students become familiar with

the process, consider inviting them to be Circle Keepers. (Source: Amy Vatne Bintliff, “Talking

Circles for Restorative Justice and Beyond.”)

Journaling. Personal reflection through writing can be extremely effective for debriefing after

difficult conversations. Journaling can help students process their emotions on their own terms

and at their own pace. Journals can be kept private or can serve as a space where you dialogue

with students by writing back and forth.


http://www.tolerance.org/blog/talking-circles-restorative-justice-and-beyond

http://www.tolerance.org/blog/talking-circles-restorative-justice-and-beyond

Creating a Call-in Culture For Deepening Equity · 2017-09-01 · Creating a Call-in Culture For...

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