DCF Equity and Inclusion Training

Part 1: Embracing Equity

Supplies for This Training:

1. Notebook (we’ll call this the Equity Journal)

2. Pen and 2 colored pencils (different colors)

3. The assigned videos and the activity on “Core Values”

Why professional development training on

equity and inclusion?

“To reach others, we have to first know ourselves. And to contact the deeper truth of who we are, we must engage in some activity or practice that questions what we assume to be true about ourselves.”

-Adapted from A.H. Almaas

Goals of this training:

• Understand the connection values have to identity and equity

• Acknowledge the impact of bias on equity

• Explore strategies for disrupting bias and promoting equity

Expectations

Expect to:

• Establish community agreements to create trust in our space

• Explore identity as it relates to yourself and how you see others

• Engage in potentially difficult conversations

• Practice self – care

• Learn what it means to be an ally

• Create an action plan

Introductions…

Who are we?

We are professionally trained facilitators

Who work in various Divisions and Bureaus within the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

Your facilitator for today!

• Marianne Rosen

• Division of Family and Economic Security

• Policy Initiatives Advisor – Exec

• Vice-Chair: Department of Children and Families Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee

Participant Introductions

NAME TITLE & PLACE OF WORK

ONE WORD THAT DESCRIBES…

Community Agreements

Speak for self

1

Share airtime

2

Avoid sweeping generalizations

3

Listen for understanding (not to judge)

4

Acknowledge non-closure

5

Remember, it’s ok…

TO FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE AT FIRST (ATTEMPT TO LEAN INTO THAT DISCOMFORT)

TO AGREE TO DISAGREE TO TAKE A BREAK (OR BREAKS) WHEN YOU FEEL THE

NEED

Let’s play a game of…

Correct answers: #1

Dr. Stanley Andrisse, Ph.D., is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Pediatric Endocrinology at Johns Hopkins University and founder of “From Prison Cells to Ph.D.” He also spent ten years in prison following a conviction on felony drug charges.

Correct answers: #1

Dr. Stanley Andrisse, Ph.D., is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Pediatric Endocrinology at Johns Hopkins University and founder of “From Prg a conviction on felony drug charges.

Who is this individual?

A. Pediatric EndocrinologistB. CEO of a Non-ProfitC. Convicted Felon

A. Founder of an Organization for Differently Abled Individuals

B. Professional Dancer

C. Motivational Speaker

Who is this?

Who is this? A. Actress

B. Model

C. Transgender Woman

Goal 1 of Training:

• Understanding the connection values have to identity and equity.

Self-awareness is foundational for equity work; it involves understanding your personal identity, power structures, and values.

Identity is a lot like an iceberg…

• Some of our identity is visible to others, or “above the water line”

• Some of our identity is partially visible, or “at the water line”

• Most of our identity is not visible; it is “beneath the water line”

www.adl.org

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

IDENTITY

Identity and Privilege: What’s the Connection?

• Privilege: The unearned social, political, economic, and psychological benefits of membership in a group that has institutional and structural power. (YWCA of Greater Cleveland)

• You can experience privilege and oppression simultaneously when you identify with multiple groups.

• Intersectionality, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, refers to how race, class, gender, and other individual characteristics “intersect” and overlap with one another to create different modes of discrimination and privilege.

Identity and Privilege: What’s the Connection?

“Privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets which people can count on cashing in each day, but about which they were meant to remain oblivious. White privilege is like an invisible, weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, code books, passports, visas, compasses, emergency gear, and blank checks.”

- Dr. Peggy McIntosh

The Power Flower Activity… “Power Flower” Activity

The Power Flower is a visual representation of our social identities and our proximity to the social identities that hold power and privilege in our society. This activity helps us:

• See how we belong to various social identity groups

• See our positions of privilege and disadvantage in each group

• See how close or far we are to the dominant identities of our current society

• See the dynamic, relational aspects of power

Step 1: Draw this “Power Flower” in Your Journal (draw it LARGE)

8 outer petals + 8 inner petals + a circle in the middle

Step 2: Label the OUTER PETALS with Identity Categories

1. Economic Status

2. Race

3. Ability

4. Gender

5. Ethnicity

6. Age

7. Sexual Orientation

8. Religion

Step 3: Add the Dominant Identity to your OUTER PETALS and color all outer petals the same color

1. Economic Status: Middle class

2. Race: White

3. Ability: Able-bodied

4. Gender: Male

5. Ethnicity: English speaking/European descent

6. Age: Millennials (1983 – 1996)

7. Sexual Orientation: Straight

8. Religion: Christian

Step 4: In the INNER PETALS, identify yourself

Example:

If you labeled an outer petal “Gender” and wrote the dominant “Male” next to that, write your OWN gender in the inner petal

Final Step: Use your colored pencils again…

If your own identity (inner petal) matches the dominant outer petal, use the same color to shade the inner petal.

If your own identity does NOT match the dominant outer petal, use a different colored pencil to shade the inner petal.

When you’re done, look at the colors in your Power Flower…

Thoughts about Your Power Flower…

How many of your personal characteristics are different from the dominant identities?

How will reflecting on your social identities help you understand others?

How Values Shape Our Identity

• Values serve as our compass; they impact decisions we make about every aspect of our lives:professional decisions, relationship decisions, and personal decisions

• Values define how we want to continue to live. Where goals and visions focus on the outcome, values focus on how we move toward those outcomes.

• Values are reflected in our behaviors, thoughts, and choices.

What are your values?

DCF Values:

• Safety

• Economic Security

• Equity and Inclusion

• Children and Families

What is “Equity”?

Equality and equity both promote fairness.

Equality promotes fairness by treating everyone the same.

Equity promotes fairness by giving individuals what they need to succeed.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Equality vs. Equity vs. Justice

Pre-Class Activities

Journal Activity:

Core Values

3 Video Clips:

“Equity Challenge”

“What Kind of Asian Are You?”

“Five Tips for Being an Ally”

Pre-Class Activity: Core Values

Please feel free to share your answers to the prompts:

• Think about your personal values. Answer these questions in your journal:

• 1) What are your top 3 core values?

• 2) Why are these 3 values so important to you?

• 3) Have you ever lost or sacrificed a core value in times of stress or when you’ve been triggered or felt threatened? How did that feel?

•Ritubhasin.com/blog/values-based-living

Pre-Class Work: The Equity Challenge

Video

What was your reaction to this video?

How does this video relate to the concept of the “weightless knapsack” of privilege or the concept of “intersectionality”?

Triggers and Values

• A trigger is something that jolts us out of the present and thrusts us into a place where we felt stressed, threatened, out of control, or fearful.

• Triggers are very personal and are different for different people.

• Triggers are upsetting because they often impact our core values.

• We react to triggers in three ways: freeze, flight, or fight

Triggers

What are your triggers?

• Phrases or words?

• Sounds?

• Scents or fragrances?

• Body language…

• Physical contacts?

• Environments?

Goal 2: Acknowledge the Impact of Bias on Equity

Bias is a strong inclination of the mind or a preconceived opinion about something or someone. We all have biases. Bias impacts our personal and professional lives and can influence:

• Who we invite to meetings

• How we interact with others

• Whose advice we consider

• Who we hire or promote

• How we conduct performance evaluations

• How we advise others

• How we facilitate workshops

Coping with Bias Can Result in Emotional Labor

• Emotional labor is the process of managing feelings and expressions to fulfill the emotional requirements of a job. More specifically, workers are expected to regulate their emotions during interactions with customers,

co-workers, and superiors.

Pre-Class Work: “What Kind of Asian Are You?”

Video

In your opinion, what emotional labor did the characters experience?

Goal 3: Explore Strategies for Promoting Equity

• Strategies for Communication and Disrupting Bias

• Strategies for Becoming an Ally

• Strategies for Self-Care

• Strategies for Creating a Personal Action Plan

Six Simple Communication

Strategies

These six communication strategies demonstrate

ways to respond to stereotypes, bias, and

prejudice.

Six Communication Strategies to Disrupt Bias1) Assume good intent and explain impact

2) Ask a question

3) Interrupt and redirect

4) Broaden to the universal behavior

5) Make it individual

6) Say OUCH!

*Anti-Defamation League

Strategies: Becoming an AllyBeing an ally means being willing to act with and for others in the pursuit of ending oppression and creating equity. An ally is someone whose personal commitment to fighting oppression and prejudice is reflected in willingness to:

1. Educate yourself about different identities and experiences

2. Challenge your own discomfort and prejudices

3. Learn and practice the skills of being an ally

4. Take action to create interpersonal, societal, and institutional change

https://opseu.org

Pre-Class Work: “5 Tips for Being an Ally” Video

• Understand your privilege

• Listen and do your homework

• Speak up, not over

• Realize you’ll make mistakes; apologize

• Remember that “ally” is

a verb

Self – care

• What is self-care?

• What do you do for self –care?

• What is your plan for self –care while doing this work?

What do you do for self – care?

Strategies:

Creating a Personal Action Plan

Transfer Your New Consciousness to an Action Plan

Action:

Understanding my intersecting identities

Recognizing my privilege

Listen for understanding

Identify my values

Corresponding Prompt:

One thing I will re-examine about my intersecting identities is…

I will list the areas of my life where privilege exists and I will use it to help someone by...

I will practice active listening and amplify someone else’s story/voice by…

This is one way I can use my values to help others:

Review concepts we have talked about today…• Identity

• Values

• Triggers (and responses)

• Bias

• Emotional Labor

• Six strategies for addressing bias

• Ally

• Self-Care

• Action Plan

Review Goals of Today’s Equity Training…

1. Understand the connection values have to identity and equity

2. Acknowledge the impact of bias on equity

3. Explore strategies for promoting equity and equity work

Thank you for your participation!!!

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

- James Baldwin

Contact information

Marianne Rosen

Wisconsin Department of Children and Families

Division of Family and Economic Security

(608) 333 – 4671

Marianne.Rosen@Wisconsin.gov