Let’s Stop Hiding From Race
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Transcript of Let’s Stop Hiding From Race
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.