The Unlearning Racism workshop debriefing
At our first staff meeting last Wednesday, we talked about what we learned from the workshop and the writing prompts (we debriefed). I wanted to share some of the ideas expressed in that meeting because I think the ideas expressed were super important.
*It was expressed at the staff meeting that these first couple weeks are crucial because this is the time when we are able to learn and work together before we delve into our self-driven projects.
→I think it’s super important that we get to know each other now because throughout the year we’ll have opportunities to use our peers as resources and critics. There’s the possibility that we can collectively shape our stories to be more impactful and more profound if we embrace/ trust the feedback from our mentors and peers-but we have to trust each other first. And this is done in part by learning where each of us is coming from (what life experiences we’ve had that have shaped our perspectives), and what each of us brings to the table in terms of passion, knowledge, and skill. Plus, if we KNOW each other, we can push each other to do our best-which is something I think every individual needs in their life, no matter who they are.
*In the writing prompts a lot of people wrote that one of the ways to decrease prejudice is to challenge and correct people who make prejudiced statements so that we can stand up for each other whenever possible.
*It seemed that as some point in the debriefing conversation, there was a consensus that the world would never be free of prejudice, but that we could all do our part to try and eliminate prejudice within ourselves and try to make the 110 work environment one that was open and safe, an environment where we treat others as we want to be treated, and tell someone if they offend us (even if it means asking another staff person to mediate the conversation).
*My favorite quote that came from one of the writing prompts goes like this: “When someone yells out a racial slur, sexist or homophobic comment, of course it hurts, but when the pain goes away it becomes strength that we will keep with us forever, strength that we will pass on to next generations because this is just the world we live in, and we will learn that we can live on, and make a difference in the world if we want to regardless of our skin color, regardless of our gender, regardless of our sexual orientation. Everybody paints the world a different color, and if other people can’t see that, it’s their loss.”
*In her response to the writing prompts an individual wrote that she thought it was important for the different cultural groups on her campus to act as role models and to set public examples for what it looks like when people come together to support and celebrate the activities of cultural groups different from their own. It was her idea to urge these different cultural groups (like the M.E.Ch.istas and the African-American culture clubs) to put on cultural showcases so the rest of the student body could be exposed to and stimulated by different kinds of traditional and contemporary forms of artistic expression.
→I think all of us should explore the cultural practices of cultures different from our own just to see what gives meaning to the lives of other people. I say this because it is my opinion that our city’s young people get involved in drugs and violent recreational activities because we lack communities that provide us with meaningful cultural activities. And by “meaningful cultural activities” I mean things that bond us to other people or fulfill and stimulate our souls/ hearts/ minds in ways that can keep us motivated and positive.
→One of the responses to the writing prompts on cliques talked about how “…the biggest and best part of a clique is that it provides a sense of safety and family to a teen that is going through puberty and the change that accompanies it. A clique provides stability, a sense of purpose, and a feeling of belonging and being accepted in a time when mom and dad seem to be completely out of touch with reality.”
→I think that “clique” is a word that can be interchanged with “community”, “gang”, “subculture”, “group”, “club” etc. And sometimes I feel that it’s a lot more people than just my parents that are out of touch with the realities facing young people today. I have a hard time feeling like my values/ beliefs/ opinions are affirmed in mainstream culture and I know that there are far more marginalized youth out there just searching for people to connect with...
IN CONCLUSION, mad props to the new youth staff for opening up to us. There’s an energy here that I think is going to drive what could be the best issue of 110 we’ve ever published.
*It was expressed at the staff meeting that these first couple weeks are crucial because this is the time when we are able to learn and work together before we delve into our self-driven projects.
→I think it’s super important that we get to know each other now because throughout the year we’ll have opportunities to use our peers as resources and critics. There’s the possibility that we can collectively shape our stories to be more impactful and more profound if we embrace/ trust the feedback from our mentors and peers-but we have to trust each other first. And this is done in part by learning where each of us is coming from (what life experiences we’ve had that have shaped our perspectives), and what each of us brings to the table in terms of passion, knowledge, and skill. Plus, if we KNOW each other, we can push each other to do our best-which is something I think every individual needs in their life, no matter who they are.
*In the writing prompts a lot of people wrote that one of the ways to decrease prejudice is to challenge and correct people who make prejudiced statements so that we can stand up for each other whenever possible.
*It seemed that as some point in the debriefing conversation, there was a consensus that the world would never be free of prejudice, but that we could all do our part to try and eliminate prejudice within ourselves and try to make the 110 work environment one that was open and safe, an environment where we treat others as we want to be treated, and tell someone if they offend us (even if it means asking another staff person to mediate the conversation).
*My favorite quote that came from one of the writing prompts goes like this: “When someone yells out a racial slur, sexist or homophobic comment, of course it hurts, but when the pain goes away it becomes strength that we will keep with us forever, strength that we will pass on to next generations because this is just the world we live in, and we will learn that we can live on, and make a difference in the world if we want to regardless of our skin color, regardless of our gender, regardless of our sexual orientation. Everybody paints the world a different color, and if other people can’t see that, it’s their loss.”
*In her response to the writing prompts an individual wrote that she thought it was important for the different cultural groups on her campus to act as role models and to set public examples for what it looks like when people come together to support and celebrate the activities of cultural groups different from their own. It was her idea to urge these different cultural groups (like the M.E.Ch.istas and the African-American culture clubs) to put on cultural showcases so the rest of the student body could be exposed to and stimulated by different kinds of traditional and contemporary forms of artistic expression.
→I think all of us should explore the cultural practices of cultures different from our own just to see what gives meaning to the lives of other people. I say this because it is my opinion that our city’s young people get involved in drugs and violent recreational activities because we lack communities that provide us with meaningful cultural activities. And by “meaningful cultural activities” I mean things that bond us to other people or fulfill and stimulate our souls/ hearts/ minds in ways that can keep us motivated and positive.
→One of the responses to the writing prompts on cliques talked about how “…the biggest and best part of a clique is that it provides a sense of safety and family to a teen that is going through puberty and the change that accompanies it. A clique provides stability, a sense of purpose, and a feeling of belonging and being accepted in a time when mom and dad seem to be completely out of touch with reality.”
→I think that “clique” is a word that can be interchanged with “community”, “gang”, “subculture”, “group”, “club” etc. And sometimes I feel that it’s a lot more people than just my parents that are out of touch with the realities facing young people today. I have a hard time feeling like my values/ beliefs/ opinions are affirmed in mainstream culture and I know that there are far more marginalized youth out there just searching for people to connect with...
IN CONCLUSION, mad props to the new youth staff for opening up to us. There’s an energy here that I think is going to drive what could be the best issue of 110 we’ve ever published.