After Friday's bombshell personal revelation session with Dr. Palmer, Saturday's session choices revolved more around theory. I tried to choose those sessions that focused on actions, specifically what I could do as a teacher and person to address and challenge white supremacy (at this point, people are freely using this word), specifically in the classroom. Therefore I chose a session called "Deconstructing White Supremacy through replacing White Norms with Equity Norms."
The fact that I realized back in the Black Men's Think tank that we live in a white normed world and how hard it was to just be present when the norms are unknown and uncomfortable, it logically makes sense that if the norms of operation are white norms, they may hold back those for whom these norms are what they are not accustomed, harder to achieve success and operate in the world. White norms are the de facto norms.
The session, unlike the first two sessions I attended was not a lecture. This was a group based activity in which we sat in trios. The three of us, one a drama teacher from an independent school in Portland, OR and the other a guy from Milwaukee who works at an engineering company, first discussed a diagram that was put in front of us. We learn norms and at this point we have a choice, we can go along with the norms (COLLUSION) which makes the norms more accepted (STRENGTHENS) and then we teach it to others (INDOCTRINATE). The other path is to state or think that the norms (white norms) aren't the only way (CONTEND) and then act in a non white norm way (CHALLENGE) and then change the norms (highly unlikely) or suffer the consequences (most likely). One can challenge as much as one likes but in the end "COLLUSION IS SURVIVAL." White norms win and are then strengthened. This made sense, and we see it all the time when people who challenge the status quo (white norms) get shut down or end up being removed from a situation.
So, what are these white norms. At this point, the facilitator asked us to brainstorm some white norms but most of us in the room really didn't know how to start (we are SO accustomed to white norms we couldn't even look at ourselves to figure out what we were doing qualified as white norms). So the whole room (around 60 of us) just starting raising our hands and being called on...which is the first norm we came up with. Here's a list:
• Raising your hand to be called on
• Never raise your voice
• Eye Contact
• Standing in line
• Being on time...the concept of linear time
• Competition is a white norm (who's the best)
• Sitting quietly in your seat
• Being extroverted
• Wearing western clothes
• Certain ways to wear your hair
• Food norms (no stinky food)
• "Don't rock the boat"
• Only protest loudly when something is morally objectionable
• Insider status never identified
• Not disclosing financial status (or even talking about money)
• Length of time is a sign of knowledge
• Clarity and Confidence being rewarded
• First come/first served
• Policy and Procedures
• Threats of lawsuits
• The supremacy of logical thinking and reasoning
The facilitator then went on to say the piece of information I took as the most profound nugget for me of the session:
The fact that I realized back in the Black Men's Think tank that we live in a white normed world and how hard it was to just be present when the norms are unknown and uncomfortable, it logically makes sense that if the norms of operation are white norms, they may hold back those for whom these norms are what they are not accustomed, harder to achieve success and operate in the world. White norms are the de facto norms.
The session, unlike the first two sessions I attended was not a lecture. This was a group based activity in which we sat in trios. The three of us, one a drama teacher from an independent school in Portland, OR and the other a guy from Milwaukee who works at an engineering company, first discussed a diagram that was put in front of us. We learn norms and at this point we have a choice, we can go along with the norms (COLLUSION) which makes the norms more accepted (STRENGTHENS) and then we teach it to others (INDOCTRINATE). The other path is to state or think that the norms (white norms) aren't the only way (CONTEND) and then act in a non white norm way (CHALLENGE) and then change the norms (highly unlikely) or suffer the consequences (most likely). One can challenge as much as one likes but in the end "COLLUSION IS SURVIVAL." White norms win and are then strengthened. This made sense, and we see it all the time when people who challenge the status quo (white norms) get shut down or end up being removed from a situation.
So, what are these white norms. At this point, the facilitator asked us to brainstorm some white norms but most of us in the room really didn't know how to start (we are SO accustomed to white norms we couldn't even look at ourselves to figure out what we were doing qualified as white norms). So the whole room (around 60 of us) just starting raising our hands and being called on...which is the first norm we came up with. Here's a list:
• Raising your hand to be called on
• Never raise your voice
• Eye Contact
• Standing in line
• Being on time...the concept of linear time
• Competition is a white norm (who's the best)
• Sitting quietly in your seat
• Being extroverted
• Wearing western clothes
• Certain ways to wear your hair
• Food norms (no stinky food)
• "Don't rock the boat"
• Only protest loudly when something is morally objectionable
• Insider status never identified
• Not disclosing financial status (or even talking about money)
• Length of time is a sign of knowledge
• Clarity and Confidence being rewarded
• First come/first served
• Policy and Procedures
• Threats of lawsuits
• The supremacy of logical thinking and reasoning
The facilitator then went on to say the piece of information I took as the most profound nugget for me of the session:
"Norms don't exist without sanctions"
Yeah, that totally makes sense. If someone follow the norms above, they get punished or penalized, even if not overt. There I sat during the creation of the list of norms and every once in a while someone spoke up and told a story or relayed a piece of information in a way that wasn't one of the norms and I immediately started to not listen or get defensive. The sanction I imposed was not giving them the courtesy or paying attention. There I was.....colluding with the white norms that I'm so ingrained with.
At this point, we were running out of time and so we were supposed to try and brainstorm some norms that could be implemented in our places of work or life that were more based in EQUITY. Here's a couple that the group came up with:
• Explicitly state that norms can't be assumed and point out that de facto norms aren't automatically a given way to operate in whatever situation you are in.
• Asking "why do we do it this way" or in other words...challenge assumptions
• Change the first come/first served schedule, instead set time frames to allow those who can't succeed in first come/first served situations to have an equal opportunity
• Don't base authority and leadership based on seniority or perceived mastery of knowledge instead based on compassion and being humane
And then...in typical white norm fashion, time was up and because we have to respect linear time....we ended the session. Getting out on time was more important than continuing this work. No one challenged it! Ahhhh, white norms win again!
Overall, this session got me to think and made me more aware of how we operate in the world. I clearly live and abide by white norms.....and wonder norms that are different than mine/white would be. The one I can think of is in China how people don't stand in line, but I'm sure there are many other examples that I could come up with...mostly they would be times in which I was annoyed and pissed off. And there we go, white privilege and supremacy.
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