Between the racism training last week (ARC), our adolescent development training on Monday, a community meeting on Tuesday and seeing Red Tails last night -- I've got a giant ball of yummy, gummy thoughts and questions. Any answers? Anybody? Bueller?
- Can you really get white people to engage directly with the topic of racism when they can't see that it remains a structural component of our society that benefits them? Terry thinks yes. Most of what I've read says no. Hmmm.
- Why do we (youth serving community) want to avoid this topic so desperately? At the adolescent development training our most dramatic youth story about racism still didn't get folks all riled up about it. They did name it, but very little depth to the conversation. Why?
- When/how do young people of color start to really understand the impact of racism on their life? Is it impacted by development? Experience? What is behind their claims that it is irrelevant to their lives? At our community meeting the young people's perspectives had a HUGE range from articulating exactly how it impact them to completely denying it. Sure, you can't generalize, but ...
- My blogs criticized Red Tails for "white washing" racism. I didn't get it! Failed the test (kidding, mostly.) Probably didn't understand what they meant -- because I did see the movie put it out there -- and put it out there beyond a few bad people. Reflection (and re-reading comments) -- I do a face palm. Point was how the movie made it seem pretty darn easy to overcome racism because, really, at heart white people are good and accepting -- so just do a good job and they'll welcome you to the officer's club or the prison break. Right. Didn't get that at all while watching. My white lenses surely do filter well!
What's in your brain?
Anything exciting happen since you got home?
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Thoughts:
ReplyDelete- Thanks for the link, I'm looking forward to reading and then mulling over... I'll get back to you!
- Racism is a scary topic to many (most?) people so perhaps there's a resistance to really going there in a group. Particularly in professional circles I think it can be very hard for people to truly open up and discuss racism, maybe even to get angry/upset about it (particularly people of color who are wary of being pigeonholed as the angry POC in the room/office/org). In my experience safe space has to be created for things to get real...which often means get ugly...which also requires space and time for things to get fully processed. Maybe this doesn't explain fully why people don't at least get all riled up, but I keep coming back to the thought that maybe they just aren't ready to go there and don't even want to start in on it.
-I haven't seen Red Tails or seen or read The Help for that matter, but this makes me think of commentary on The Help that I have read. Did you see ColorLine's commentary on The Help (several articles, actually) or their reimagined posters?
http://colorlines.com/archives/2011/08/why_im_just_saying_no_to_the_help.html
http://colorlines.com/archives/2012/01/artist_reimagines_the_help_poster_white_people_solve_racism.html
I imagine the issues with the two films are a little different but with some overlap. This reminds me of my good (white) friend who read The Help and was appalled that everyone else who read it hands-down loved it and didn't seem to notice or call out the way the writer had essentially stolen the idea for the book from a young African American man... Maybe that's been blogged many times over already and I'm just not clued in, but her personal poll of readers indicated an overall lack of critical analysis of the book.
Woohoo! I got a comment! Thanks, Maritza.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree re: safe space. And very much appreciate perspective. Any thoughts you have about how to do in the context of our adolescent development training appreciated.
Yeah, I read all of the commentary on the Help -- I'm fascinated. I did read it, as well. Anyways -- what about all those awards last night? Interesting times.
Thanks for the comment. I feel very special.
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