InterFaith Works of Central New York - 3049 E. Genesee St. - Syracuse, NY 13224 - Tel: 315.449.3552
© 2007 InterFaith Works of Central New York
Beth Broadway, Program Director
Originally aired on:
Dec 27, 2005
WCNY-TV: 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
WCNY2: 10:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Reading for Session Two:
Putting a Human Face on the Other, by John Landsman
America's Original Sin: The Legacy of White Racism, by Jim Wallis, A Study Guide on White Racism, New, Expanded Edition, Sojourners Magazine, 1992.
Victims of An American Holocaust: Genocide of Native People, by Steve Charleston, America's Original Sin, Sojourner Magazine, 1992.
Understanding Institutional Racism: Systems That Oppress, by Joseph Barndt and Charles Reuhle, America 's Original Sin, Sojourner Magazine, 1992.
The Faces of Discrimination , by Mali Michelle Fleming, Hispanic Magazine.
Discussion for Session Two:
Understanding Our Individual Histories
This is the second night of the dialogue, and each of the participants was asked to bring a photograph of their families. You will get to see these photos little by little throughout the series. Some brought a photo from when they were a child, and some brought photos of their current families.
We show family photos because it helps us to become more human to each other. We break down the stereotypes more during this session as we learn about how we were raised, how our families lived, and what we learned about race and racism from the people that helped us grow.
You will hear some of the participants talk about a time when they first noticed that people were different from them - that their skin was a different color, or their hair was a different texture, or they were of a different religion. We ask the participants to reflect on this incident, because it holds some of the most important information for each of us about how racism takes root.
Let's say, for example, that you are white. When you were little, one day your family was driving through the South Side of Syracuse. Your dad reached over and locked all the car doors when he saw a few black men standing on the corner waiting for a bus.
Or, let's say that you are black. When you were little, your mother taught you not to look directly into the eyes of a white adult, and when you asked why, she told you to "hush."
These early incidents hold "codes" about how we get taught to see the world in terms of skin color. Without saying much, the adults in our lives passed on the fears, angers, shame, and guilt that they had been taught.
In the dialogue circle, we ask people to recall these stories, and, together, to "unpack" them so we can meet people who are different from ourselves in a fresh way, rather than through the subtle (or not so subtle) teachings of our parents.
Examining Institutional Racism
The other topic the dialogue circle participants discuss during this session has to do with institutional racism. We define institutional racism as the laws, policies, and/or practices which produce racial inequalities, whether or not the person carrying out these practices has racist intentions.
The group looks at a variety of examples and discusses whether or not they feel that racism is at play. Here are the examples:
a) A grocery store chain decides to move one of its locations out of the inner city because it is not making enough profit at that store.
b) A bank refuses mortgage loans for the purchase of a home in low-income neighborhoods that are mostly African American.
c) To insure they get people they know will be qualified, an organization often hires employees that are recommended by friends or associates. All the managers of the organization are European American.
d) A store will not hire Latinos because the managers think all Latinos are lazy.
e) An organization's event, which was planned by the organization's all- European American planning committee, only had European American speakers and performers on stage.
f) A downtown bar has a "wooden Indian" in the window.
g) A local car rental company refuses to rent to people of color because they have had several problems with their cars that are brought to African American neighborhoods.
The important learning from this session is to understand that even if we give up our personal bigotries towards one another, the system of racism still exists, and will require our attention to truly bring about racial justice.
InterFaith Works of Central New York - 3049 E. Genesee St. - Syracuse, NY 13224 - Tel: 315.449.3552
© 2007 InterFaith Works of Central New York