SESSION EIGHT--POWER AT WORK IN OUR CONGREGATION

In this workshop we worked to develop our skills in identifying visible and invisible ways congregational norms, culture, policies, and practices intentionally or unintentionally reinforce White privilege and dominant White culture while marginalizing People of Color and others marginalized by race or ethnicity.

Here is the feedback from our participants to this session:

Activity #1 : Effective in eliciting recognition of implicit racial attitudes & their deleterious impact on the in-group

Activity #2: I found it to be a bit “stacked” & constraining

Years of conscious addressing of race issues nevertheless did not dislodge stereotypes, fears, assumptions of privilege in some who spoke about their experiences. Suggests the hold prejudicial thoughts have on people.

It is always good to share personal stories and particularly useful to focus on experience we have had with “other” – those of color – experiences that help us recognize our early teachings and primal biases.

It is becoming clearer how being in a position of power cuts us off from relating in the here and now, relating to & understanding those who have grown up w/experiences vastly different from our own

Interesting. Confession good for the soul.

In our small group, we recognized the influence of parents, extended family, movies and TV on our early and often stereotypical impressions of people of color and how those messages affected our behavior as we grew up.

Enjoyed the casting game – a light way to recognize our ingrained stereotypes.

Thought provoking.

The e-mailed handout was really thought provoking. In class groups, we learned how some people had been insulated from other races growing up. The exercise about casting was illuminating.

The casting director exercise was quick and quite revealing.

It was pleasant to have plenty of time to have the discussion exercise. Naming the emotion associated with a painful racial experience provides another step towards healing.

Today’s session was helpful in bringing to light our unconscious prejudice.

Very enlightening to see ourselves in this light, hopefully to understand why we behave as we do.  Excellent !!

SESSION SEVEN--GOING DEEPER

COMMENTS FROM SESSION 7 BtWWDA

January 29, 2011- In this session, we chose to look at white privilege in our congregation and how institutional racism might exist, even if we aren't aware of it.   

FEEDBACK FROM PARTICIPANTS

My favorite part was to sing and move.  Should we consider beginning this way?  I do appreciate the use of the projection screen so visuals are presented… very helpful!  Looking at our own congregation is a challenge and quite interesting!  Thank you Sue and Bob!

An excellent session.  We’ve turned a corner to a place of more openness in our questions and sharing.  We’re feeling some important bonding.  It’s becoming the “training we dream about.”  Looking forward to more.

I am pleased to be a part of serious discussions that allow naming and reframing racism in a way that allow healing.

I felt we moved closer to the name it and deal with it.  Much closer to the core of the issues.

We defined issues and then dealt with it and then reframed it.  All four groups came up with “real” issues, issues that exist in real life and proposed very practical ways of dealing with them.  This session was truly pertinent to the circumstances of my life.

I felt handicapped and at a loss reading the assumptions because I missed a session and misunderstood where they came from.  Many are not assumptions I made.

These sessions may really help this congregation to do better re race relations.  However, I really believe that UUFCC does a pretty good job already.  At least in comparison to many groups.  I wasn’t originally convinced that all this would change much or be very valuable.  Fortunately, I think it is both.

All people are precious – white people lose their humanity when they act out racism.  Undoing racism is not easy but a most worthy goal.  Let’s begin the work with honesty and without rancor.  We are off to a great start.

Empathy!  Loved the song.  Ted spoke of connections and where we go from here.

Good session.  Seemed to go a little deeper.  More openness.

I feel that this session really helped us go deeper into the concept of white privilege and how it is manifested in our congregation.

We moved from behaving more purely intellectually engaged to being more emotionally involved.

I wonder if our black members get sick and tired of being the example continually used. How would I feel if I were 1 of 3 whites in a black dominated fellowship and whites were the focus all the time.