What to stop and start doing in America's race conversation | Charlene Williams | TEDxYouth@Camas
The speaker argues against the pitfalls of "colorblindness" and "credentialing," asserting that meaningful progress on race requires people to actively own the work, engage in difficult conversations, and take immediate, tangible action. Evidence supporting this is the statistic that students taught about color and diversity were 30% more likely to identify discrimination, and the final call to action: *“It's time for us to get busy doing the work.”* ## Speakers & Context - Speaker delivering a talk on conversations about race and achieving constructive dialogue across divides. - Reference to attendees who signed up to discuss race, who expressed feelings of fear and trepidation about speaking incorrectly. ## Theses & Positions - The concept of "colorblindness" is problematic, as it can render people invisible and fail to address systemic injustice. - Being "bias-free" is nearly impossible because racial bias is ingrained in the culture and structures. - Society cannot rely on the "meritocratic bootstrap theology" because identical effort does not guarantee equitable outcomes. - It is necessary to stop "credentialing"—the process of using qualifications to exempt oneself from having to participate in difficult conversations. - Moving forward requires individuals to actively "own the work to know better and to do better" rather than waiting for institutions or others. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Colorblindness:** The belief that one should not judge people based on skin color or preconceived notions of good or bad, which the speaker argues can ignore injustice. - **Credentialing:** The tendency to present qualifications (classes taken, degrees, experience) as a way to excuse oneself from engaging in difficult conversations about race. - **Meritocratic bootstrap theology:** The belief that hard enough work will guarantee success and equal outcomes, which the research contradicts. - **Owning the work:** The active responsibility required from every individual to learn about and improve racial equity within their community. - **Micro actions:** Small, immediate steps that collectively result in a "macro impact." ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Colorblind Curriculum vs. Color/Diversity Curriculum:** Students taught the color/diversity curriculum were 30% more likely to identify acts of discrimination than those taught a colorblind curriculum, even when viewing the same discriminatory videos. - **Systemic Bias Evidence:** Identical resumes were tested; those with "white sounding names" were called back twice as much as those with black sounding names, despite identical criteria. - **The Path Forward:** The speaker proposes a path of two things to stop doing (e.g., denying bias, credentialing) and two things to start doing (e.g., owning the work, taking action). - **Building Stamina:** Building the conversational stamina to engage in discussions that will initially make the speaker uncomfortable, anticipating saying the wrong thing but knowing they will survive and learn. ## Examples & Cases - **Colorblind Curriculum Failure:** Students in a group taught colorblind principles were less able to identify discrimination acts compared to those taught color and diversity. - **Resume Bias Test:** Identical sets of resumes were used; resumes with white-sounding names were recalled twice as often as those with black-sounding names, despite having identical content. - **Naming Children:** The necessity of considering job impact when naming children in many homes of color, as a small naming choice can affect life outcomes. - **The Pipeline:** Mention of visible systemic failures such as "red line and gentrification and the school to Prison Pipeline." ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The common belief in America that "we can all make it right." - The assumption that "all things being equal" equates to equitable outcomes. - The tendency to deflect responsibility by citing personal credentials or experiences. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - Start active; do not wait until one knows enough or is "enough." - Take immediate action by engaging in uncomfortable conversations about race. - Specific actions recommended include: *“read,” “podcast,”* and reaching out to mentors for confidential questions. - Final concrete actions to champion: changing hiring practices, teaching practices, and leadership practices. ## Implications & Consequences - Continued denial of racial mechanisms allows inequities to perpetuate in daily life (jobs, housing, education). - True societal progress requires a collective commitment to confronting race, rather than pretending it does not exist. - The ultimate goal is a society where skin color, gender, or socioeconomic status does not determine one's access to housing or education. ## Verbatim Moments - *"choose black lives of blue lives choose liberal or conservative choose black or white choose Christian or Muslim choose pick a side define your tribe"* - *"it's only time for us to stop credentialing"* - *"a well-intentioned colorblind can render us blind to injustice"* - *"all things being equal does not equate into equitable outcomes"* - *"we are opposed to deny that there are mechanisms that continue to perpetuate inequities in our communities"* - *"It's time for us to get busy doing the work"* - *"I'll choose hard conversations I choose bold action"*