What to stop and start doing in America's race conversation | Charlene Williams | TEDxYouth@Camas
URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR5-SquvBOc Video ID: eR5-SquvBOc ============================================================ 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 - how you feelin like so comfortable to be told to choose you over there me over here hunker down in our equal chambers how do we have a constructive conversation that bridges the divides that reaches across difference and helps us to have a conversation about race these feelings and more are what people describe and they open up their social media accounts when they head home and stop on their way to their place of work these feelings and more are what over 30 individuals who signed up to have a conversation about race actually expressed their Egypt sex hold for better outcomes and better opportunities for themselves and their family and community members but they also expressed fear trepidation around saying the wrong thing in a conversation about race well it's gone Dixon races and many even expressed remorse over not saying something when they truly believe they should have so how do we have this conversation how do we lead in some conversations that are productive and constructive well I would like to offer a path to begin these conversations I would like to offer two socks and two stars to things that we can stop doing so people know and to these people to start doing in order to move these conversations board are you ready the first step denied we often denies seeing color and we often deny having bias now our colorblind friends have the best of intentions they say I see but I don't see color and I don't judge people based on the color of their skin I have no preconceived notions of good or bad matter I just see people as part of the students in the combined group were taught a colorblind curriculum and students in Group B were taught of color and diversity of firming hurricane now we were shown the same videos after these blessings some of these lessons were intentionally laced with discrimination against people of color now what's interesting is the students in the color brown group were 30% less likely to identify discrimination acts and they were less likely to intervene so what does this tell us that this isn't to us in research this is also in real life daily students of color feel rendered invisible especially in predominantly white spaces we have students who have pledged our system and due to some of those color blind notion say they leave not feeling that it's a to be breath so colorblind Wow it's a well-intentioned colorblind can render us blind to injustice making us part of the problem and not the solution so when we further unpack this why do we do now why don't we deny having by the research proves over and over again it's nearly impossible to be bias cream we're not bias free beings and we don't live in a biased Greek culture in fact our society's racial bias continues to produce disadvantage for citizens of color you see we all have this belief here in America we can all make it right this meritocratic bootstrap theology if we all are hard enough especially if all things beautiful right all things being equal well there's more research the research says that all things being equal does not equate into equitable outcomes in fact there was a study where there were identical sets of resumes produced for different jobs one says when even wiped out in aids and the other was given black soundings and the results were surprising although they had identical criteria the resumes with white sounding names were called back twice as much as the resumes with black sound now again research this is a real life in fact this isn't my life how many of you had to consider when naming your children the name that you give them needs to allow them to have a job year sleep well this is true for many of us many of us in african-american homes and other homes of color we have to consider how a little bit naming this precious exercise that each family gets to participate in problem may be my child impact their outcomes for getting a job my daughter's beautiful name's Nadia and Zarya also have remained and Denise as options for call back so it's not that we are opposed to wrong at work ethic and working hard to achieve a dream we are opposed to deny that there are mechanisms that continue to perpetuate inequities in our communities we know we need to stop you're not we can't look at red line and gentrification and the school to Prison Pipeline and continue to deny so people is time to stop denying so you know what else it's time to stop doing credentialing well what does that I used to be a high school and I had the privilege of working with amazing teachers and this teacher in particular was struggling to connect this to in her classroom and as the principal I'm sitting down having the usual conversation here our strategies and techniques and ways you can engage students and build rapport and move the lessons I understand okay well my conversation but what does credentialing does it often means please excuse me from this conversation here are my credentials here are all the classes I've taken the people I know the things I've done please excuse me from this conversation so people it's only time for us to stop credentialing this is not the oppressed we are not equal pay trying to dismiss any other groups experience with no pressure that is very real and that is very important but what we are asking is to let a conversation about race be about we can start owning owning it all the work to know better and to do better I just want to share something with you and it will be a surprise you are part of the problem and the solution we all the work to know better and to do better we can change things for our community everyone has the opportunity to learn more to do more to be more there are so many things that we can read there are books there are podcasts there are so many people waiting for you to hear their experience and learn this information about how to have a conversation about race so in that bill authentic relationships reach out power mentor that can you can ask cook confidential questions about your concerns of curiosities not only that I want to ask you this a lot why you're owning it I want to ask the to build your stamina to build your stamina to start and stay in conversations that will make you uncomfortable you're going to say the wrong thing but you will survive and we will learn and we will grow together we need to start owning the work it's not someone else's job to teach you it is all of us owning what we need to know in this conversation and finally because I know you're ready to get out of here [Laughter] start active don't wait until you know enough don't wait to be enough it is time to start doing something about the situation micro actions make a macro impact it is time for us to get busy doing the work this will take courage and courage means to do things in the face of fear if you see something take something and be willing to do something if necessary if you are afraid still disrupt and repair that's our car that is our application that is what we need to do we need to start acting one conversation can change these ongoing conversations can change the world small steps of starting to take place right here in campus people who are was blind to race these acts are now packages for racial justice [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and change hiring practices leave another conversation to change teaching practices leave another time conversation to change leadership practices these changes happen one person at a time one conversation at a time one decision to act at a time my own differences make macro impacts it's time for you to make your impact can you see it can you see what can happen will we really start leaning in and having serious conversations about rates can you imagine with me for just a moment can you imagine a society where teachers are able to eliminate outcome disparity in their classrooms can you imagine a society where the color of your skin or your gender or your socioeconomic status will not determine where you live where you can buy a home or your access to college [Applause] a society where legislators do not have to pass laws to make us civil to one another where we don't have the most divided our 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings can you imagine a society where we actually come together and you're no longer over there and I don't know more over here but we're coming together moving forward reaching across difference reaching across divides we're making this world a better place for your children making this world a better place for my children making the world a better place for our children can you see this - did you ask me to choose did you say choose you want me to choose I'll choose hard conversations I choose bold action [Music] [Applause]