In our third session of the Unpacking Race workshop series we identify cultural and institutional advantages attached to "Whiteness," and how institutional racism within housing, education, labor, media, and the criminal justice system target people of color. We also identify the myth of "post-racial institutions."
Readings: This week we feature readings about different aspects of institutional racism:
Keep a race journal: Whenever you notice something in your life that relates to race, write about it. We learn so much from reading about race and racism, from talking about race and racism, and in these workshops we also create images and theatre about race and racism. Making time for self-reflection is also very powerful. When journaling about race, take a look at the following chart. How does this Cycle of Socialization relate to your own experiences with race and racism throughout your life—this week, last year, growing up and possibly in the future?
Our second session of the Unpacking Race workshop series focuses on the material consequences of racial construction for people of color. We also explore immigrant experiences of adapting to U.S. racial constructs.
Definitions and Activity:
We played the Vehicle Game (click here to for details) and then used it to illustrate the following terms (borrowed from the Teaching for Diversity and Social Justice curriculum—see week 1):
Institutional Racism: A system of advantage based on race and supported by institutional structures, policies and practices that create and sustain advantages for the domi-
nant white group while systematically subordinating members of targeted
racial groups. This relative advantage for Whites and subordination for people
of color is supported by the actions of individuals, cultural norms, and values,
and the institutional structures and practices of society.
Individual Racism: The beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or
perpetuate racism. Individual racism can occur at both unconscious and con-
scious levels, and can be both active and passive. Examples include telling a
racist joke, using a racial epithet, or believing in the inherent superiority of
Whites.
Active Racism: Actions that have as their stated or explicit goal the maintenance of the
system of racism and the oppression of those in targeted racial groups. People who participate in active racism advocate the continued subjugation of members of targeted groups and protection of “the rights” of members of the advantaged group. These goals are often supported by a belief in the inferiority of
people of color and the superiority of white people, culture, and values.
Passive Racism: Conscious and unconscious beliefs, attitudes, and actions that support the system of racism, racial prejudice, and racial dominance and contribute to the maintenance of racism, without openly advocating violence,
discrimination, or an ideology of white supremacy.
After we created moving sculptures to illustrate these forms of racism, we broke up into small groups and talked about the way these different kinds of racism manifest in our own lives, and how we might have the power to change these situations.
Readings and Videos:
This week's readings are drawn from the book White Privilege: Essential Readings from the Other Side of Racism, edited by Paula S. Rothenberg. Workshops particpants have the option to read one of the following chapters:
We also included the essay "Reflections By An ARAB JEW" by Ella Habiba Shohat. Click on the titles of any of these essays to access the article online.
We've also included another 6-minute video excerpt from Race the Power of an Illusion: The Story We Tell, plus a 45-minute interview with Juan Gonzalez fromDemocracyNow! on how U.S. intervention caused mass Latin American migrations. The Democracy Now! video is viewable by clicking here, the excerpt from Race the Power of an Illusion can be viewed below:
