DMC's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force recently led an internal training series focused on topics related to Unpacking Racism. In an earlier blog post, we promised to share the resources we assembled. This post covers the information shared during our first training in the series which we called "Being Open to a Discussion."
Speaking to the Moment
The goal of this session was to empower listeners to be informed and positively influence racism in the world. We began by acknowledging that the conversations may be difficult or uncomfortable, the work is not easy, and feeling uncomfortable is okay.
We reviewed some videos and discussed them together. The content demonstrated how racism takes many forms from small things that you say that you don’t realize how they come off, to systemic racism, to police brutality against primarily black people.
Emmanuel Ancho's video "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man" addressed the question, "Why are people looting?" Lilly Singh's video "Real Things White People Have Said to Me" flipped the script on racist remarks. At this point, two DMC team members from minority backgrounds shared their experiences and how it affected them in the DMC space.
Be Open to a Discussion
We really can’t unpack racism without having an open mind. The video "James Corden Gets a Lesson on White Privilege", reinforced that his white skin color didn't make his life more challenging.
We covered the following educational phrases.
Racial Colorblindness
Colorblindness creates a society that denies people of color’s negative racial experiences, rejects their cultural heritage, and invalidates their unique perspectives. This clip from PBS News Hour addresses "Why 'Colorblindness' is Not the Right Approach to Race." CEO Melody Hobson suggested "Being Color Brave."
White Fragility
Discomfort on the part of a white person when confronted by information about racial inequality and injustice. Dr. Robin DiAngelo shared "Why Are White People So Bad at Talking About Race?"
Colorism
Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group. One DMC employee shared a personal example.
Breakout Groups
At this point, we broke out into small groups to review discussion questions together. It sparked meaningful conversation about the video content and how it affects our experiences at DMC.
Check back as we share content from our following two sessions on Unpacking Racism!
Part Two: Systemic Racism
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