Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Church Extension



|CONTINUUM ON BECOMING AN ANTI-RACIST MULTI-CULTURAL INSTITUTION |

|MONOCULTURAL ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( |MULTICULTURAL ( ( ( |( ( ( ( ( ( ANTI-RACIST |( ( ( ( ( ( ANTI-RACIST MULTI-CULTURAL |

|Racial and Cultural Differences Seen as Deficits | |Tolerant of Racial and Cultural Differences |Racial and Cultural Differences Seen As Assets |

| | | | | | |

|1. EXCLUSIVE |2. PASSIVE |3. SYMBOLIC CHANGE |4. IDENTITY CHANGE |5. STRUCTURAL CHANGE |6. FULLY INCLUSIVE |

| |A “CLUB” INSTITUTION | | |A TRANSFORMING INSTITUTION | |

|A SEGREGATED INSTITUTION | |A MULTICULTURAL INSTITUTION |AN ANTI-RACIST | |A TRANSFORMED |

| |( Tolerant of a limited number of | |INSTITUTION |( Commits to process of intentional |INSTITUTION IN A TRANSFORMED |

|( Intentionally and publicly |People of Color with “proper” |( Makes official policy | |institutional restructuring, based |SOCIETY |

|excludes or segregates African |perspective and credentials |pronouncements regarding |( Growing understanding of racism as |upon anti-racist analysis and | |

|Americans, Native Americans, | |multicultural diversity |barrier to effective diversity |identity |( Future vision of an institution |

|Latinos, and Asian Americans |( May still secretly limit or | | | |and wider community that has |

|( Intentionally and publicly |exclude People of Color in |( Sees itself as a |( Develops analysis of systemic |( Audits and restructures all |overcome systemic racism |

|enforces the racist status quo |contradiction to public policies |“non-racist” institution with |racism |aspects of institutional life to | |

|throughout institutions | |open doors | |ensure full participation of People |( Institution’s life reflects full|

| |( Continues to intentionally |to People of Color |( Sponsors programs of anti-racism |of Color, including their world-view,|participation and shared power with|

|( Institutions of racism includes|maintain white power and privilege | |training |culture and lifestyles |diverse racial, cultural and |

|formal policies and practices, |through its formal policies and |( Carries out intentional | | |economic groups in determining its |

|teachings, and decision making on|practices, teachings, and decision |inclusiveness efforts, |( New consciousness of |( Implements structures, policies |mission, structure, consistency, |

|all levels |making on all levels of |recruiting “someone of color” |institutionalized white power and |and practices with inclusive decision|policies and practices. |

| |institutional life |on committees or office staff |privilege |making and other forms of power | |

|( Usually has similar intentional| | | |sharing on all levels of the |( Full participation in decisions |

|policies and practices toward |( Often declares, “We don’t have a |( Expanding view of diversity |( Develops intentional identity as an|institutions life and work. |that shape the institution, and |

|other socially oppressed groups. |problem.” |includes other socially |“anti-racist” institution | |inclusion of diverse cultures, |

| | |oppressed groups. | |( Commits to struggle to dismantle |lifestyles, and interests. |

| | | |( Begins to develop accountability to|racism in the wider community, and | |

| | |BUT… |racially oppressed communities |builds clear lines of accountability |( A sense of restored community |

| | | | |to racially oppressed communities |and mutual caring. |

| | |( “Not those who make waves” |( Increasing commitment to dismantle | | |

| | | |racism and eliminate inherent white |( Anti-racist multicultural |( Allies with others in combating |

| | |( Little or no contextual |advantage |diversity becomes an |all forms of social oppression. |

| | |change in culture, policies, | |institutionalized asset | |

| | |and decision making |BUT… | | |

| | | | |( Redefines and rebuilds all | |

| | |( Is still relatively unaware |( Institutional structures and |relationships and activities in | |

| | |of continuing patterns of |culture that maintain white power and |society, based on anti-racist | |

| | |privilege, paternalism and |privilege still intact and relatively |commitments | |

| | |control |untouched | | |

DEFINING RACISM

1. If we want to work on solutions to racism, we need a common definition and a common analysis of racism.

2. Racism is not the same thing as individual race prejudice and bigotry. All people are racially prejudiced (regardless of racial/ethnic identity). It is part of the air we breathe. It is socialized into every person. But this does not mean that everyone is racist.

3. Racism is more than race prejudice. It is more than individual attitudes and actions. Racism is the collective actions of a dominant racial group.

4. Systemic power turns race prejudice into racism. Racial prejudice becomes racism when one group’s racial prejudices are enforced by the systems and institutions of a society, giving power and privilege based on skin color to the group in power, and limiting the power and privilege of the racial groups that are not in power.

RACE PREJUDICE

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THE MISUSE OF POWER

BY SYSTEMS AND INSTITUTIONS

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RACISM

ICEBERG-MISUSE OF POWER

Racism uses power in unaccountable ways. You will recall that the story of the Titanic was that the ship’s captain had left the navigation to his next in command. That officer failed to account for the opposing presence of the iceberg (s) not readily visible.

Not always readily visible, racism misuses power in three (3) ways. We can illustrate these misuses of power with the image of an iceberg. There are many ways to express the spiritual devastation of racism’s power in the lives of the individual, the culture and the institutions of our society. Through Reconciliation Ministry’s analyses of racism, we find that the Racism’s power works on each of these levels simultaneously.

[Draw an iceberg on chart paper.  Draw water dividing the smaller tip from the larger core and base.  As you talk, label the tip “over,” the core “for” and the base “from.”]

ICEBERG-MISUSE OF POWER CONT.

The tip of the iceberg is all we can see from a boat.  Racism’s 1st misuse of power if often all we see; the power over people of color—the power to hurt and oppress African-Americans, Asia-Americans, Native Americans, Middle Easterners, Latinos/as.

The 2nd misuse of power by racism is the core of the iceberg.  From our boat it’s not easily seen.  This is racism’s power to provide privileges and access for white society.  (Brief examples or illustrations should be given.)

The base of the iceberg, totally hidden from those in the boat, is racism’s 3rd misuse of power to take from all of us, to destroy all of us, to determine our identity—who we are and whose we are.

This 3rd misuse of power is the internalization we’ve been talking about, this socialization that we’re all too often unaware of. Racism has shaped us into being, as Paul stated, what we don’t want to be. Dismantling racism frees us all into being what God intended all his creation to be—“free indeed,” the words of M L King, “free indeed” to be God’s children.

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Value Driven Conversation

Accountable & Responsible Anti-Racist Relationships

Practicing transparent communication that guards personal integrity

Embracing an abundant worldview that utilizes resources responsibly

Valuing ‘both/and’ thinking with a bias for action

Cooperation and collaboration that nurture individual creativity

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