A true racial dialogue is not intra-racial but interracial. It is not one-directional — from minorities to majorities — but multidirectional. Data must be presented. Experiences must be explored. Histories and systems must be laid bare. Biases, fears, stereotype and mistrust must be examined. Personal — as well as societal and cultural — responsibility must be taken. And privileges and oppressions must be acknowledged. We must acknowledge how each of us is, in myriad ways, materially and spiritually affected by a society in which bias has been widely documented to exist and in which individuals also acknowledge that it exists. [...], some immunity must be granted. Assuming that the conversational engagement is honest and earnest, we must be able to hear and say things that some might find offensive as we stumble toward interpersonal empathy and understanding. We would add that these conversations need to be as local as possible; each community has its own share of stories and there is no cookie-cutter conversation that will address the wounds and the opportunities in each place. For that, all stakeholders must be involved. The commonalities across localties will emerge, offering opportunities for system-wide reforms to be identified and implemented.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 13:03:29 +0000
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