Trading Spaces: When the Anti-Racist Ally/Educator Becomes the Oppressor in the Academy
Session Abstract
Can we authentically tend to eliminating racism without coming to terms with our own cultural identities? Can understanding our background, environment, and subliminal messages from our cultural experiences shed insight to our own implicit biases? This session will highlight successful and well-intended unsuccessful efforts toward this end.
Target Audience
faculty, administrators, community leaders, students
Session Description
Can we authentically tend to eliminating racism without coming to terms with our own cultural identities? Can understanding our background, environment, and subliminal messages from our cultural experiences shed insight to our own implicit biases? Can we authentically join the struggle to end racism and oppression before addressing our own cultural ancestry of racists and oppressors? What is the difference between individual and structural racism and oppression? This session addresses strategies to heighten awareness of our own cultural identities and the impact on our embedded stereotypes. How does this impact awareness affect our overt efforts in addressing and eliminating racism and oppression? This session will highlight successful and well-intended unsuccessful efforts toward this end.