Special Election, and a Prop 8 Update

The California statewide special election is on the horizon (May 19th--it's almost May?), and it is a good time to talk politics.

In brief: vote YES on Props 1A through 1F, to help protect public schools and community colleges against further funding cuts, and to reverse the damages made to our schools from financial cuts so far.

Oh, and that whole gay marriage business? Yeah, haven't turned any students gay yet, good thing Prop 8 passed!

Here's a repost of my article explaining why Prop 8 never had anything to do with education:

***

Let's summarize what the code actually says, along with a 2003 sex education research study cited by the Yes-on-8 crowd, to understand what it is I actually have to teach your kids:

1) CA Education Code 51933 states that school districts "may provide comprehensive sexual health education" in any grade as long as it is age-appropriate and factual. It's likely your neighborhood school does. 96% of schools chose to do so.

2) CA Education Code 51890 elaborates on what a comprehensive sexual health education program entails, which is a vast spectrum of health topics concerning drugs, exercise, disease and making good decisions. Also included is this topic:

"Family health and child development, including the legal and
financial aspects and responsibilities of marriage and parenthood."

Notice I don't really get into what marriage is, but the fact that it is legally binding, and involves vague financial aspects. Oh, and sometimes you have kids, too. The big idea here is that with commitment comes responsibility. This will not change with Prop 8.

3) Jumping back to CA Ed. Code 51933, there is another passage concerning marriage that is part of the health program that most schools teach:

"Instruction and materials shall teach respect for marriage and
committed relationships."

Students should consider relationships and committed relationships with respect. Students should respect that 2 people choose to commit to one another. The point, as given from the context, is that commitment and honesty are both traits found in a healthy lifestyle. That includes the commitment of heterosexual couples and of homosexual couples. The institution of marriage and what marriage means is not the focus. This will not change with Prop 8.

4) Yes, you read right, I can already talk about homosexual couples. Also from CA Ed. Code 51933:

"Instruction and materials shall be appropriate for use with
pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, and pupils with disabilities."

My instruction would not be appropriate if I chose to disregard certain sexual orientations and not others. This will not change with Prop 8.

5) Another mention of the role of marriage is contained within CA Education Code 51930 as one of the goals of these programs:

"To encourage a pupil to develop healthy attitudes concerning
adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles, sexual
orientation, dating, marriage, and family."

Marriage in this context is nothing more than a committed relationship, as another aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Notice again that I am already teaching about sexual orientation and how that relates to dating and committed relationships. This will not change with Prop 8.


6) Despite what CA Education Code states, an ACLU research study conducted in 2003 found that while 96% of schools opted to teach an (optional) sexual health education program, many did not include all of the required components discussed above. For instance, 71% of middle schools omit teaching the required topics about contraception, condom effectiveness or abstinence. Exact data on how frequently the "marriage/committed relationships" topic is taught is not reported, even though proponents of Prop 8 continue with dishonest claims that nearly all schools teach marriage.

7) Knowing all of this, if parents still look unfavorably at the topics covered in this sexual health education program, they have CA Education Code 51938-51939, which states that I must notify parents at the beginning of the year of sexual health topics that will be covered. Parents can request to see any of the materials I will use to teach these topics, and can pull their student out of any or all portions of this program. If you still don't believe me that marriage is not and will not be a focus in your school, ask to see the materials, and if it is not to your liking, request that your child be given alternative instruction. This will not change with Prop 8.

8) My diverse students have diverse perspectives and took diverse life paths to get to where they are now, and my instruction needs to be aware of that. Some kids are raised by families with a mom and a dad, but there are many exceptions to that "rule". To be certain that my kids are growing up with a respect for diversity and an open, critical mind to differences, I need to expose them to these differences now. In the context of a sexual health education program, I teach them that commitment is a healthy choice, regardless of who is doing the committing. This will not change with Prop 8.

A Teacher's View of Prop 8

I already voted via CA absentee ballot, so even if the fear-mongering ads supporting Proposition 8 were capable of hypnosis, my vote would safely continue to say, "No thanks: I don't much care for discrimination."

The latest polls show that this is a very close race, which it should not be, considering this is 2008 in Cali-fucking-fornia. Come on. It took us 2 years to get the hippies out of the trees of my university, yet we're really this willing to rewrite our state constitution to prefer one type of love over another?

Googling Prop 8 to see why this can actually be a possibility adds to the rage, since Yes-on-8 websites are clearly determined to shit all over the California Education Code with their own versions of truth designed to beguile the public.

***

Let's summarize what the code actually says, along with a 2003 sex education research study cited by the Yes-on-8 crowd, to understand what it is I actually have to teach your kids:

1) CA Education Code 51933 states that school districts "may provide comprehensive sexual health education" in any grade as long as it is age-appropriate and factual. It's likely your neighborhood school does. 96% of schools chose to do so.

2) CA Education Code 51890 elaborates on what a comprehensive sexual health education program entails, which is a vast spectrum of health topics concerning drugs, exercise, disease and making good decisions. Also included is this topic:

"Family health and child development, including the legal and
financial aspects and responsibilities of marriage and parenthood."

Notice I don't really get into what marriage is, but the fact that it is legally binding, and involves vague financial aspects. Oh, and sometimes you have kids, too. The big idea here is that with commitment comes responsibility. This will not change with Prop 8.

3) Jumping back to CA Ed. Code 51933, there is another passage concerning marriage that is part of the health program that most schools teach:

"Instruction and materials shall teach respect for marriage and
committed relationships."

Students should consider relationships and committed relationships with respect. Students should respect that 2 people choose to commit to one another. The point, as given from the context, is that commitment and honesty are both traits found in a healthy lifestyle. That includes the commitment of heterosexual couples and of homosexual couples. The institution of marriage and what marriage means is not the focus. This will not change with Prop 8.

4) Yes, you read right, I can talk about homosexual couples. Also from CA Ed. Code 51933:

"Instruction and materials shall be appropriate for use with
pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic and
cultural backgrounds, and pupils with disabilities."

My instruction would not be appropriate if I chose to disregard certain sexual orientations and not others. This will not change with Prop 8.

5) Another mention of the role of marriage is contained within CA Education Code 51930 as one of the goals of these programs:

"To encourage a pupil to develop healthy attitudes concerning
adolescent growth and development, body image, gender roles, sexual
orientation, dating, marriage, and family."

Marriage in this context is nothing more than a committed relationship, as another aspect of a healthy lifestyle. Notice again that I am already teaching about sexual orientation and how that relates to dating and committed relationships. This will not change with Prop 8.


6) Despite what CA Education Code states, an ACLU research study conducted in 2003 found that while 96% of schools opted to teach an (optional) sexual health education program, many did not include all of the required components discussed above. For instance, 71% of middle schools omit teaching the required topics about contraception, condom effectiveness or abstinence. Exact data on how frequently the "marriage/committed relationships" topic is taught is not reported, even though proponents of Prop 8 continue with dishonest claims that nearly all schools teach marriage.

7) Knowing all of this, if parents still look unfavorably at the topics covered in this sexual health education program, they have CA Education Code 51938-51939, which states that I must notify parents at the beginning of the year of sexual health topics that will be covered. Parents can request to see any of the materials I will use to teach these topics, and can pull their student out of any or all portions of this program. If you still don't believe me that marriage is not and will not be a focus in your school, ask to see the materials, and if it is not to your liking, request that your child be given alternative instruction. This will not change with Prop 8.

8) My diverse students have diverse perspectives and took diverse life paths to get to where they are now, and my instruction needs to be aware of that. Some kids are raised by families with a mom and a dad, but there are many exceptions to that "rule". To be certain that my kids are growing up with a respect for diversity and an open, critical mind to differences, I need to expose them to these differences now. In the context of a sexual health education program, I teach them that commitment is a healthy choice, regardless of who is doing the committing. This will not change with Prop 8.

New Career

My first day as a full-time teacher was yesterday. My day began when I drove out of my new place and followed the 10-minute path to school in the moonlight. One of the first ones on campus, I got little done except for what anxiety caused me to do, which was Facebook, until school actually started. Classes before lunch are dedicated to my English learners who are still grappling the language. Classes after lunch are full of students that like to grapple my calm, cool, and collected composure. Lunch is a happy (duty-free) medium.

Language is such a terribly divisive human element. It's the colorful backbone of so many cultures and it separates us something tragic. It makes me want to watch Babel again. That won't help me teach these kids how to be scientists that know a common language, but still, I could use a break right now.

A Different Perspective #3: Gay Pride

June is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month, the official month to recognize the positive impact Gay, Lesbian and Transgender individuals have made on society. While acceptance and tolerance of different sexual orientations on a daily basis should be the norm, this month is definitely the right time to (start) show(ing) support for this community.

In this week's clip of A Different Perspective, we have William Sledd's video addressing both the cowards who have posted thousands of messages of filth and pestilence on his wall ("It's my month, bitches"), and the fears and joys of coming out. At the end of the clip William asks for viewers to show their pride and support by leaving video responses--check them out to hear other touching stories and shout-outs from others.

A Different Perspective #2

Here's a video from Alex, a 16-year-old boy with Aspergers Syndrome. Aspergers is a form of autism, as Alex explains, and through the miracles of MS Paint he recounts his experiences with Aspergers and how it impacts his learning style and his interactions with others.

The Asian-American Journey

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, and CNN has a special report on the group's many cultures and voices.

A Different Perspective #1

With hopes of livening up some of my recent material and presenting issues of diversity in another form, I've started a new segment of this blog I'll tentatively call "A Different Perspective". YouTube and video blogging (or vlogs) offer us great sources of entertainment and perpetual procrastination breaks, however there is a wealth of material out there that needs to be discovered just for its insight and educational value.

Many of such videos feature folks simply conversing one-on-one with the camera, detailing aspects of their lives in ways that are personal and unique to them. Sometimes folks describe what values they possess and how their respective communities have impacted them. Sometimes folks define the hardships in their lives and how they have overcome. A single voice from a different perspective, while not representative of an entire group, can offer valuable understanding of an unfamiliar part of society, and expose viewers to issues and topics that hitherto they've not experienced.

Our first video is an interview with deaf gymnast Aimee Walker Pond, who discusses her introduction to gymnastics and the hearing world.

Spirit of Affirmative Action

I found this op-ed regarding Affirmative Action and identity in the Daily Bruin and thought I'd press the "disseminate widely" button:

As students of an institution with a humbling legacy of civil rights activism, we should be shamed at our complacency in this facade of tolerance and equality.

In fact, given the undeniable correlation between race and socio-economic status in this country, to be color-blind is to deliberately ignore the appalling disparities inherent in our society.

To be color-blind is to be perfectly content with the fact that a meager 392 black students were accepted this year to UCLA.

And to be perfectly content with this outrageous statistic speaks loudly of a culture marred by ignorance and cultural insensitivity.

First Integrated Prom

Exactly how much further must we go before we reach a just and diverse society that appreciates a sense of understanding between cultures? Gauging from this story, a lot further:

Students of Turner County High School started what they hope will become a new tradition: Black and white students attended the prom together for the first time on Saturday.

In previous years, parents had organized private, segregated dances for students of the school in rural Ashburn, Georgia, 160 miles south of Atlanta.

Yes, this is the world the younger generation is inheriting.

Adkinson's sister, Mindy Bryan, attended a segregated prom in 2001.

"There was not anybody that I can remember that was black," she said. "The white people have theirs, and the black people have theirs. It's nothing racial at all."

Minus the detail about folks organizing different proms for different colors, yup, nothing racial at all.

Nichole Royal, 18, said black students could have gone to the prom, but didn't.

"I guess they feel like they're not welcome," she said.

Really? Black students don't want to attend a White-organized White prom in the South?

Principal Stone said he doesn't plan to stop the private proms.

"That's going to be up to the parents. That's part of being in America. If they want to do that for the kids, then that's fine," he said.

While Stone lacks the power to directly stop these private race-oriented proms, he caves to the community mentality that this racial tension is somehow unproblematic, likely because he shares the belief that self-imposed segregation is harmless.

In reality, this culture of ignorance hurts their community and our nation as a whole. Misunderstandings between two dominant cultures in the area only serves to worsen their relationships with each other. Considering these groups of people will continue to have to share their towns, their schools, their workplaces and their media with one another, unavoidable day-to-day interactions will continually cause resentment and fear, with each side looking at the other as foreigners, not as neighbors.

Reading students' points of view in the article shows promise in that the upperclassmen voted for holding the school's first-ever integrated school prom, however there is still evidence of indoctrination, as might be expected. Some parents mentioned in the article were against the idea, and kept their children from attending because "they don't agree with being with the colored people." When these children grow up and continue to build our society, they will have to do so without a good understanding of different cultures. Rather, they will remember the fear their parents possessed when the idea of a simple dance was mentioned. Instead of having an open-minded new generation, we will have one that is perpetually frightened by differences. Instead of inspiring change and rapport between one another regardless of culture, they will be divided.

Community leaders in the area ought to move forward from this event, using it as a stepping stone for change. A few students decided to make a ripple by holding a dance at their school. They succeeded, and it should be the start of a community effort in fostering an environment of tolerance and understanding.

Hawking's Visit

Another quick note, just to make sure everyone remembers: check out a full webcast of Stephen Hawking's Berkeley lecture from this past Tuesday, on the origins of the universe. The man is truly incredible for the feats he has achieved.

And here's an inspirational look into his life. Choice words:

One's voice is very important. If you have a slurred voice, people are likely to treat you as mentally deficient: Does he take sugar? This synthesiser is by far the best I have heard, because it varies the intonation, and doesn't speak like a Dalek. The only trouble is that it gives me an American accent.

Survive the Oregon Trail, Part Two

*This week concludes with a wrap-up to the contest posted on Monday. No score submissions, but I finished another ridiculous physical chemistry midterm, so blogging will again continue*

There’s a lot of history behind the game, hailed as one of the greatest games of all time by some gaming websites, which says a lot for something educational. Whether you used to play it in elementary school or if you recently tried it out for the first time for an easy $40 some good ol'-fashioned fun, there are a few interesting ideas to ponder, such as:

Why is there such overwhelming systematic bias toward white males? You have the choice to do many things on your trails, but one choice preselected for you by the game developers is the fact that you, the player, are a white male. And as a white male, your job is to do the hunting, fixing, and bartering. Traditional female roles during the expedition are ignored and virtually non-existent, maybe because they weren’t entertaining enough to children? And why not?

Was it warranted by the developers to leave out details of the interactions with Native Americans during the migration? The game was definitely intended for younger audiences, but be honest: how much do you remember of the Oregon Trail from any social studies classes you took earlier in your life? If you hadn’t taken any classes on the subject recently at Cal, what would you remember most? Do you remember the “Indian Removal Act”? Buffalo extermination? Genocide? If pretty pictures make up our primary education system here, when then should children learn truth?

The power of social class on levels of opportunity. Let’s take our two professions, the Carpenter and the Farmer, as examples. The Carpenter and the Farmer, being the White Males that they are required to be at the onset, decide to take their boring and unnecessary families with them to Oregon City. They have choices. The Carpenter has the advantage of being a part of a wealthier family than the Farmer. He can thus afford to buy more clothes and oxen for his wagon than the Farmer. The Carpenter's family arrives in Oregon City faster and healthier than the Farmer’s family, and with more left-over money to boot. The Carpenter builds and starts his own restaurant, and succeeds in life.

The Farmer's family arrives later in the year, with little food and less money. With few options for survival, the Farmer works long, grueling hours at the Carpenter’s restaurant, and for very little pay. There is never improvement in the Farmer's family’s condition.

The game disclaimer states that, with respect to picking professions, “The harder you have to try, the more points you deserve!” Most of us would agree with that statement, because as Americans we value equality of opportunity and the freedom to advance based on perseverance. But is that the case in real life? In the game, the Farmer had to try harder to get his family safely across America, with less money to be used for necessities for survival. Extrapolating from that, did he have the same opportunities available to him as the Carpenter did when he reached Oregon?

I think you saw it coming, but now pull back your perspective and look at life today: which family would be more likely to succeed in moving to Oregon? Which family has more options when it comes to housing, clothing, transportation, etc.? Which family has more opportunities for career advancement, for educational advancement, for a less stressful life? Which family “deserves more points” but is still fated to succeed less?

Survive the Oregon Trail, Part One

*This week is turning out to be a stressful one, so expect fresh content no earlier than this weekend. In the meantime, I'd like to let readers try their hands at a little contest I offered my residents last year. There were cash prizes involved when I last attempted this, but I can't really subsidize blog doings, so winners will instead receive my sincerest gratitude. I'll post any results readers have submitted plus a follow-up piece I wrote last year on Thursday/Friday.*


The Oregon Trail, a popular computer game during the 1980’s and early 90’s about 19th century American pioneer life, is a relic of childhood to many of our generation who grew up here. In it, players take the role of a party of people, of a selected profession, and attempt to survive the long, dangerous trip from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City.

Herein lies the challenge: I want to see how many of you can survive the trip in the game, and with the most points (translating to how healthy your party is, and how many possessions you still have). There are 3 professions that start off with the highest to the lowest amount of cash (Banker, Carpenter, and Farmer, respectively).

Simple, yes? Download the programs using the below protocol:


TO PLAY OREGON TRAIL:
1.) First, download the emulator
2.) Then extract it and run "APPLEWIN"
3.) Finally, download the game


After this you’re ready to play the game! When (or if..) you make it to Oregon City, and the results screen is displayed with the tally of your points (this results screen is absolutely necessary), just copy the screen, make it an image file, and send it to me via email.


Happy Trails,
Chris

A Noose in the Workplace

(Technorati Tags: Racism, Social Justice)

Workers at a cable installing company receive a symbol of oppression as their holiday bonus:

When [employee James Jackson] walked to the fenced-off area to pick up equipment for the day's jobs he looked up and was shocked to see a vicious, racist symbol in his workplace. A noose was hanging in the fenced-off equipment area, visible to the dozens of installers, the majority of whom are black, but accessible only to his boss and an equipment manager, both of whom are white.

Given the title of the CNN article, "Employees find noose hanging at work", one would conclude that the incident simply ends there, with a noose being found, and a quick removal of the item carried out with feigned anger and disgust to show respect to the company's targeted work force. Even THAT would be awful enough, but if this were the case, maybe one could ignore the case for, y'know, rampant internalized racism in today's society and how it bars equal opportunity for all, and blame it simply on a few bad kids, as the argument is constantly made by the illogical many. That'd still be wrong, but at least it's common, and we're used to it.

Well guess what? The story doesn't end there.

When employees confronted their managers, their complaints were first ignored, then met with jokes about what the noose would be used for, and finally acted upon one whole week later.

Installer Shomari Houston, according to the complaint, says he asked his white boss, Gary Murdock, why a hangman's noose was in his workplace. He says the response was: To hang two black employees.

"He said, 'Yo, I like that, it's cool, I am gonna hang Russell up there. Think we can get James up there?'"

That's quite the precarious method of staff appreciation.

Regardless of how "tongue in cheek" the bosses think they were being, stooping to such base levels for the sake of a joke casts an undeniably foul stench on the entire organization.

Needless to say, this is not how a supervisor ought to treat an employee, if it is the supervisor’s intent to encourage a strong work ethic in the group. Jokes of this derogatory nature are debilitating to workers, because they viscerally target emotions and fears that are representative of a larger picture of oppression in our society. Workers cannot work at full potential if the environment in which they are to spend a majority of their waking life harbors those who play on these intrinsic fears in seemingly good faith, such as with a noose that invokes notions of racial supremacy.

Subsequently, working at lower output in comparison to other non-Black coworkers gives the managers reason to consider replacing workers, reject raises or employment advances, and may also compound other stereotypes they may have regarding the work ethic of a certain racial group, i.e. “Black folks do less work than White folks”. These “tongue in cheek” phrases can ruin lives.

But they were totally joking, so it’s A-OK.

This type of language is also representative of just how little awareness some of us have about the conditions that certain groups of people face. Do the managers understand that their jokes were debilitating and why this is so? Does the company perchance need to have a little training seminar on what White privilege and dominant and subordinated groups are? Surely this misunderstanding, at least, could be rectified with better diversity training for all employees, managers definitely included.

Finally, the initial incident and the company’s response to criticism are truly disgusting as we see a perpetuation in the media of the idea that words are just words, and can only mean what one’s intentions are. However, the differences between one’s intent versus one’s impact can be incredible; everyone looks at life through different lenses. Wouldn’t all these differing perspectives guarantee a discrepancy in what we each observe in a given situation? If my intent were to grab a book from a friend but my impact was elbowing said friend in the eye, what should I do next? Ignore his pain and justify it by saying my intent was honest?

But they were saying these horrible things with the intent of coming off as humorous, so it’s A-OK.

The defense attorney also uses a common generalization at further attempts to rectify the charges against the management:

Willie, Gertler stresses, is no racist. "My client's first marriage for 17 years was to an African-American woman. So I don't think he's racist."

One person cannot logically represent an entire community. I am a man yet I can’t speak on what all men like. If I were to date a woman that liked to knit, that wouldn’t implicate me with having a strong desire for women who can knit. Instead, there could be any number of reasons for why I was dating that woman. Willie could have had 10 successful marriages with 10 different women, all of different ethnicities, but none of those women will ever represent their racial groups. Willie could still think of Black folks as inferior while loving his Black wife, just as having a Black friend doesn’t preclude racist underpinnings. Generalizations are never logical.

But “if you’ve seen one Black person, you’ve seen them all!” so they’re A-OK.

Typical racist banter.

Racism? In America?

Knowing that this is actually news to some people only makes my headache worse, but it also serves to embolden my intentions.

(CNN) -- Most Americans, white and black, see racism as a lingering problem in the United States, and many say they know people who are racist, according to a new poll.

But few Americans of either race -- about one out of eight -- consider themselves racist.

Daily Effects of White Privilege

(Technorati Tags: Race, Privilege, Social Justice)

Many are confused when we talk about white privilege and what it entails. Akin to my previous discussions on targeted groups, the privileges of being white go mostly unrecognized and unacknowledged, and so making a conscious effort to address them is imperative if we want to work toward eliminating institutionalized racism.

I found this resource that gives a good summary of the daily effects of white privilege, and explains how simple -- yet how elusive -- the concept is to many of us. I will list them here for reading pleasure:

Daily effects of white privilege

I decided to try to work on myself at least by identifying some of the daily effects of white privilege in my life. I have chosen those conditions that I think in my case attach somewhat more to skin-color privilege than to class, religion, ethnic status, or geographic location, though of course all these other factors are intricately intertwined. As far as I can tell, my African American coworkers, friends, and acquaintances with whom I come into daily or frequent contact in this particular time, place and time of work cannot count on most of these conditions.

1. I can if I wish arrange to be in the company of people of my race most of the time.

2. I can avoid spending time with people whom I was trained to mistrust and who have learned to mistrust my kind or me.

3. If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live.

4. I can be pretty sure that my neighbors in such a location will be neutral or pleasant to me.

5. I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well assured that I will not be followed or harassed.

6. I can turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of my race widely represented.

7. When I am told about our national heritage or about "civilization," I am shown that people of my color made it what it is.

8. I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race.

9. If I want to, I can be pretty sure of finding a publisher for this piece on white privilege.

10. I can be pretty sure of having my voice heard in a group in which I am the only member of my race.

11. I can be casual about whether or not to listen to another person's voice in a group in which s/he is the only member of his/her race.

12. I can go into a music shop and count on finding the music of my race represented, into a supermarket and find the staple foods which fit with my cultural traditions, into a hairdresser's shop and find someone who can cut my hair.

13. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of financial reliability.

14. I can arrange to protect my children most of the time from people who might not like them.

15. I do not have to educate my children to be aware of systemic racism for their own daily physical protection.

16. I can be pretty sure that my children's teachers and employers will tolerate them if they fit school and workplace norms; my chief worries about them do not concern others' attitudes toward their race.

17. I can talk with my mouth full and not have people put this down to my color.

18. I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty or the illiteracy of my race.

19. I can speak in public to a powerful male group without putting my race on trial.

20. I can do well in a challenging situation without being called a credit to my race.

21. I am never asked to speak for all the people of my racial group.

22. I can remain oblivious of the language and customs of persons of color who constitute the world's majority without feeling in my culture any penalty for such oblivion.

23. I can criticize our government and talk about how much I fear its policies and behavior without being seen as a cultural outsider.

24. I can be pretty sure that if I ask to talk to the "person in charge", I will be facing a person of my race.

25. If a traffic cop pulls me over or if the IRS audits my tax return, I can be sure I haven't been singled out because of my race.

26. I can easily buy posters, post-cards, picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and children's magazines featuring people of my race.

27. I can go home from most meetings of organizations I belong to feeling somewhat tied in, rather than isolated, out-of-place, outnumbered, unheard, held at a distance or feared.

28. I can be pretty sure that an argument with a colleague of another race is more likely to jeopardize her/his chances for advancement than to jeopardize mine.

29. I can be pretty sure that if I argue for the promotion of a person of another race, or a program centering on race, this is not likely to cost me heavily within my present setting, even if my colleagues disagree with me.

30. If I declare there is a racial issue at hand, or there isn't a racial issue at hand, my race will lend me more credibility for either position than a person of color will have.

31. I can choose to ignore developments in minority writing and minority activist programs, or disparage them, or learn from them, but in any case, I can find ways to be more or less protected from negative consequences of any of these choices.

32. My culture gives me little fear about ignoring the perspectives and powers of people of other races.

33. I am not made acutely aware that my shape, bearing or body odor will be taken as a reflection on my race.

34. I can worry about racism without being seen as self-interested or self-seeking.

35. I can take a job with an affirmative action employer without having my co-workers on the job suspect that I got it because of my race.

36. If my day, week or year is going badly, I need not ask of each negative episode or situation whether it had racial overtones.

37. I can be pretty sure of finding people who would be willing to talk with me and advise me about my next steps, professionally.

38. I can think over many options, social, political, imaginative or professional, without asking whether a person of my race would be accepted or allowed to do what I want to do.

39. I can be late to a meeting without having the lateness reflect on my race.

40. I can choose public accommodation without fearing that people of my race cannot get in or will be mistreated in the places I have chosen.

41. I can be sure that if I need legal or medical help, my race will not work against me.

42. I can arrange my activities so that I will never have to experience feelings of rejection owing to my race.

43. If I have low credibility as a leader I can be sure that my race is not the problem.

44. I can easily find academic courses and institutions which give attention only to people of my race.

45. I can expect figurative language and imagery in all of the arts to testify to experiences of my race.

46. I can chose blemish cover or bandages in "flesh" color and have them more or less match my skin.

47. I can travel alone or with my spouse without expecting embarrassment or hostility in those who deal with us.

48. I have no difficulty finding neighborhoods where people approve of our household.

49. My children are given texts and classes which implicitly support our kind of family unit and do not turn them against my choice of domestic partnership.

50. I will feel welcomed and "normal" in the usual walks of public life, institutional and social.

"Expanding The Circle: End Racism" (in the links section) has more information.

I've more to say, but not now. This school thing is killing me lately.

Open Thread: Identity

Posting will be at a standstill until this weekend; it's been a long long long week. And it's only Wednesday morning.

Let's try an open thread in the meantime. Question:

"IDENTITY: What defines YOU? How does your identity affect your interactions with others and the perceptions made by others? Knowing who YOU are, what impact will you have on the world?"

Response?

*DIVERSITY*

Listed here are my past entries on the topic of Diversity:

(*NOTE: per the new blogger Labels feature in January 2007, this entry will not be further updated but will instead be transferred over to the Diversity and Social Justice sections)

Take Note of Black Lightning, DSP (January 20th 2007)

A Noose in the Workplace (January 5th 2007)

Racism? In America? (December 12th 2006)

Daily Effects of White Privilege (October 30th 2006)

Leaders and Language Use (September 10th 2006)

Dominant and Subordinated Groups (August 26th 2006)

Retreat 1 of 1 (August 16th 2006)

MTV and 'social satire' (August 11th 2006)

HST: Race (August 8th 2006)

Hall Staff Training I (August 8th 2006)

Leaders and Language Use

Besides witnessing a glorious conquest of the Gophers led by the Golden Bears of Berkeley, today I participated and planned a training session for our new executive committees for hall association.

Just to define these terms for readers, Hall Association is the forum by which residents can use their voice and represent their interests, when it comes to doling out funding for programs (each resident puts in $45 of his or her housing fees to a hall government fund), deciding on which issues the community values participation in, and to coalesce in social harmony and shape the residence halls into something they can all call Home. The officers democratically elected as leaders of the hall association make up the Executive Committee. I just spent the last couple of weeks planning and implementing an extended elections production for these officers, teaming with publicity, paperwork and parleys, so you can perhaps understand where I was coming from with the previous post.

I’m pleased with the outcome, both of the officer turnout and of their initial training. Training today consisted of the standard introduction and icebreaker, followed by specific job training for each of the different Ex-Comm positions. I and another staff member led the training for RHA Reps. Again, some clarification: the officers of the Ex-Comm all have different roles, and these include president, executive vice president, secretary, treasurer, and so forth. Another important position is the Residence Hall Assembly (RHA) Representative. A common analogy employed is that of the levels of government in America: RHA is the federal government, namely the senate, where representatives from every Ex-Comm in the Berkeley Res. Hall system (the state governments) can congregate and discuss issues that are important to their constituents, whom are the residents of their respective hall communities. Very swank indeed.

So, right, the RHA Rep training. We discussed some basic duties of the position, time commitments, all in all a very broad overview because they would be getting more specific training next week that I am not a part of. I’m proud to say that the last section we included was one on addressing diversity, specifically related with language use and abuse and why it matters to leaders who want to effectively lead. I’m going to include the flyer we helped put together with some additional analysis.

In one sense, this information is key in understanding those that one wants to lead, and we were explicitly promoting these tenets from the sole perspective of including others as one leads. However, I think readers will know that I’m also a fan of social justice for the sake of it itself, and I want to make it clear that these ideas should be given credit regardless of one’s job or, say, position on an executive committee.

We as a diverse people accept language norms from society and assume they are natural, but only because it is so ingrained in our culture and daily life. We accept this and other arms of socialization in different aspects of our lives, but only because we may not have made an effort to really see what is going on. That is, we’re allowing others to think for us. Us! College students! This simple truth can be hard to swallow but it is an immediate consequence of interacting with a society corrupted by fears and generalizations. It’s up to anyone who is a free-thinking individual, particularly those of us who are quickly moving ahead in the world with higher education, to step up to the challenge of instituting change, and recognize that just because society says it is ok does not make it right.

One does not need to consider oneself a leader to act as a conduit for change. Nay, the very act of pushing for change is what defines you as a leader, so take from this what you will and know that your actions, no matter how trivial you assume them to be, are what make you a leader in the eyes of others.

Including Others: Language

As leaders in the halls, you play the dual role of representing your peers and acting as role models before them. Listed below are some examples of offensive phrases and perceptions that affect different areas of diversity. Make a conscious effort to avoid language abuse and encourage your peers to do the same. Many of these statements may not have ever occurred to you as being offensive, but please read with an open mind, and remember that intent is not always the same as impact.

Intent vs. Impact
• What you mean isn’t necessarily how it is perceived
• You must take responsibility for what you say; just because you didn’t mean it doesn’t invalidate the emotional response of the person you offended

Bottled-up Effect
• You don’t know what experiences people go through
• You might think someone is overreacting to a situation
• You might say something and the person will pretend to not be offended or hold it in and then explode later
• People’s physical reactions don’t necessarily reflect how they are really feeling

One of my favorite analogies to this (as I indeed used it today and will continue doing so) follows: suppose I reached over my friend to pick up a book, but in doing so, I absolutely crushed my friend's foot in the process with accidental misplaced footing. My intent was pure and righteous, seeing as how I only wanted the book and didn't want to cause trouble, but the impact manifested itself as a few bruised toes, and a probably irate friend. Knowing this, it would be foolish to justify my actions by saying, 'Whoops! Mah' bad, but it's only your foot, you'll live," or to similarly move on with my life without taking responsibility for my action. I would be invalidating his response and not recognizing that the impact of my actions was tremendously different than just what I intended.

We can make the connections from this analogy to any of the below statements used in our society, and how what we intend to mean does not necessarily correspond with an intended impact.

Sexuality
• “Oh that’s so gay”

An all-too-common adjective describing anything negative. Why do we use this? Why is gay given a negative description? How is anything other than people gay? How do you think a person who identifies as being gay will respond to such a statement?

Gender
• “Hey guys”
• “First Years” instead of “Freshmen”

Why do you only address the guys in the room when you address your friends with this? How awkward for you would it be, if you are a man or a woman, to hear someone welcome a group of people with "Hey ladies how's it going"?

Race
• “Asian ghetto”

An affectionate term for a special southside hub of Berkeley delectable eats from a variety of cultures, several of them identifying as Asian. But why do we call it that? What are we implying about those that work there, or those that eat there? What about the Asian cultures that are represented there? Further, how does using the term ghetto for labeling a successful food court make those who are actually suffering in poverty-stricken areas of America feel? Aren't we then making a mockery of their plight?

A helpful note to Cal students: its name is the DURANT FOOD COURT. So use it!

Ability
• “That’s so retarded/that’s insane/that’s crazy”

Similar to the language involving gay.

Spirituality
• “Let’s all thank God…”
• “You’re going to hell”

Why assume that everyone identifies with a Christian belief system?

Class
• “This is so cheap!”

Not for some it isn't. Why assume that everyone has similar finances or similar financial stability?

Lingo
• "Residence Halls" instead of "Dorms"

Not so important for those living outside the residence halls, but still an important distinction to make. The word dormitory has Latin origin and comes from to sleep, but we don't want this to be a place just for sleep. We want interaction. We want communities to form. We want a sense of being at Home, with extended family. That's why they are residence halls.

Dominant and Subordinated Groups

(This is a collection of my experiences from training. Start at the beginning for more information.)

Back over a week ago, I introduced the topic of dominant (“normal”) and subordinate (“targeted”) echelons of diversity, and how we as individuals among a sea of people are ranked in said categories by genetics and societal norms, despite our awareness or desire to be ranked a certain way. While one may argue that there are more aspects of diversity that these two echelons compose than just the eight I mentioned (ability, age, class, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, and sexuality), let’s delve deeper into discussion with these as examples. Recognizing our membership in dominant and subordinate rankings of diversity is the first step in owning our privileges and ostracism in society. Let’s go over these eight aspects with examples:

Ability: the physical and mental capability for individual movement and mobility without outside aid.

The example I gave earlier involved a wheelchair-user: albeit the optimistic nature of the person to work his way up in the world and the facilities stemming from good upper-body strength that will assist him in getting around permit this person to claim he is dominant in society by his own standards, the fact is that wheelchair-accessible routes are few and far to come by, that laws were required to change access standards and build this paucity of routes, and that roads and buildings typically have been and are currently designed to appeal to a public that can walk, i.e. the dominant, functioning group. A wheelchair-user is a victim of socialization, where what is considered “normal” by others contrasts with the inherent needs of the individual. Here, the perception of a dominant trait contrasts with the reality of the targeted group situation.

Being made aware of his membership in a subordinate echelon of ability, the wheelchair-user can now better understand his own background and his biases when addressing issues of diversity.

Age: the level of maturation of a person and how it effects an impression on others.

Most interesting about age is the fact that every member of a society will progress through intermittent stages of dominance and subordination as they get older, which is often not the case with other aspects of diversity that are dictated solely by chance, such as race or gender. We can use a growing child as an example:

As a young girl up through her teenage years, she is subordinated by society because she is not fully aware of the consequences of her actions and too immature to know better. Her voice is not important to political leaders because of the absence of voting power, while her parents and teachers will invariably know the correct choices to decisions she makes by their wisdom that comes with age. She is the future of our nation but needs constant care and maintenance to make it that far.

Past these awkward years, she becomes an adult, possesses the faculties to make informed choices about her life and to grow from experiences individually without an outside mentor. She has a representative voice, is considered capable of sustaining herself, and has accumulated enough wisdom to maybe initially be seen as wise. She is in a dominant group and more productive than she will ever be in her life.

Fast-forward a few decades, and she becomes a wizened old-lady who is expected to retire and watch The Price is Right every weekday morning. She is past her prime. She is wise beyond her years yet will inevitably need someone to care for her. Her age-group is the most vocal in terms of voter turnout only because she has nothing better to do with her time. And besides, her ultra traditional ways do not represent a new, growing America.

These were generalizations that society can make about a person going through stages of life, and are what society bases many such decisions on, as we can delineate through additional analysis of other facets of diversity.

Class: the socioeconomic status that dictates a social hierarchy.

Simply put, if you are reading this on your own computer at home, you most likely constitute the dominant level of class diversity, because you or your family can afford these voluntary items and services like computers and an internet connection, choices out of the reach of many poor families. Society expects its members to be able to pay for the food, clothing, and well-being all of their families require, and if for whatever reason a family cannot meet this norm, it is considered dysfunctional, and it needs government assistance mainly due to a lack in work ethic and proper expenditure planning. Those who accept welfare and other forms of monetary aid from the government are often considered inferior by those who can succeed without the aid.

Race and Ethnicity: the inherent physical and cultural characteristics that largely shape the experiences of an individual.

Another simple pair of aspects to analyze: if you are Caucasian, you are a dominant group in our society, whereas non-Caucasians fall into the targeted group. I have found that this is often difficult for Californians to understand, particularly college students, because we are so used to seeing large Hispanic and Asian-American populations in our communities. This large presence that we are accustomed to, however, does not dictate that the rest of American society views these groups favorably, or as normal.

For starters, underrepresentation is a tribulation many groups deal with constantly, even here in California. The Fall 2005 ethnic distribution at Berkeley showed that, not including the large representation of Chinese and Chinese-Americans (~20%), each separate and individual Asian ethnicity makes up only ~3% of the population at Cal. Together, that does correspond to a grand total of 40% Asian-American identity on campus, but many tend to conflate this with a very large representation of Asian culture, when in fact each ethnicity under the Asian/Asian-American title, with inherently different cultures and norms, has a relatively small voice compared with the 31% Caucasian presence.

Also compare this presence with the total African-American/Black voice, which hits only 3.5%.

Of course, one might argue that the same could be said for Caucasians, that the ethnicities and cultures of the various European nations which compose this set of students are similarly represented in small numbers. The difference is that, because Caucasian culture is the dominant group in American society, well-represented in the media, in the government, and in the workforce, there is little need for Caucasians to coalesce and push for representation, nor is there a significant desire to support the individual ethnicities that compose the Caucasian title because of said representation. Our voice at Cal is 31% strong, much more powerful still in America as a whole, and so the small number representation of various European ethnicities is essentially counteracted by our membership in this dominant group.

For those few that identify strongly with their European ethnicity and believe they are underrepresented even when admitting their membership in the dominant Caucasian category, I would be willing to agree to a certain extent. While European ethnicities can be very important to Caucasians, and Greek representation, for example, not readily seen, neither at Cal nor in American society, the key difference is that we as Caucasians still owe certain characteristics to the “normal” echelon of diversity, which Asian/Asian-Americans and African-Americans do not possess. Being White brings with it substantial privilege and power, no matter what nation you hail from.

I will continue with gender, religion, and sexuality (not sex drive) sometime tomorrow.

Retreat 1 of 1

(This is a collection of my experiences from training. Start at the beginning for more information.)

Our Hall Staff retreat was phenomenal. We ventured up into the mountains near Petaluma—a camp site called the Walker Creek Ranch, after an early morning bus ride at 8am Sunday morning, and returned promptly by 5pm Monday. Interspersed between diversity sessions with our Unit 1 staff (30 staff members) and with the entire amalgam of Berkeley hall staffs (~150 students and directors) lay the coveted reward of free time, spent by most of us at a nearby lake called Turtle Pond, where swimming, canoeing, and sun bathing were well represented.

During the day, one could visually witness the lake, the hike leading up to the lake, and the creek that fed off from the lake, but a nighttime hike, without the distractions afforded by the sun, was required to fulfill this experience. At one point along the path to Turtle Pond, through descents and inclines, foliage and waterways, there lay a giant clearing of soft terrain granting unhindered movement, where in the dark you literally felt as if you could simply diffuse out into the great and wild nothingness that surrounded you, with one long exhale. Memories overcame me at this time, where I was reminded of the important exchanges I shared at the same training retreat of last year. I remembered the smell, the taste of the air, the subtle glow of the nightlights from camp that illuminated a distant part of the forest in front of us.

These feelings flowed through my body like blood, pulsing a course that was designed to reinforce the trust I had built with this place a year ago; hall staff took much learning and self-discovery away from last year’s retreat and consequently this recent trip had a lot to live up to, which it did. This atmosphere, this developed sense of trust, solidified from experiences a year prior and over the last week with a new dedicated staff, engendered the perfect environment for further discovery and self-awareness.

We encountered a laundry list of activities that broadened our perspectives, the first being an open discussion about dominant and subordinated groups in society. A key aspect we addressed at training was furthering an understanding of our individual backgrounds and biases, an understanding of these groups salient to such a topic.

As members of the US society, we are categorized by society in the media, workplace, and government, within dominant (“normal”) or subordinate (targeted) groups of diversity including, but not limited to: ability, age, class, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and sexuality. Our membership in these diversity groups is decided unconsciously by the system we live in and by our genetic material, which makes consciously becoming aware of these divisions a necessary task. However, consciously choosing to deny one’s identity and group membership does not make it so: as an example, a wheelchair-user who believes he or she is dominant, or “normal”, in terms of ability because of a prowess to take care of him/herself does not compensate for the fact that wheelchair-accessible routes are few and far to come by, that laws were required to build this paucity of routes and change access standards, and that roads and buildings typically have been and are currently designed to appeal to a public that can walk, i.e. the dominant, functioning group. Here, the perception of a dominant trait contrasts with the reality of the targeted group situation.

As a short breather and activity, attempt to define what groups you identify with in terms of each of the above eight features of diversity, both in the eyes of yourself and in light of the system. Compare your own perceptions versus the truth in relation to society: before and after this activity, how aware were you of your own dominance and subordination? What group are you most and least comfortable identifying with, both confidentially and to others? And did this activity elicit any particular response from you?