engaging white privilege

living into Christ’s new creation

an outline

• power flows and racism

• what is white privilege?

• living into Christ’s new creation

• building better communication

• unlearning racism

• racism as inter-personal practice (bigotry + power)

• racism as institutional practice (disparities created and exacerbated by societal institutions)

• racism as structural practice (normalization and legitimization that routinely confers advantages on whites, while producing chronic adverse outcomes for others)

power flows and racism

white privilege

“A right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by white persons beyond the common advantage of all others; an exemption in many particular cases from certain burdens or liabilities.”

• “our” images (that is, white ones) are human, others are important “for diversity” (just as “men” used to stand in for all humans)

• “our” ways of communicating are appropriate, other ways are in need of socialization or improvement

• when “we” walk into a building, store or church, we expect to be welcomed

• when “we” call the police, we expect to be taken seriously and respected

• “we” can speak for ourselves, and are not expected to represent anyone else -- let alone an entire group of people

white privilege — a null curriculum

micro aggression

• daily encounters with ignorance which highlight power flows (http://www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/racial-microagressions-you-hear-on-a-daily-basis)

• http://www.microaggressions.com/

• relative inequality (and its accompanying status consciousness) creates worse outcomes at every end of the scale (Wilkinson TED talk, http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html)

• MDH health outcomes draft report (http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/healthequity/ahe_leg_report_020114.pdf)

Minnesota• Poverty rates for children under 18 in Minnesota

are twice as high for Asian children, three times as high for Hispanic/Latino children, four times as high for American Indian children, and nearly five times as high for African American children as for white children

• While 75 percent of the white population in Minnesota owns their own home, only 21 percent of African Americans, 45 percent of Hispanic/Latinos, 47 percent of American Indians, and 54 percent of Asian Pacific Islanders own their own homes.

• African American and American Indian babies die in the first year of life at twice the rate of white babies. While infant mortality rates for all groups have declined, the disparity in rates has existed for over 20 years

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/healthequity/ahe_leg_report_020114.pdf

• living into Christ’s new creation (2 Cor 5:20-21)

• being one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28)

• recognizing the power of original sin in structural racism

• cherishing the Imago Dei and the power of kenosis (Phil 2: 6-11)

possible ways to enter faithfully

change communication

• recognize that racism is a real problem

• recognize that white privilege creates blinders on white people’s perceptions

• reach out in faith and learning, be open to change

• learn how to be a good ally (http://feministing.com/2013/04/02/howtobeagoodally/)

some steps to try

• build relationships amongst diverse groups

• design events to support open and respectful communication

• teach advocacy as a skill set

• focus on shared social justice efforts

• be a voice of faith-filled hope!

https://vimeo.com/65235365

for more information: http://meh.religioused.org/web/EL3539_Resources.html

image citations: !

slide 3: http://mattstone.blogs.com/photos/sacred_images/christ_us_dias.html !

slide 8: http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/1999d/122499/122499a.htm !

all other images by mary e. hess

this presentation was offered to the community of Open Circle Church on 2 february 2014 (http://www.opencirclechurch.com/) !

by mary e. hess (http://meh.religioused.org/web/Home.html)