Our distinguished panel provided a number of insights about race, anti-racism, and the work necessary to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion in the 21st century. We wanted to unpack some of what we learned from the forum on race and anti-racism that was held on July 29th, 2020.
We sometimes simplify racism to a false dichotomy of good people are not racist and bad people are racist.
When we look at racism, we have to look at the difference between intent and impact. Not having intent does not mean that that is does not have a destructive impact.
There is often a failure to recognize and value different perspectives that should be respected
This is at the heart of racism. It is easy to recognize overt forms of racism and denounce them. It is more difficult to confront our own behaviors and to consider the lens of people who are different from us and to respect their perspective.
Mindfulness on an everyday level
James Baldwin wrote that “The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, it's literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it's to history that we owe our frame of references and identities.” Our mindfulness on an individual level with regards to race and racism can ultimately shape the future and ultimately undo racism.
Racism is a problem that requires deep and vast knowledge of systems.
We would love to hear from you what you found interesting in our conversation? Was there a particular part of the discussion, a quote from one of our panelists, or an element of race and anti-racism that you would like to highlight? Feel free to comment and ask questions.