4
Honest Slate
October 2021
Mindful of Race Unlocks Candid Dialogue in Book Group Zoom Room Takes Truthful Tone
Profoundly personal stories recently brought Honest Weight’s book discussion group—yet again—to a new level with its September review of Ruth King’s Mindful of Race.
Co-facilitated by the Membership (MC) and Anti-Racism (ARC) committees, Sept. 9’s gathering drew 18 Honest Weight community members. MC’s Cara Benson introduced ARC’s Jalinda Soto as partnering moderator. All welcomed and thanked each speaker in turn, deftly tracking a busy queue of raised hands. Throughout the evening, co-hosts invited sharing and facilitated discussion with accessibility instructions. Questions were respectful and comments insightful. In a virtual space, presence is altered and it’s important to stay focused. ARC’s Jalinda devoted the first moments to mindfulness (prompting the query, “Can we do this before meetings?”). “Soften your gaze, unclench your teeth, relax your jaw,” she suggested, reminding folks to stay centered on the text and to consider what the book means for us and our role at the Co-op. “We all enter this work at different places with distinct thoughts on any given day.” The shift away from agendas, actions, and decisions toward building a group narrative was a compelling experience. White is a color, not a neutral background. A chapter on individual and group racial identity inspired much discussion. It was quickly acknowledged that in the media unnamed people are assumed to be white unless otherwise labeled, in relation to negative news and crime. Racism is not taught overtly but imparted covertly. The challenge lies in uncovering and being aware of all that we encounter. Jalinda requested recollections around racial history and identity to launch discussion.
by Carol Ostrow
A 2019 Pew Research Center survey showed that 74% of Black adults see race as a central part of their identity, compared to only 15% of white adults.
Supporting the idea that whites think of themselves first as individuals while Blacks tend to identify first racially and secondarily by gender and/or nationality, some with European roots recognized their primary identity as ethnic, religious, or national rather than racial. Several experienced childhoods shaped by highly prejudiced parents—who not only discouraged associating with people of color and of other ethnicities and faiths, but who also avoided the topic. One MO brought up the idea of what is said versus what remains unsaid. She recalled how resistant her parents were to diversifying socially. Another, raised with a “Wonder Bread mentality,” mentioned working on her own racism years ago. “This is going to be a lifetime of work. It’s so engrained.” Even with tolerance and inclusion taught, measures remain untaken and some matters unchallenged. “We were raised not to be racist,” offered Janet. “But if you dig deeper you have to reckon with certain actions.” Her parents, she said, supported the civil rights agenda but still left their diversifying neighborhood for a predominantly white town. With apprehension passed down from one generation to the next, racism has become “something we all need to heal from.” We did not create racism but we perpetuate it if we don’t dismantle it. Reminding us that [academic] discussions of race are prone to pseudo-science, Kim described her Jamaican culture growing up as being highly influenced by skin color. “I don’t feel completely American as a Black woman. But when I’m in Jamaica, I seem to have privilege because of my lighter complexion.”
“Justice is what love looks like in public.” —Cornel West Jalinda posed the query, “How are we accountable as individuals and at the organizational level? We are all individuals in these organizations…The system was not created for people of color, [so] we have to start with our own personal work to dismantle racism.” “Race is a social construct,” Jalinda qualified. “It is an idea, a way to justify enslavement. And yet it’s how we have learned to navigate spaces in this world. Perception and/or projection are placed upon people of color as a group…people of color are typically put into a category as a group rather than individuals.” We are not going to change racism simply by being not racist; we need to be anti-racist. It involves the whole fabric of society. It was also posited that many Americans, especially whites, lack a sense of cultural identification in a nation founded ostensibly as a melting pot. “American culture seems like the absence of culture,” offered Paul. “People are missing something but don’t know what it is.” “We were taught everyone was equal, but not how to achieve that.” “What are you proud of as a white person?” elicits little response, whereas people of color are able to identify what they love about being Black or Latinx etc... “This work is not about creating a negative narrative about white people,” stated a moderator; rather, people need a clearer concept of what we were taught and also not taught. “People of color were taught a lot even before grade school; whites haven’t had to engage in those conversations. That’s a privilege.” Jalinda reminded the group to avoid “either/or” thinking when it comes to white supremacy culture, suggesting, “You cancontinued on page 6
Honest Weight Food Co-op • 100 Watervliet Ave. Albany, NY 12206 • 518-482-2667 • https://www.honestweight.coop/ • honestslate@honestweight.coop
