FAMILIAL JUSTICE
Tuff Talks: Confronting Racism in Your Home
A guide to talking about race with your elders STORY BY AUSTIN WEATHERMAN ART AND DESIGN BY ALYSSA NICOLE MAUN
From police shootings, protest coverage, and former President Donald Trump, the news encouraged home conversations about race and politics. Given this you may have witnessed a family member commit an act of racism and didn’t know how to go about talking to them about it. Confrontation can be an intimidating path to walk, but if it’s done in a civil way, all parties can leave the conversation satisfied. Assistant professor in the human communications studies department at Cal State Fullerton, Tara Suwinyattichaiporn, explained that there is a six step process to confronting your family about tough topics, such as racism, that will lead to a civil discussion. 1) Be aware that having differences is normal Before you are able to confront the issue at hand, you need to realize that everyone has different points of view on
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any particular subject. Suwinyattichaiporn explains that this is necessary in order to avoid the temptation of being angry and upset with your family members. It’s normal to have differences within a family. “Individual freedom means we all have the independence to believe in whatever we want to,” Suwinyattichaiporn, who also teaches relational communication and leads the CSUF Civil Dialogue public-forum events on campus, said. “And what comes with individual freedom is differences and this includes generational differences in our beliefs.” Action: Try to be understanding of the opposing member’s backgrounds and remember not all of society has changed with the times. 2) Identify the specific difference “Identify exactly what it is that they do or how they behave that bothers you,” Suwinyattichaiporn said. Without letting your family member know exactly what they do that upsets
