Overcoming Racism: Why Is It So Hard?
Conference Agenda
See below for workshop descriptions
Friday, November 6
4:30 pm Registration opens
5:00 Dinner
5:30 Opening Ceremony: Chris Mato Nunpa (Dakota, Wahpetun) and Rev. Clifford Canku (Dakota, Sisseton-Wahpetun)
5:50 Welcoming Remarks: Herbert Perkins (ASDIC), Rowzat Shipchandler (The Saint Paul Foundation), and Andriel Dees (William Mitchell College of Law)
6:05 Keynote Presentation: Victor Lee Lewis
Standing Up for Racial Justice in the Age of Obama: Becoming More Powerful and Resourceful Leaders for Racial Justice to Meet the Challenges of Today
7:05 Break
7:15 Breakout Workshops, Session #1 (90 minutes—to 8:45 pm)
- White Allies Engaged in Overcoming Racism Against the Dakota People of Minnesota (Chris Mato Nunpa, moderator) Download PRE-READING
- The Long Road to Unlearning Racism: Understanding and Cultivating Compassion for White Folks on the Journey (Hussein Rajput)
- The White Privilege Conference is Coming to Town! – Why We Want You There (Albrecht, Ramos, Silverstein & Eager for National White Privilege Conference planning group)
- America: Land of the Free? – The Historical Legacy of Racism (Shvonne Johnson)
- ASDIC Model of Antiracism Transformation (Herbert Perkins & Margery Otto for ASDIC Antiracism Study-Dialogue Circles)
- The Jerusalem Above: Biblical Perspectives on Human Identity and Racism (Fr. Marc Boulos)
- Framing Institutional Accountability for Racial Achievement Disparities (Cyndie Hayes for Pacific Education Group (PEG))
- Racial Equity Impact Policy: A Proposed Tool to Ensure Equitable Development in the City of St. Paul (Vanhala, Freeman, Gile & Presley, for Alliance for Metropolitan Stability)
Saturday, November 7 Please park in the overflow lot at Summit and Grotto (3 blocks east along Summit; southwest corner of intersection)
8:00am Registration & Refreshments
8:20 Opening Reflections: Herbert Perkins and Rowzat Shipchandler
8:30 Break
8:40 Kindly SELECT either one Extended Workshop or two Standard Workshops for Saturday morning:
Extended Workshops, Session #2 (2.5 hours—8:45 to 11:15 am)
- The Dakota Death March: Genocide, Tragedy and Trauma (Chris Mato Nunpa, moderator; descendants of the Dakota grandmothers of 1862) Download PRE-READING
- Dangerous Terrain: Avoiding the Re-centering of Whiteness When Addressing Racism and White Privilege (Heather Hackman)
- “But I Treat All the Kids the Same!” – Understanding the Role that Whiteness and White Privilege Play in Classroom Management (Johanna Eager)
- Expelling Racism from College – Higher Education Antiracism Teams (Ramos, Leigh & Rodrigues for Minnesota State Colleges & Universities)
- Introduction to OAP Racial Justice Initiative – Defining Racial Justice and Levels of Racism (Julia Freeman for Organizing Apprenticeship Project)
- Race, Culture and The Great White Lie (Rev. Agnew, Shoen & Keatts for Discussions that Encounter)
- Small Acts, Big Transitions: Change Model Based on Addressing Racism Day-to-Day (Anderson, McNamara & Espondaburu for WATCH Court Monitoring)
- The Long Road to Unlearning Racism: Understanding and Cultivating Compassion for White Folks on the Journey (Hussein Rajput)
- Confronting Zionism – What Anti-Racist Activists Need to Know (Kutz, Maltzman, Razowsky & Redleaf for International Jewish anti-Zionist Network)
- Why Mom Didn’t Leave Me the House: Inter-Generational Economic Asset Building and the Denial of Human Rights through Predatory Lending (Coleman, May Xiong & Dahlheimer)
- The Journey Without a Road Map: Racial Equity Initiatives in Ramsey County (Carol Fogarty & Becky Montgomery for Ramsey County Community Human Services Department)
- White Noise: White Families Raising White Children to Resist White Supremacy (Raffo, Bergin & Svatek for White Noise)
- Using a Collaborative Model of Law and Social Work to Help Female Inmates Successfully Reintegrate After Incarceration (Jane Hurley Johncox & Joanna Woolman for the ReEntry Clinic at William Mitchell)
- Freeing Yourself: Re-creating a Childhood Experience of Race (Annette Smith & Nancy Peterson for Winds of Change)
- Understanding the History of Race in America (Cornelius Rish for HOPEducation)
- The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Race, Class and Whiteness in Identification of Students for Gifted and Talented Services (Dunbar, Garrett & Kwong)
12:30 Keynote Presentation: Zeus Leonardo Anti-racism and Education: Towards a More Genuine Race Dialogue Download PRE-READING
1:30 Break
1:45 Kindly SELECT either one Extended Workshop or two shorter Workshops for Saturday afternoon.
Extended Workshops, Session #5 (2½ hours—2:00 to 4:30 pm)
- The Future Direction of Race, Whiteness and Education (Zeus Leonardo) Download PRE-READING
- Lessons from The Color of Fear: Challenging and Changing the Beliefs that Keep Racism in Place (Victor Lewis)
- Heart Work the Hard Work: An Authentic Conversation about Race (Donna Hauer & Shvonne Johnson for St Catherine University)
- Engaging Men in Creating Racial Equity: Men from Different Margins (Phillip Davis & Whitney Stewart Harris for MnSCU)
- Students’ Perspectives: Our Experiences with Anti-Racist Education (six students from the University of Minnesota’s Social Justice Minor)
- Writing for Social Change: ReDream a Just World (Anya Achtenberg)
- Palestine 101 – Occupation, Racism & Apartheid – Palestinian & Jewish Perspectives (Khatib, Abu Sara, Amra, Waz Waz & Shaban for Al-Aqsa Institute of MN, and Albrecht, Razowsky & Redleaf for International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, MN Chapter)
- New Conversations® About White Privilege (Rowzat Shipchandler for the Facing Race Initiative of The Saint Paul Foundation)
- Reshaping Institutional Identity – Claiming/Shaping an Anti-Racist Institutional Identity (Pauline Eichten, Allen Giles and other members of Antiracism Team for Unity-Church Unitarian)
- Racism in Public Education, What to Do? – A Theory of Action (Sharon Radd)
- Expelling Racism from College – Higher Education Antiracism Teams (Ramos, Leigh & Rodrigues for Minnesota State Colleges & Universities)
- How to Create and Sustain Bias-Free Environments for Young Children (Gayle Gilreath for Miller Early Childhood Initiative of the Anti-Defamation League)
- The White Privilege Conference is Coming to Town! – Why We Want You There (Albrecht, Ramos, Silverstein & Eager for National White Privilege Conference planning group)
- Confronting Zionism – What Anti-Racist Activists Need to Know (Kutz, Maltzman, Razowsky & Redleaf for International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network)
- “But I Treat All the Kids the Same!” – Understanding the Role that Whiteness and White Privilege Play in Classroom Management (Johanna Eager)
- Racism in Public Education, What to Do? – A Theory of Action (Sharon Radd)
4:45 Keynote Presentation: Heather Hackman
A Call to Action: In the Face of Great Odds, Our Work for Justice Prevails
5:45 Closing Reflections
6:00 Networking, Evaluations, Certificates of Attendance
6:30 pm Adjourn
Workshop Descriptions
Friday Evening, 7:00 to 8:30 pm
Series #1, 90-minute Workshops
(arranged alphabetically by title)
America: Land of the Free? Racism Conception, Intention, Impact & Resolve
This workshop addresses the legacy that was left to us all as a result of Slavery, Jim Crow, and Lynching. Understanding the complex institutions bring s a deeper understanding of the legacies we plagued by: racism, internalized oppression, and white supremacy. However, when empowered to know our history we do not have to be perpetuators of the past, but we can rise to be influential educators, administrators, and policy makers, liberated by that deeper knowing.
Shvonne L. Johnson, Multicultural Outreach Coordinator at the St. Catherine University
Location: Room 217
ASDIC Model of Antiracism Transformation
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Racism is moral and social evil—a violation of relationship. It is a system created to maintain and constantly reproduce white supremacy. Yet racism comes to many of us, unwanted, as a wounding, active legacy, surrounding and engulfing us. In this workshop we shall share lessons learned about the transformative power of dialogues—reflection, study, storytelling, practice—to understand, own, and be accountable for the destructive legacy of racism, to identify ways to build responsible, just relationships and social patterns, and to create a sense of empowerment through conscious acts to re-pattern personal and collective behavior. Includes a description of the ASDIC Program (Antiracism Study-Dialogue Circles Program) and a presentation of the ASDIC Model of Transformation.
Herbert Perkins, PhD, and Margery Otto, JD are Co-Directors of the ASDIC Antiracism Study-Dialogue Circle Program.
Location: Room 219
Framing Institutional Accountability for Racial Achievement Disparities
Despite the rhetoric that “all children can learn,” the belief that some children cannot learn at high levels persists. Increasingly, “gap” research points to the insidious and pervasive effects of personal and institutional racism as the root cause of racial achievement disparities in U.S. schools. Learn the skills and strategies of Courageous Conversations About Race to successfully implement Systemic Equity Transformation and achieve results.
Cyndie Hays, EdD, is Director of Leadership, Pacific Educational Group
Location: Room 223
Intent vs. Impact: Negotiating the Barriers Created by the Dominant View of Racism
The dominant, ‘colorblind’ understanding of racism is a powerful barrier to overcoming racism. It frames our public and private conversations, allowing both individuals and institutions to elude accountability. In this interactive workshop, we will explore how it derails our attempts to address interpersonal and structural racism, and share strategies.
Barb Rose and Sarah Gleason, Side by Side Associates -- Partners in Community Building
Location: Room 234
The Jerusalem Above: Biblical Perspectives on Human Identity and Racism
The Bible presents the paradoxical vision of a heavenly city “not made by human hands.” From the abolition of slavery and women’s suffrage to the civil rights movement, contemplation of this paradox has provoked major steps forward in American social development. What does the biblical proposition of God in the "other" or as "outsider" imply for contemporary discussions of racism? What pressure does the biblical concept of a heavenly city bring to bear on institutional or group identity politics? What insight can the Bible offer into current struggles against racism and fear?
Rev. Fr. Marc Boulos, an Arab American, is pastor of St. Elizabeth Orthodox Mission and is also founder and chair of the Minnesota Bible Lecture Series, a non-profit organization created to promote Orthodox biblical scholarship in colleges, seminaries and churches in the Twin Cities area. He holds a Master of Divinity from St. Vladimir's Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York.
Location: Room 220
The Long Road to Unlearning Racism: Understanding and Cultivating Compassion for White Folks on the Journey
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We will explore the psychology of learning and unlearning racism, illustrating how white folks’ experience of coming to terms with racism can be understood as a process of cognitive and emotional development. Particular attention will be given to the process for white people of unlearning racism as a developmental sequence, with predictable patterns and pitfalls.
Hussein Rajput, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who works as the Director of Counseling Services at Hamline University. Born in the U.S. and raised in Canada, the son of Pakistani and German-American parents, Dr. Rajput is at home at the crossroads of different cultures.
Location: Conservatory (1st floor)
National White Privilege Conference is Coming to Town! - LaCrosse, 2010, & Twin
Cities, 2011 - Why We Want You There
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This workshop will introduce Minnesotans to the White Privilege Conference (WPC), which will be held in LaCrosse, WI from April 7-10, 2010, and in the Twin Cities from April 13-15, 2011. Panelists will share their WPC experiences and talk about the conference in more depth.
Lisa Albrecht, University of Minnesota and local co-chair, 2011 White Privilege Conference, Twin Cities; Raul Ramos, Minnesota. State Colleges & Universities and local co-chair, 2011 White Privilege Conference, Twin Cities; Lauren Silverstein, Housing & Residential Life, University of Minnesota; and Johanna Eager, K-12 Educational Equity Consultant.
Location: Room 205
Racial Equity Impact Policy: A Proposed Tool to Ensure Equitable Development in the City of St. Paul
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A dedicated coalition has been working with Planning and Economic Development to create a Racial Equity Impact Policy, designed to promote equitable development within the City of St. Paul. Presenters will discuss the work of creating this policy as an equity tool. Come join us to discuss the challenges and opportunities in creating racial equity policies.
Joan Vanhala, Coalition Organizer, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability; Julia Freeman, Organizing Apprenticeship Project Senior Organizer; Metric Giles, Community Stabilization Project Community Organizer and Policy Advocate; and Dennis Presley Sr., Aurora St. Anthony Neighborhood Development Corporation Community Organizer.
Location: Room 319 (3rd floor)
White Allies Engaged in Overcoming Racism Against the Dakota People of Minnesota
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Racism, "racial prejudice plus power," is prevalent in every aspect of our society. The colonizers’/dominant society's education, language, religion, law, etc. are derived from western European/U.S. Euro-American models, values, and world-view which are diametrically opposite, in many cases, to the Dakota/Indigenous Peoples' values and world-view. This panel will feature four white women allies who are engaged in activities and/or careers against tacism and injustice against the Dakota People, specifically, and against Indigenous Peoples, generally. A major purpose of the workshop is to demonstrate, by the lives of these four women, how other potential white allies can also play a role in overcoming racism against the Dakota/ Indigenous Peoples of Minnesota. The fight against racism and injustice is a big struggle and everyone, wherever they may find themselves, can participate in this struggle.
Chris Mato Nunpa, PhD, a retired professor of Indigenous Nations and Dakota Studies (INDS) at Southwest Minnesota State University, is from the Pezihuta Zizi Otunwe ("Yellow Medicine Community”) of the Dakota, Wahpetun ("Dwellers In the Leaves").
Location: Main Auditorium
Saturday morning, 8:45 to 11:15 am
Series #2, 2½ hour Extended Sessions
The Dakota Death March: Genocide, Tragedy and Trauma
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The Dakota Death March refers to an event that occurred back on November 07-13, 1862. 1,700 of the Dakota People, primarily women, children, and elders, were force-marched 150 miles from the Lower Sioux area (near the towns of Morton and Redwood Falls) to the Concentration Camp at Ft. Snelling. Dozens of the "Grandmothers" were murdered along the Forced-March. Then, hundreds more women, children, and elders were murdered at the Concentration Camp, during the long cold winter of 1862-1863 - they died of violence, disease, and despair. This was a genocidal event. Criterion C of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention states, "Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part." Also, a "concentration camp" (specifically, Ft. Snelling Concentration Camp) fulfills not only Criterion C but also Criterion A, "Killing members of the group." The "genocidaires," the Perpetrators of Genocide, were the U.S. Army, the state of Minnesota, and its Euro-Minnesotan citizenry.
The phrase "death march," referring to the 1862 March, comes from Mrs. Elsie (Two Bear) Cavender, a Dakota Wahpetunwan ("Dwellers In the Leaves") woman, an oral historian. The Dakota Commemorative March (DCM), its purpose to remember and honor the Grandmothers, has been held in 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008, with some of the marchers walking the entire 150 miles. Two more marches are scheduled for 2010 and the year 2012, the 150th anniversary of the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862. Descendants of these courageous grandmothers will be talking about their grandmothers from the oral histories that have been passed on down from generation to generation. The purpose of this workshop is to inform and educate.
Another purpose has to do with the Sesquicentennial in 2008. The Sesquicentennial Commission, the Minnesota Historical Society, colleges and universities, et. al. were talking about "celebrating” the 150th birthday of Minnesota as a state. The Dakota People of Minnesota thought there was nothing to "celebrate." Instead, the TRUTH needs to be told, which is another purpose for this workshop.
Chris Mato Nunpa, PhD, a retired professor of Indigenous Nations and Dakota Studies (INDS) at Southwest Minnesota State University, is from the Pezihuta Zizi Otunwe ("Yellow Medicine Community”) of the Dakota, Wahpetun ("Dwellers In the Leaves").
Location: Main Auditorium
Dangerous Terrain: Avoiding the Re-centering of Whiteness when Addressing Racism and White Privilege
This workshop will address three core areas in exploring this topic: self-awareness, process, and content.
Location: Room 234
Saturday Morning, 8:40 to 10:10 am
Series #3, 90-minute Workshops
(arranged alphabetically by title)
“But I Treat All the Kids the Same!” – Understanding the Role that Whiteness and White Privilege Play in Classroom Management
Explore the significance of the power relationship between white staff and students of color as it applies to classroom management and discipline. Learn to identify the inherent racism/white privilege in what is often believed to be “culturally neutral” classroom practices to better understand what is at the root of many classroom discipline situations.
Johanna Eager, former Director of an E-12 district-wide anti-racism initiative, and adjunct faculty at various universities. She currently works with school districts and communities seeking educational equity through increased intercultural competence.
Location: Conservatory (1st floor)
Confronting Zionism – What Anti-Racist Activists Need to Know
We’ll use popular education techniques to explore how the dominant discourse around Palestine, Israel and Zionism upholds institutionalized racism. We’ll provide, and workshop participants will help develop, tools to challenge the dominant discourse and engage in effective dialogue. This workshop will be interactive and experiential.
Celia Kutz, trainer, facilitator, and community organizer using popular education to illuminate injustice and oppression; Josina Manu Maltzman committed Jew in solidarity with Palestinian self-determination since winter 2000; K. Flo Razowsky, white skinned, US raised Jew has spent more than two years living in Palestine working in solidarity with Palestinian civil society’s struggle for justice; and Karen Redleaf, an active member of a ‘whites eliminating racism’ group for more than 15 years, who in 2001 began confronting the myths of her Zionist upbringing through the International Jewish anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), ijsn.net.
Location: Room 220
Expelling Racism from College
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What is unique about institutional racism in higher education? What strategies have been shown to work? This workshop describes the successes and challenges of the Higher Education Anti-Racism Teams collaborative. We will share the racism analysis and dismantling strategy that is the foundation of these campus antiracism efforts.
Raúl Ramos, Senior Access and Opportunity Specialist for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, working out of the Diversity and Multiculturalism Division; Debra Leigh, faculty of St. Cloud State University and one of the co-founders of the Community Anti-Racism Education Initiative at SCSU; and Leon Rodrigues, Special Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer at Bethel University who also chairs the Bethel Anti-Racism and Reconciliation Commission.
Location: Kelley Board Room (2nd floor)
Introduction to OAP Racial Justice Initiative – Defining Racial Justice and Levels of Racism
This workshop will strengthen the capacity of participants to engage in analysis and action to advance racial equity. Participants will deepen their understanding of the levels of racism around us and explore various interventions – such as strategies implemented by the Organizing Apprenticeship Project Racial Justice Initiative. Participants will be challenged to become race conscious and support the race equity work that organizations in Minnesota are moving forward with the OAP Racial Justice Initiative.
Julia Freeman, Senior Organizer for Racial Justice Organizing, Organizing Apprenticeship Project
Location: Room 204
The Long Road to Unlearning Racism: Understanding and Cultivating Compassion for White Folks on the Journey -- REPEAT
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We will explore the psychology of learning and unlearning racism, illustrating how white folks’ experience of coming to terms with racism can be understood as a process of cognitive and emotional development. Particular attention will be given to the process for white people of unlearning racism as a developmental sequence, with predictable patterns and pitfalls.
Hussein Rajput, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who works as the Director of Counseling Services at Hamline University. Born in the U.S. and raised in Canada, the son of Pakistani and German-American parents, Dr. Rajput is at home at the crossroads of different cultures.
Location: Room 219
Race, Culture and The Great White Lie
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No one of healthy pigment is truly white If race is a myth and whiteness a lie, how can we deconstruct them while building social and institutional accountability for inter-racial collaboration to correct inequities cuased and defined by race? What are the personal and social implications? Let’s dialogue about the possibilities.
Rev. Arthur Agnew, Bethesda Baptist Church pastor & founder, Discussions That Encounter ; Bill Keatts, Racial Justice Chair, St. Olaf Catholic Church and Lou Schoen, national Episcopal racial justice consultant/co-facilitator and founding organizer, Minnesota Churches Anti-Racism Initiative.
Location: Room 205
Saturday Morning, 10:20 to 11:50 am
Series #4, 90-minute Workshops
(arranged alphabetically by title)
Freeing Yourself: Re-creating a Childhood Experience of Race
This is heart work. Experiential and supportive, we call on participants to delve into the deep. We will meditate, draw, role play and share using circle process. Deeper authentic connection to ourselves and others gives us the power to create a new future for our world. We are left with the opportunity of shaping new futures for ourselves and our children.
Annette (“Nettie”) Smith, who retired from teaching at a junior high school in the “inner city” of Minneapolis after thirty-six years, continues to create the possibility of racial justice in the City of Minneapolis; Nancy Peterson, MEd, a writer of poetry and memoir, who married an African American social worker and raised two daughters, is now working on a book.
Location: Room 217
The Gift that Keeps on Giving: Race, Class and Whiteness in Identification of Students for Gifted and Talented Services
Three individuals who worked for over fifteen years to dismantle white property interests in the identification of students for gifted and talented services in St. Paul will discuss their work as a “case study.” They will examine present policy and law that underwrite advantages for white students.
Elaine Dunbar, Sociologist; Willie Garrett, Psychologist and Consultant; and Gary Kwong, Chemist and MICAH Anti-Racism Team member.
Location: Room 220
The Journey Without a Road Map
Anti-racism work often feels like a journey without a road map. This workshop will provide information about two Ramsey County initiatives, identify elements that have been key to supporting the work of the initiatives, share lessons learned thus far and explore the challenges and importance of sustaining the efforts.
Roy Adams, Supervisor of the Ramsey County Community Human Services Department’s Delinquency Unit and manager, Ramsey County All Children Excel (ACE) program; Meghan Kelley Mohs, Ramsey County Community Human Services Department, Adult Services Division Director; and Becky Montgomery, Planner with the Ramsey County Community Human Services Department and coordinator, Ramsey County Ending Racial Disparities Project.
Location: Kelley Board Room (2nd floor)
Understanding the History of Race in America
This workshop explores the origins of Race -the scientific and social constructs; examines how the concept of Race has been used in the United States by social, political, and religious institutions to separate "races" and maintain a white power structure; and investigates the face of Modern Day Racism. Finally, this workshop will explore whether Racism can be contained or eliminated given the current social and political culture of the United States. This interactive workshop takes a new look at an old problem through stories and media clips that will keep its participants completely engaged.
Cornelius D. Rish, founder and President of HOPEducation Consulting
Location: Room 219
Using a Collaborative Model of Law and Social Worker to help Female Inmates Successfully Reintegrate After Incarceration
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This workshop explores our work through a social justice perspective including race, gender and sexual orientation, related to women offenders based on their vulnerabilities inside prison and in the community post-release. We also explore the legal issues faced by women upon release – and how these are affected by oppression based on gender, race or sexual orientation within the criminal justice and family law court systems. We will share how our clinical framework works to empower women to have a voice and work through the shame of internalized racism and sexism.
Jane Hurley Johncox, Social Work and Clinical faculty member, St. Catherine University and University of St. Thomas School of Social Work, and Joanna Woolman, Director of the Reentry Clinic at William Mitchell College of Law
Location: Room 205
White Noise: White families Raising White Children to Resist White Supremacy
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White Noise refers to the dangerous and everyday annoying distraction from thinking and paying attention that’s akin to living with white privilege. We are a group of white parents focusing together on how to raise white children to be anti-racist. This workshop will share ideas, themes and support for white parents raising white children who are interested in starting similar kinds of groups.
Susan Raffo, writer, bodyworker, community-organizer and the co-facilitator with Heather Hackman of “More than skin deep: uprooting white privilege and white supremacy one cell at a time” ; Lisa Bergin, philosophy professor at Hamline University; and Susan Svatek, rank and file union member, gardener, and mom.
Location: Room 204
Why Mom Didn’t Leave Me The House: Inter-Generational Economic Asset Building and the Denial of Human Rights through Predatory Lending
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Join us for a group discussion of the following questions.
Location: Conservatory (1st floor)
Saturday afternoon, 2:00 to 4:30 pm
Series #5, 2½ hour Extended Sessions
The Future Direction of Race, Whiteness and Education
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This workshop will center on the basic issue of Professor Zeus Leonardo's recent book, whether antiracism and critical studies educators and activists should work to salvage "whiteness" by reconstructing it, or should abandon and abolish "whiteness" as so deeply tied to, and identified with, particular racial interests of power, privilege, practices and arrangements as to be irredeemable. Is it possible to reconstruct or re-articulate "whiteness" into something else—into something humane, into a collective identity and shared cultural political practices based on just principles of social organization? Is a dream and hope of a "white" expressed humanity freed from, but responsible to, its history and the consequences of that history possible? As a cultural expression, can "whiteness" be in a "good" "place"—a "eutopia"—in its relations to peoples of other cultural identities, where the socio-political-legal system and social practices serve the good of all of the citizens of a place? If that dream is possible what would it take to realize it?
Zeus Leonardo, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of California at Berkeley in Social and Cultural Studies. Professor Leonardo’s books include Race, Whiteness and Education (2009), Ideology, Discourse, and School Reform (2003), Critical Pedagogy and Race (editor, 2005), and Charting New Terrains of Chicano(a)/Lationo(a) Education (co-editor, 2000), as well as numerous journal pieces.
Location: Conservatory (1st floor)
Lessons from The Color of Fear: Challenging and Changing the Beliefs that Keep Racism in Place
This workshop will introduce viewers to the linguistic structure of beliefs that support white supremacy, and will provide a laboratory for studying how to challenge, enrich and expand (or sometimes obliterate) those beliefs. We will use key passages from the award-winning film, The Color of Fear, in guided large and small group dialogue, working together to identify the various deletions, distortions and generalizations which hold embedded racist beliefs in place. Participants will be introduced to the foundational principles and key interventions of "conversational belief change" which can dramatically strengthen the capacity of dialogue leaders, trainers and activists to help others to "buy-in" to an equity and social justice agenda.
Victor Lewis, nationally recognized antiracism trainer, Director of the Center for Diversity Leadership, and Coordinator of Curriculum Development for SpeakOut!, an internationally recognized leader in the field of anti-oppression diversity work and alliance building. Mr. Lewis is the author with Hugh Vasquez of Lessons from the Color of Fear.
Location: Main Auditorium
Saturday Afternoon, 1:45 to 3:15 pm
Series #6, 90-minute Workshops
(arranged alphabetically by title)
Engaging Men in Creating Racial Equity: Men from Different Margins
This interactive workshop provides participants with an opportunity to enhance their knowledge regarding the work of heterosexual white males and gay males of color in the work of creating racial equity. It explores the intersection of race, religion, gender and sexual orientation in human rights work.
Phillip Davis, President, Minneapolis Community and Technical College; Whitney Stewart Harris, Executive Director, Diversity and Multiculturalism Division, Office of the Chancellor, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
Location: Room 204
Heart Work the Hard Work: An Authentic Conversation about Race
Beverly Tatum asks the essential question, "Can we talk about race"? Yes, but we rarely do. We need to go deeper. Experience the micro-aggressions, obtain tools, open your mind and heart to true transformation.
Donna M. Hauer, Director of Multicultural and International Programs and Services, and Shvonne L. Johnson, Multicultural Outreach Coordinator, at the St. Catherine University.
Location: Kelley Board Room (2nd floor)
New Conversations® About White Privilege
The New Conversations About White Privilege tool is designed for individuals and groups who have begun to explore racism and want to learn more about various facets of the issue. The white privilege tool draws on the work of author Dr. Peggy McIntosh, who writes, “I feel that seeing privilege is the missing link between understanding discrimination of any kind and how to end it. I now believe that white privilege, rather than discrimination, is the central actor in racism.” This dialogue introduces the concept of systemic thinking and uses both small and large group activities to process the information in a meaningful way.
Rowzat Shipchandler, Project Manager, Facing Race We’re All in This Together anti-racism™ initiative at The Saint Paul Foundation
Location: Room 220
Palestine 101 – Occupation, Racism & Apartheid – Palestinian & Jewish Perspectives
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In this workshop, local Palestinian and Jewish activists who have worked together for peace in Palestine/Israel will share perspectives of the conflict. We offer this workshop for racial justice activists who do not know enough about Palestine/ Israel and how it affects race relations in the U.S. How do we best identify anti-Arab racism and anti-Jewish oppression? We will address these questions as we model positive ways that Palestinians and Jews work together. Each of us will also share some of our personal experiences working for peace in Palestine/Israel.
Hussein S. Khatib, Majed Abu Sara, Ziad Amra, Fadwa Waz Waz and Sameh Shabana from Al-Aqsa Institute of Minnesota; and Lisa Albrecht, Flo Razowksy and Karen Redleaf from International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network
Location: Room 219
Racism in Public Education, What to Do? – A Theory of Action
If anti-racism is our goal, how do we get there? This session describes a model for social change being used in a collaborative of ten public school districts. An overview of the context, challenges, theory and research behind this model will be presented to provide support for this approach.
Sharon Radd, PhD, Program Director with the East Metro Integration District and adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas.
Location: Room 234
Reshaping Institutional Identity (or Claiming/Shaping an Anti-Racist Institutional Identity)
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Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul started the journey toward becoming an actively anti-racist institution in 2002. In May 2008, the congregation affirmed new Ends Statements, statements that speak to how we want to be in the world, that incorporate a commitment to anti-racism and racial healing. This workshop will discuss the steps taken in getting to this point and where we hope to go in the future.
Pauline Eichten and Allen Giles, are members of Unity Church’s Anti-Racism Leadership Team.
Location: Room 223
Student’s Perspectives: Our Experiences with Anti-Racist Education
Strategies for creating an open forum for dialogue regarding white privilege within classrooms and organizations will be discussed in this workshop. Participants will be encouraged to share their own triumphs and frustrations in antiracist education.
Laura Anderson, Chelsey Perkins, Alice Franco, Bethany Kahn, and more students from the Social Justice Minor Program, University of Minnesota.
Location: Room 205
Writing for Social Change
Develop powerful tools and curriculum as we work with association in poetry and narrative to locate and express what racism makes invisible; reframe the idea of writing from a sense of place to catch up with the Diaspora of millions as a consequence of racism; cross borders in writing explorations to develop story and characterization with authenticity and respect; and move beyond simple back story into the unlived life and its profound yearnings pushed back by the workings of racism.
Anya Achtenberg, an award-winning fiction writer and poet, has taught creative writing in many settings and is a manuscript consultant.
Location: Room 217
Saturday Afternoon, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
Series #7, 1-hour Workshops
(arranged alphabetically by title)
Confronting Zionism – What Anti-Racist Activists Need to Know – REPEAT
We’ll use popular education techniques to explore how the dominant discourse around Palestine, Israel and Zionism upholds institutionalized racism. We’ll provide, and workshop participants will help develop, tools to challenge the dominant discourse and engage in effective dialogue. This workshop will be interactive and experiential.
Celia Kutz, trainer, facilitator, and community organizer using popular education to illuminate injustice and oppression; Josina Manu Maltzman committed Jew in solidarity with Palestinian self-determination since winter 2000; K. Flo Razowsky, white skinned, US raised Jew has spent more than two years living in Palestine working in solidarity with Palestinian civil society’s struggle for justice; and Karen Redleaf, an active member of a ‘whites eliminating racism’ group for more than 15 years, who in 2001 began confronting the myths of her Zionist upbringing through the International Jewish anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), ijsn.net.
Location: Room 220
Expelling Racism from College – REPEAT
What is unique about institutional racism in higher education? What strategies have been shown to work? This workshop describes the successes and challenges of the Higher Education Anti-Racism Teams collaborative. We will share the racism analysis and dismantling strategy that is the foundation of these campus antiracism efforts.
Raúl Ramos, Senior Access and Opportunity Specialist for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, working out of the Diversity and Multiculturalism Division; Debra Leigh, faculty of St. Cloud State University and one of the co-founders of the Community Anti-Racism Education Initiative at SCSU; and Leon Rodrigues, Special Assistant to the President and Chief Diversity Officer at Bethel University who also chairs the Bethel Anti-Racism and Reconciliation Commission.
Location: Kelley Board Room (2nd floor)
How to Create and Sustain Bias-Free Environments for Young Children
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Research shows that by preschool age many children have begun to acquire negative feelings about themselves and others. These feelings need to be addressed so children develop positive self-concepts and bias-free attitudes.
The Miller Early Childhood Initiative of the Anti-Defamation League provides anti-bias training and resources for the early childhood community. The goal of The Initiative is to assist caregivers, educators, and families in creating and sustaining bias-free early childhood programs and homes that encourage children to appreciate diversity.
Gayle Gilreath, Assistant Project Director, Miller Early Childhood Initiative of the Anti-Defamation League
Location: Room 205
Models of Truth Telling and Reconciliation
The workshop will introduce the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Greensboro, North Carolina by way of a video. The video documents the work of the Commission and the community of Greensboro in response to the Massacre in 1979. It highlights the importance of truth telling the events in history as a means to reconciling communities. The workshop will also lift up international (The Canadian Presbyterian Church’s Apology to First Nation People); state (Minnesota’s apology to Native Americans and Duluth’s Circle of Support Initiative); and local (United Church of Christ’s Resolution Regarding Establishing of Ongoing Relationships with Minnesota Native American Communities) truth telling and reconciliation work in process.
Marcia Foutch, member of Faith and Justice Team and community activist. She also teaches Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students at for Minneapolis Public Schools. C. John Hildebrand, a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Minneapolis teaches ESL at the University of St. Thomas and also works at Christ Presbyterian Church of Edina. Location: Room 223
National White Privilege Conference is Coming to Town! - LaCrosse, 2010, & Twin
Cities, 2011 - Why We Want You There – REPEAT
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This workshop will introduce Minnesotans to the White Privilege Conference (WPC), which will be held in LaCrosse, WI from April 7-10, 2010, and in the Twin Cities from April 13-15, 2011. Panelists will share their WPC experiences and talk about the conference in more depth.
Lisa Albrecht, University of Minnesota and local co-chair, 2011 White Privilege Conference, Twin Cities; Raul Ramos, Minnesota. State Colleges & Universities and local co-chair, 2011 White Privilege Conference, Twin Cities; Lauren Silverstein, Housing & Residential Life, University of Minnesota; and Johanna Eager, K-12 Educational Equity Consultant.
Location: Room 219
Racism in Public Education, What to Do? – A Theory of Action – REPEAT
If anti-racism is our goal, how do we get there? This session describes a model for social change being used in a collaborative of ten public school districts. An overview of the context, challenges, theory and research behind this model will be presented to provide support for this approach.
Sharon Radd, PhD, Program Director with the East Metro Integration District and adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas.
Location: Room 234