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Teachable Moments on the Power of Societal Oppression

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Teachable Moments on the Power of Societal Oppression
Using three 2009 stories in the news  (find links to each story at the end of this submission)
During our workshop, Beyond Diversity 101 (BD101) we practice distinguishing between the personal (INDIVIDUAL), the GROUP/institutional and the SOCIETAL.  We encourage seeing and naming - what is happening and what has happened on each of these three levels.  The practice of seeing and naming is terribly important if we are to heal as a people, as a society.  Denial and confusion - the resistance to see and know - are the fallback positions that protect and maintain systems of domination.  To acknowledge a breech between who we believe ourselves to be and what we actually do, to acknowledge such a breech might suggest that we turn our worlds upside down and do things differently.  So, in any system of oppression there is a great investment in not seeing.
I often say that if a person can only work on one skill, I would suggest the skill of vigorous seeing.  Vigorous seeing leads, not always but more often to acknowledgment [acting on the knowing.] Three 2009 news stories present opportunities to vigorously practice seeing and naming how racism, sexism and classism work in today’s world.
Here is a brief overview of how we use the three levels and how we might use them to practice vigorous seeing.  I will offer one or two simple examples from each of the 2009 news stories or teachable moments to demonstrate each level. 
[The practice]  Let’s start with the Personal. Take an event and observe what can be attributed to the personal or the individual.  Though influenced by the group and societal levels, the personal level is what is going on for “me” opposed to “us.” Sotomayor’s fractured foot as well as her diabetes required that she take regular breaks from the nomination proceedings – more breaks than most previous nominees.   On an individual level, Professor Gates may have been very tired after a long, international flight.  He may have asked someone to take care of the sticking door and be doubly frustrated.  We could go on here but let’s move to the Group Level.
As a Group, the parents of the children who were denied swimming privileges may have decided to come together to process their own feelings and to support each other in tending their children.  Any parent (the group) would understand the pain in having your children denied and hurt in this manner.  But, to simply discuss this story from the perspective of the group identity – parent – is to deny a huge influence at play, the Societal.
As parents of African-American children, there is an additional impact based in societal patterns of rejection, discrimination, broken contracts and the message that “you can’t swim here.” 
In trying to address any incident frought with hurt, anger, and confusion where we also find indications of injustice, then, it is imperative that we distinguish the individual and group levels from the societal.  …..to be continued
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/08/sotomayor-fractures-ankle_n_212677.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/20/henry-louis-gates-jr-arre_n_241407.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/10/philly.pool.response/index.html?iref=nextin

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