What the people of color in the CSCO e-course need from the white participants:
- Openness
- Empathy
- A beginner’s mind
- A willingness to listen
- A willingness to put yourselves in the shoes of people of color, and to truly learn and engage with this conversation. Respectful questions are welcome, being mindful that responses may not always correspond with your preconceptions
- Take a back seat and listen
- Be patient
- Allow yourselves to be vulnerable
- Open space for people rather than taking space for yourself
- Be mindful of the time you take to express yourselves
- Take a back seat and listen
- Avoid centering your white identities, and instead hear how people of color can meet your needs
- Trust our gut reactions and experiences as people of color doing this work
- Trust people of color’s ability to lead
- Trust other people
- Do not respond with “all lives matter” or “they do it too” rebuttals when something is shared
- Come in a true spirit of community and equality, and not as paternalistic rescuers
- Do not observe us as though we are animals in a zoo, but instead see a human being struggling with other people’s humanity
- Understand that people of color are not a monolith. Latinx people do not all think the same. There are different experiences, thoughts, etc in our communities
- Keep in mind that not all people of color are poor and need assistance, and that everyone needs respect no matter what
- Be mindful of any privilege you have — white passing, socio-economic status, physical ability, etc
- Take the initiative on your learning, and don’t only rely on individuals of color in this group to be your only form of learning
- Acknowledge that you sometimes contribute to a white supremacist culture in spaces where there is diversity, especially immigration and detention work
- Understand that the stories we tell can resurface pain and trauma, and that people of color reserve the right to not repeat it over and over
- Give equal consideration to not just humanitarian immigration issues, but immigration issues that impact communities of color that are at higher risk of coming in contact with the criminal justice system
- Use this course to live the anti-racist practice of centering people of color - I am less interested in learning how white people dismantle racism, and much more interested in learning how people of color perpetuate oppression and violence among ourselves, and how to dismantle and built a new reality and community
- Don’t assume you know more than people of color
- Take a mindful pause to consider how what you are saying or thinking affects different people, not just people of color but also women, people with disabilities, people in the LGBTQIA+ community, etc
- If you are a leader, seek a person of color as a co-leader
- Don’t perform wokeness, but rather bring a true curiosity and willingness to struggle through the tensions that exist in this work