Chapter 2: “How to Talk about Race at Work” (Part 1)

[Mark Jochem]

Watch (“This is No New Pain For Us”) and reply to one of the following prompts in the Forum area below.

(Reply to 1 prompt):

1. What messages are being conveyed to each of the children in this moment?
2. What is the message to others observing this interaction?
3. In what ways could an observer have been an ally for Joy, her brother and mother?
4. Imagine being 8- or 5.5-years old learning that some people won’t like you because of the color of your skin color. What might this do to your perception of who you are and how you move through life? Or about who is safe for you to be around and who is not?
5. How have you experienced invalidation, insult, disdain and hatred?
6. Discuss the impact one might have as a result of repeatedly experiencing negativity in how people perceive you at every sphere of life?
7. What do you imagine it is like (or share how it has been for you) to process feeling hatred toward because of racism juxtaposed against the reality loving white people who you have known to be “family” and friends?
8. Joy mentioned no longer being able to visit family friends because they moved to a town that was the seat of the local Klu Klux Klan. What it be like to be afraid to travel freely for fear of harm or death to you or your family?
9. “Despite it being new for some white people, George Floyd is no new pain for us.” What struck you about hearing Joy say this?
10. Joy said, “With each death a piece of me dies.” What will you take away from Joy’s experience to inform your understanding of race/racism?

• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Mark Jochem.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Mark Jochem.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Mark Jochem.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by Mark Jochem.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by IDEA Team.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by IDEA Team.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by IDEA Team.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by IDEA Team.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Mark Jochem.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Mark Jochem.

[Mark Jochem]

In response to prompt #9: “Despite it being new for some white people, George Floyd is no new pain for us.” What struck you about hearing Joy say this?

The thing that ‘struck’ me about this statement, from my perspective as a white person, is the repeated injustices and mass trauma experienced by BIPOC, and in particular Black Americans, and the ability(?) (privilege?) of white people en masse to ignore or be ignorant of it. The fact that so many injustices occur without a glance, or when attention is paid it’s fleeting, speaks volumes about the systems (media, politics, interpersonal and group-dynamics) in place to deter empathy and relationship building.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by Mark Jochem.

[Rebecca Schaal]

In response to prompt #6: Discuss the impact one might have as a result of repeatedly experiencing negativity in how people perceive you at every sphere of life?

A person’s entire life is effected by the impact of repeatedly experiencing negativity in how people perceive you. A person can have lifelong low self esteem. They could try for only low paying and low skilled jobs. This would result in low earning income levels effecting living conditions. Depression could also be a result of a lifetime of experiencing negative perception for a lifetime.

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