This session is intended for participants to critically reflect on different aspects of their identity (race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religious/spiritual affiliation etc.) and the ways in which these aspects intersect with one another. It provides a safe space to recognize areas of vulnerability as well as privileges, and engage in collective meaning-making of these experiences. The session also includes a discussion around historical policies and social contexts, which reflect structural forms of prejudice. At the end, participants share their perspectives on being cognizant of one’s power and privileges and structural forms of prejudice, while working with communities (especially marginalized populations).

1. Identity, Intersectionality,
Privilege
&
Our Role in Communities

2. Identity, Intersectionality,
Privilege
&
Our Role in Communities
Facilitator: Rachayita Shah
Community Engagement Scholarship Director
The Bonner Foundation

3. Describe Yourself
Using an Adjective

4. Expectations?
Personal
&
Social Identity
Identity
&
Privilege
Intersectionality
&
Structural Bias

5. Goals & Expectations
•Identify ways in which different aspects of our identities and
experiences shape who we are
•Acknowledge areas of vulnerability and privilege with reference to
our social identity
•Analyze how social norms and historical policies benefit certain
groups over the other
•Demonstrate willingness to reflect on our roles as bystanders,
allies, and advocates while working with communities

6. Respectful Dialogue
I feel safe when . . . I promise to . . .
• Use “I” statements
• Let the other person finish
• Critique the statement not the
person
• Ask questions for clarity
• Avoid judging, blaming

7. Identity
Race
Class
Gender
Nationa
lity
Sexual
Orientat
ion
Other
Faith
Affiliati
on
Ability
Identity
A sense of who we are
based on group
membership(s).
(Henry Tajfel)

8. Social Identity Wheel
Race
Class
Gender
National
ity
Sexual
Orientat
ion
Other
Faith
Affiliatio
n
Ability
Identities I think about most often
Identities I think about least often
By any chance, is it the privileged identity that
you least think about?

9. Privilege
Privilege: Unearned access to resources (social power), only readily
available to some people, because of their social group
membership (National Conference on Community & Justice)
Race
Class
Gende
r
Nation
ality
Sexual
Orient
ation
Other
Faith
Affiliat
ion
Ability

10. Intersectionality
Intersectionality
The complex, cumulative way
in which the effects of multiple
forms of discrimination
(racism, sexism, classism)
intersect.
(Kimberlé Crenshaw)

11. Intersectionality & Privilege
Example: Colorism in India
Lighter skin = More Beautiful
Cultural Norm: Marriage, Fashion
Industry
Institutional / Structural Norm:
Hiring Practices for Certain Jobs
(e.g. Flight Attendant)
Intersectionality of colorism,
sexism, and casteism = Limited
access to resources and
opportunities

12. Intersectionality & Privilege
Examples:
Casteism
Faithism
Access to housing, jobs,
resources,

13. Looking Within . . .
•Any specific example of privilege that surprised you or
raised questions for you?
•For which aspects of your identity are you privileged &
marginalized?
•What experiences, practices, or policies reflect
privileges?
•What is your process like to acknowledge and be at
peace with who you are?

14. Looking Within . . .
Looking beyond . . .
Policies & practices: Structural Bias

15. I. Looking Beyond . . .
Race & Immigration: Historical Policies and Social Practices
• The 1790 Naturalization Act: The law provides that “free white
persons” who have resided in the United States for at least two
years may be granted citizenship, so long as they demonstrate
good moral character and swear allegiance to the Constitution.
• 1800s: African Americans’ Struggle for citizenship
• 1850s: Anti-Irish Sentiments
• 1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act
• 1942-45: Japanese Internment Camps
Source: Migration Policy Institute & Joel Spring - Deculturalization & the Struggle for Equality

16. II. Looking Beyond . . .
Race & Immigration:
Current Policies, Social Practices & Civil Rights
• Arizona Immigration Law SB 1070 contained four primary
provisions related to immigration enforcement:[5]
1.The first provision made it a state crime to reside in the United
States without legal permission.
2.The second provision made it a state crime to work in the United
States without legal permission
3.The third provision required law enforcement officers to verify
the legal status of all individuals who were arrested or detained
4.The fourth provision allowed law enforcement officers to arrest
individuals without a warrant based on probable cause of
unlawful presence
Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Arizona_SB_1070

17. III. Looking Beyond . . .
Gender: Policies and Practices
Equal Pay Act: The Equal Pay Act requires that men and women
be given equal pay for equal work in the same establishment.
The jobs need not be identical, but they must be substantially
equal. . . Pay differentials are permitted when they are based on
seniority, merit, quantity or quality of production, or a factor
other than sex.
https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/fs-epa.cfm
Gender Pay-gap: Gap between what men and women are paid.
Factors: Occupational segregation, bias against working
mothers, direct pay discrimination. . . .

18. Gender Pay Gap
Source: The American Association of University Women
https://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/

19. IV. Looking Beyond . . .
Sexual Orientation (LGBTQ): Policies and Practices
To many people, sodomy laws - state statutes that criminalize private,
consensual, non-commercial intimacy - seem like antiquated legal codes
that still exist technically, but are not actually enforced. In fact, these laws
are frequently used to discriminate against lesbians and gay men.
Example: When the ACLU filed a state lawsuit challenging the sodomy
statute in Minnesota, plaintiffs in the case included lawyers and teachers
whose livelihood was jeopardized by the sodomy law. Like many
professions, the licensing requirements for people in these fields include
forbidding professionals from engaging in illegal activity. As long as the
sodomy law exists, the successful lawsuit argued, people's jobs were
vulnerable.
Source: The American Civil Liberties Union - https://www.aclu.org/other/examples-sodomy-laws-
used-discriminate-against-lesbian-and-gay-people

20. How do these policies and
practices shape “marginalized”
groups’ experiences?

21. Our Role in Communities:
Ally, Advocate, Bystander?

22. Our Role in Communities
Student A
At my site, while the goal was to help kids ‘develop’ skills
to navigate an education system designed to leave them
behind, we were often holding students accountable for
being pushed out of school, instead of holding the
systems accountable.
“It’s not okay to be encouraging people to find strength
and resilience without adjusting the institutions and
structural conditions that deny us the support we need.”

23. Our Role in Communities
Student B
One specific experience I had was during my service trip
to a rural area in West Virginia. As a Latina woman, I was
something that is never seen in West Virginia. I
experienced judgement while there by locals, but the best
part was being able to talk to them and express
ourselves. They explained to me why they looked at me a
certain way . . .
We were able to listen and be heard. It is something that
needs to happen more often . . .

24. Our Role in Communities
Student C
I never really thought about where I lived. Well, that all changed when I got
selected to teach my own ESL/Pre-Employment class to about 30 adult
refugees. . .
Being a child of former immigrants, I just felt connection with them. . . . I felt a
strong need to be an ally for them. I knew how hard it was for people to try to start
their life in a country that does not truly value them yet. I started getting involved
in community events, such as town hall meetings and community initiatives in
order to be just a better resource for my students. I learned about the issues that
they faced such as food insecurity and limited public transportation. . . . I worked
with city Hall as an Intern . . .

25. Confronting
The White Elephant
• By discussing only individual rather than structural acts of racism
with clients and supervisors;
• by failing to acknowledge how systems are marginalizing and
oppressing our clients of color
• by thinking that by bringing this into the conversation, we are
creating conflict (so we avoid it)
• by telling our clients how to act and what appropriate language to
use in meetings/interviews because of what we consider the norm
(enforcing assimilation);
• by becoming offended and dismissive when clients talk about their
experience with white privilege;

26. Confronting
The White Elephant
• Considering the community members / groups you
work with, how will your positions of power influence
your collaboration with them?
• What will you need to do to earn trust? (Helpful vs.
harmful practices)
• What questions or concerns do you have for any of
these roles: bystander, ally, advocate?
• Any final comments?

27. A Journey of a Thousand
Miles Begins with One Step . . .
- Lao Tsu