Dismantling Racism in The Food System

Community Food Security Coalition
15 th Annual Conference
Food Justice: Honoring Our Roots, Growing the Movement
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Pre-Conference Course
Modern Racism in the Food System: Dismantling Tools and Approaches
November 5, 2011
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
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Terry Berman, M.A.
[email_address]
Deborah J. Walker, Ph.D.
[email_address]
Senior Consultants
VISIONS, Inc.
(Vigorous InterventionS In Ongoing Natural Settings Inc.)
48 Juniper Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-541-4100
www.visions-inc.org

Dismantling Tools/Approaches
Three Dimensions of Change
Multicultural Guidelines
Assumptions and Definitions (Framing the Discussion)
MPOC (Multicultural Process of Change)
Four Levels of Oppression and Change
Power Walk (Target/Non-Target Identities)
Modern Oppression/Internalized Oppression (MO/IO)
Intercultural Group Analysis of MO/IO
Alternatives Behaviors to MO/IO
Four Levels Analysis (Problem-solving—Personal, Interpersonal, Institutional/Structural/Movement, Cultural)
Closure (i.e. appreciations, regrets, learnings/relearnings)

Definition of Food Justice
Food Justice asserts that food is a right and no one should live without enough food because of economic constraints or social inequalities. Food justice reframes the lack of healthy food sources in poor communities as a human rights issues. Food justice is inspired by historical grassroots movements and organizing traditions such as those developed by the civil rights movement and the environmental justice movement. The food justice movement advances self-reliance and social justice by acknowledging that community leadership is the way to authentic solutions. Definition from “Why Hunger”, Food Security Learning Center.

Dismantling Philosophy
VISIONS’ assumes that the “isms” play out at four levels: personal, interpersonal, institutional/structural and cultural. Thus, VISIONS’ approach to dismantling racism and other “isms” starts at the personal level. The underlying assumption is that institutional/structural change and/or sustainable change in a movement is more likely as individuals understand their role in the dismantling process, hone their skills, and gain appropriate tools. In this context, the course will focus on institutional/structural and movement building through personal change.

Course Objectives
Provide a framework for understanding the difference between ‘old fashioned’ and ‘modern racism’.
Understand how the ‘modern isms’ play out in the food system at the personal, interpersonal, institutional/structural, and cultural levels.
Use the dismantling tools and approaches to challenge the “isms” in the food system and support your organization and the food justice movement.
Connect and engage with the diverse voices in the room in service of using the tools to create partnerships and grow your organization and the food justice movement.

Three Dimensions of Change Individual and Organizational Cognitive Concepts What Linkages Why Strategies How Affective Process Emotions Environment Behavioral Expectations Actions Results

Multicultural Guidelines for Engaging Across Differences
“ Try on”
“ It's Ok to disagree ”
“ It's not OK to blame, shame or attack ourselves or others”
“ Practice self-focus”
“ Notice both the process and content”
“ Practice "both/and" thinking”
“ Be aware of both the intent and impact of your actions”
“ Confidentiality”

Multicultural Process of Change
Rejection of differences and a belief in the superiority of the dominant group at these levels:
Personal
Interpersonal
Institutional/Systemic
Cultural
Monoculturalism “ Melting Pot” Assimilation Exclusion Process of Change (at all levels)
Recognize
Understand
Appreciate
Differences
Acceptance, appreciation, utilization and celebration of similarities and differences at these levels:
Personal
Interpersonal
Institutional/Systemic
Cultural
Pluralism “ Salad Bowl” Diversity Inclusion VISIONS, Inc. 1991 Designed by Valerie A. Batts, Ph.D., John Capitman, Ph.D., and Joyce Landrum Brown, Ph.D. “ Emancipatory Consciousness” Social/Economic Justice

Definition of Oppression

Institutional/Movement Personal Interpersonal Cultural
Values
Beliefs
Feelings
Attitudes
Opinions
Policies
Practices
Rules
Procedures
Systems
Behaviors
Treatment
Relationships
Communications
Worldview
Stories
Climate
Shared Values
Unwritten Rules
Media
Public Opinion
Symbolic/Ritual
Group Dynamics
Norms
Levels of Oppression and Change

A Working Conceptualization of Target (HE)and Non-Target (HI) Groups © VISIONS, Inc. 2003 Types of Oppression Variable Non-Target Groups Target Groups Racism Race/Color/Ethnicity White People of Color (African, Asian, Native, Latino/a Americans) Sexism Gender Men Women/Transgender Classism Socio-Economic Class Middle, Upper Class Poor, Working Class Elitism Education Level Place in Hierarchy Formally Educated Managers, Exempt, Faculty Informally Educated Clerical, Non-Exempt, Students Religious Oppression Anti-Semitism Militarism Religion Military Status Christians, Protestants Christians WW I&II, Korean, Gulf War Veterans Muslims/Catholics, and Others Jews Vietnam Veterans Ageism Adultism Age Young Adults Adults Elders (40+ by law) Children/ Youth Heterosexism Sexual Orientation Heterosexuals Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Ableism Physical or Mental Ability Temporarily Able- Bodied Physically or Mentally Challenged Xenophobia Linguistic Oppression Immigrant Status Language US Born English Immigrant ________________________ English as a Second Language/Non-English

NON-TARGET TARGET (Historically Included) (Historically Excluded)
Old Fashioned “ISMS ”
Modern “ISMS”
use by non-target of non-”ism” related reasons for continuing to deny equal access to opportunity
(e.g., use by whites of non-race related reasons…”it’s not the blacks, it’s the buses”)
well-intentioned, sometimes subtle behaviors, that continue the historical power imbalance
Survival Behaviors
Internalized Oppression (IO)
internalizing attitudes about inferiority by targets
the reaction to unhealed mistreatment over time

Modern “ISM and Internalized Oppression Theory
MODERN “ISM” BEHAVIORS
Rescuing
Blaming
Avoiding
Denying the Differences
Denying the Impact of the Differences & the ‘Isms
INTERNALIZED OPPRESSION BEHAVIORS
System Beating
Blaming
Anti-(white, male…) Avoiding
Denying my target group
Denying the Impact of my Differences & the ‘Isms

Alternative Behaviors for Modern “ISM” and Internalized Oppression Behaviors
Helping
instead of Rescuing
Problem Solving/Responsibility
instead of Blaming
Make Mutual Contact
instead of Avoiding
Notice Differences
instead of Denying Differences
Learn, Ask about, Notice the Impact
instead of Denying the Impact
Confront/Speak Up
instead of System Beating
Take Responsibility for my part
instead of Blaming
Share Information/ Make Contact
instead of Avoiding
Notice and Share Information about My Differences & Culture
instead of Denying my target group
Notice, Ask and Share Info about the impact of the “ism on me and my target group
instead of Denying the Impact

Linking Strategies for Dismantling “Isms”
Cultural Interpersonal Institutional Personal

Closure
Appreciations
Regrets
Learnings
Relearnings

Personal Next Steps
Key learnings or re-learnings that I want to apply are:
I will start:
I will stop:
I will continue:
I will ask for the following support from others (specify from whom):

Course Participants’ Challenges/Issues
Background Information
For Setting the Stage and the Framework

Setting the Stage for Dismantling the “Isms”
Key “isms” issues/challenges facing you and/or your organization (i.e. racism, sexism, classism, adultism, ageism regionalism, immigration, physical/mental ability)
Key “isms” issues/challenges facing the Food Justice Movement (i.e. racism, sexism, classism, adultism, ageism regionalism, immigration, physical/mental ability)

Challenges/Issues ( You and/or Organization)
White people in predominately white organizations working with People of Color (POC) and trying to understand what we don’t know about the impact of racism, sexism, and classism while trying to figure out how to effectively navigate these dynamics in the POC communities in which we work.
How to challenge cultural assumptions, denial of privilege and lack of cultural fluency while staying connected to other White people and POC.
Lack of ability to recognize and identify examples of racism, sexism, classism, ageism, elitism, regionalism without having much contact with groups impacted by these “isms”, particularly indigenous populations.
How to accept settler people as allies.
Invisibility of white power and privilege/white supremacy, systemic racism and classism.
How to incorporate a ‘racial equity’ lens into organizations’ work.
How to lay the foundation for empowering and working with youth and avoiding adultism.
POC often feel forced to speak for ALL cultures. Feel a lot of pressure.
How to get organizational leadership buy-in for the importance of learning about cultural differences, for increasing cultural fluency.

Challenges/Issues ( You and/or Organization)
How to change the culture of organizations to be more inclusive internally (i.e. staff, administration, board) and externally (i.e. volunteers).
How to be an ally to POC led organizations while honoring the diversity that exists in our organizations.
How to cultivate greater participation by working class/low income POC.
How to raise awareness about anti-oppressive/liberatory organizing practices/work.
How to enhance my own learning about barriers/concerns of other communities and how they align with our mission.
How to engage and encourage the leadership of POC and low-income people in coalitions and other organizations.
Unwillingness to confront the impact of historical trauma, Indigenous people’s vulnerabilities and struggles and the cultural/historical politics about hunger and obesity.
Acknowledging that racism, sexism, and classism exist and taking the time to openly address these regularly and honestly.
How to honor the different ways in which the “isms” are framed and talked about based on target and/or non-target identities. (i.e. European genocide, White supremacy, liberatory beliefs and practices, colonialism, worldview differences---Individualism versus relationships between people, cohesiveness of the group, oneness with the Great Spirit).

Challenges/Issues ( Food Justice Movement)
White led organizations with a “we can tell that community what they should be doing mentality”.
The split between middle and upper class “foodies” and low-income food access efforts.
Not acknowledging that many immigrants, folks from rural areas DO know a lot about growing food and food preservation.
Invisibility of groups; forgetting history; not addressing “white middle class privilege.
Addressing the “unintended impact” of racism and other “isms” as well as the effects of globalism.
Engaging ethnic groups who absolutely do not want to engage.
How to address and overcome unspoken “isms”, particularly in rural areas with strong immigrant farming communities.
Effectively engaging people/organizations/communities of color, youth, and low income communities in meaningful ways (i.e. critique and collective action).
Well intended people of privilege vilifying people with different eating habits AND not addressing deeper social and economic issues that perpetuate food injustices.
Large focus on policy (institutional/structural change) without broad grassroots participation from those impacted by food injustices.
.

Challenges/Issues ( Food Justice Movement)
Recognizing, understanding and addressing how healthy food is grown, produced, distributed, and sold equitably.
Developing a vision for a just food economy including an analysis of how structural racism affects the food system (i.e. Understand connection between Big Food and Big Agriculture).
Creating a food system that is fair and healthy for consumers, producers, and workers.
Racism, especially and sexism, classism, specie-ism (vegan led), abilities (i.e. gardens being inaccessible.), and adultism.
As people of color, how to best represent our individual cultures and not offend people who are interested in food justice issues.
Having effective models for healthy community building that can confront the “isms” in organizations and in communities.
Finding tools to promote respectful inclusion across the “isms”.
Lack of understanding of what inclusive and empowering food justice models should look like.
Creation of a “niche” aspect to the movement and alternative food system that still lacks accessibility and doesn’t creates broad-based large scope change to the conventional food system.
How to create balance between self interest and interest in the whole (i.e. corporate control of the food system).
Immigration laws.

Participants’ Desired Course Outcomes
Understand “isms” and my role in perpetuating them (based on my racial/ethnic identity)—explore my personal relationship to race as a white person working in communities of color.
As a person of color, getting more skilled at addressing the impact of racism on me.
Understand the historic and current impact of institutional/structural racism and other “isms”-- refresher on the “isms” and examples of how they currently play out within the food system.
Tools, approaches, strategies for analyzing/addressing institutional/structural racism and other “isms”.
Ways to have the tough conversations without alienating people OR tools for being okay with alienating people if it moves the conversation forward.
Hear others’ perspectives on the “isms”; networking opportunities; meet other social/food justice champions.
Better insight into challenges and opportunities for addressing racism and other ”isms” personally, organizationally/structurally, movement-wide (i.e.
How to incorporate/integrate tools into the work of my organization and in my relationship with others as a group of social movement activities.
Foster greater trust, commitment, and collaboration for addressing institutional/structural “isms” short, medium, and long term.
Personal Development--ultimately, how to work in my community with a deeper respect and understanding of how to respect the diversity in the communities in which I work.
To be inspired!!

Facilitators
Terry Berman, M.A., is a native of South Africa. She has been working as a multicultural consultant for community-based, educational, private and government organizations for over 20 years. Her areas of concentration are race, gender, class and sexual orientation equity, multicultural organizational and leadership development, multicultural communication and conflict resolution and cross-cultural alliance building. Ms Berman is committed to increasing the understanding of structural inequality as the root cause of oppression. Her approach to training and consultation addresses both personal and organizational levels of change. She provides safe learning environments that support clients to acknowledge, understand, value and utilize cultural differences to support inclusion and equity in organizations.
Deborah J. Walker, Ph.D., Walker is a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant and professional trainer. She has provided consultation, training, organizational development, coaching, and technical assistance support to a wide range of municipal leaders and managers, corporate leaders and managers, community and faith-based groups and organizations, police and legal professionals, educators, health care providers, and food justice and environmental groups since 1986. Using an inclusion lens to address issues of inequity and disparity, her primary foci are community building, interpersonal and organizational problem solving, transition management, personal empowerment, conflict resolution, teambuilding, cross-cultural communication, and sustainability. Her personal goal is to help create and maintain organizational and community environments that recognize, understand, appreciate and leverage differences in ways that support diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her facilitation, analytical, problem-solving and conceptual skills as well as her ability to work with individuals and groups at various levels are some of her major strengths.

VISIONS’ Services Recognizing, Understanding & Appreciating Differences
 Community Development Facilitation
 Cooperative Problem Solving
 Diversity Services
 Executive Coaching
 Meeting Facilitation
 Multicultural Consultation
National “Challenging Oppression workshops
 Ongoing Skill Building Group
  Organizational Assessment
 Organizational Development
  Target Group Empowerment
 Technical Assistance

Dismantling Racism in The Food System

by Community Food Security Coalition

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