2. an outline
• power flows and racism
• what is white privilege?
• living into Christ’s new creation
• building better communication
• unlearning racism
3. power flows and
racism
• racism as inter-personal
practice (bigotry + power)
• racism as institutional practice
(disparities created and
exacerbated by societal
institutions)
• racism as structural practice
(normalization and
legitimization that routinely
confers advantages on whites,
while producing chronic
adverse outcomes for others)
4. white privilege
“A right, advantage, or immunity
granted to or enjoyed by white
persons beyond the common
advantage of all others; an
exemption in many particular
cases from certain burdens or
liabilities.”
5. white privilege — a null curriculum
• “our” images (that is, white ones) are human, others are important “for
diversity” (just as “men” used to stand in for all humans)
• “our” ways of communicating are appropriate, other ways are in need of
socialization or improvement
• when “we” walk into a building, store or church, we expect to be welcomed
• when “we” call the police, we expect to be taken seriously and respected
• “we” can speak for ourselves, and are not expected to represent anyone else -- let
alone an entire group of people
6. micro aggression
• daily encounters with ignorance which highlight power flows (http://
www.buzzfeed.com/hnigatu/racial-microagressions-you-hear-on-a-dailybasis)
• http://www.microaggressions.com/
• relative inequality (and its accompanying status consciousness) creates
worse outcomes at every end of the scale (Wilkinson TED talk, http://
www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html)
• MDH health outcomes draft report (http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/
healthequity/ahe_leg_report_020114.pdf)
7. Minnesota
• Poverty rates for children under 18 in Minnesota
are twice as high for Asian children, three times
as high for Hispanic/Latino children, four times
as high for American Indian children, and nearly
five times as high for African American children
as for white children
• While 75 percent of the white population in
Minnesota owns their own home, only 21
percent of African Americans, 45 percent of
Hispanic/Latinos, 47 percent of American
Indians, and 54 percent of Asian Pacific
Islanders own their own homes.
• African American and American Indian babies
die in the first year of life at twice the rate of
white babies. While infant mortality rates for all
groups have declined, the disparity in rates has
existed for over 20 years
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/healthequity/ahe_leg_report_020114.pdf
8. possible ways to
enter faithfully
• living into Christ’s new creation
(2 Cor 5:20-21)
• being one in Christ Jesus (Gal
3:28)
• recognizing the power of
original sin in structural racism
• cherishing the Imago Dei and
the power of kenosis (Phil 2:
6-11)
9. change
communication
• recognize that racism is a real
problem
• recognize that white privilege
creates blinders on white
people’s perceptions
• reach out in faith and learning,
be open to change
• learn how to be a good ally
(http://feministing.com/
2013/04/02/
howtobeagoodally/)
10. some steps to try
• build relationships amongst
diverse groups
• design events to support open
and respectful communication
• teach advocacy as a skill set
• focus on shared social justice
efforts
• be a voice of faith-filled hope!
14. this presentation was offered to the community of
Open Circle Church on 2 february 2014
(http://www.opencirclechurch.com/)
!
by mary e. hess
(http://meh.religioused.org/web/Home.html)
