Slides for UGA Professional Enrichment Confernece

1. “Yes and...”: Facilitating
Social Justice Dialogues
Chris Linder, PhD
September 18, 2015
UGA Division of Student Affairs
Professional Enrichment Conference
#SJDialogue

2. Introductions
• Name
• Pronouns
• Role at UGA
• One hope for today’s discussion
#SJDialogue

3. Assumptions & Foundations
• My perspective is informed by my identities
and experiences:
– white, cis, queer, mixed social class, educated,
woman socialized in the US
• Effective facilitation is not a skill....it’s a
mindset and way of being.
• Identities, power, and privilege significantly
influence dialogue.
• Theory is only as good as our ability to apply
and use it.
• Knowledge & identity are fluid.
#SJDialogue

4. Learning Community Foundations
• Allow for complexity…find the both/and…
recognize multiple truths
• Speak your truth: Use I statements
• Allow for growth and change
• Consider how your identities relate to the
amount of space you take up
• Listen to understand
• Lean into discomfort
#SJDialogue

5. Reflection
• What makes a social justice dialogue or
conversation effective to you?
• When you have experienced growth or
learning around a social justice issue, what
were the things that contributed to your
growth? What helped you engage in dialogue
around this issue?
• When you have had a social justice dialogue
“go wrong,” what happened that made it go
poorly? What limited your ability to engage in
dialogue?
#SJDialogue

6. Dialogue is...
• Not a game....there are no winners or
losers.
• An opportunity to develop new or deeper
understanding about an issue.
• Based on relationships and connections.
• Sustained over time.
#SJDialogue

7. Facilitation is...
• Bringing about change by raising
questions and challenging people.
• Allowing and encouraging people to have
their own processes.
• Letting go of expectations for where
people will “be” at the end of the
session.
• Achieving the tricky balance of letting
multiple and contradictory voices be
heard and validated.
#SJDialogue

8. Exploring Socialization
• Why is it important to explore our
socialization related to our social
identities?
• What are the risks in doing so?
#SJDialogue

9. Privilege
• an unearned benefit or right granted to a person based on
membership in a particular social group, provides access to
formal and informal power
Social Identities
• categories of group membership, usually “socially constructed”
meaning the categories were artificially created by people in
power, and the consequences of the creation are real; fluid and
dynamic (i.e. gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc.)
Dominant or Agent group
• membership in a social identity group that provides access to
privilege
Subordinated or Target group
• membership in a group that experiences oppression or
marginalization in mainstream society
Salient Identity
• significance of an identity to the person holding it; frequency/
intensity the person thinks about the identity
Some Common Language
#SJDialogue

10. #SJDialogue

11. Socially Constructed Identities
Identity Description Example
Race Social construction used to categorize people based on
phenotypical features (skin color, eye color, etc); often
associated with ethnicity
Asian, White/Caucasian,
Black/African American
Gender People’s perception/assignment of another person’s
gender (may or may not align with how a person actually
experiences their gender)
man, female, androgynous
Gender Identity An person’s experience of their own gender cisgender, transgender,
gender queer
Ability Mental, physical, and emotional capacity to navigate our
socially and physically constructed environment
Able-bodied, Person with a
disability
Religion /
Spirituality
Set of values and/or beliefs to which a person subscribes Christian, Muslim, Jewish
Nationality A person’s national origin – often where they were born
and/or grew up
American/USian, Mexican,
Chinese
Sexual
Orientation/
Sexuality
Label to describe mental, physical, and emotional
attraction to another person
gay, queer, bisexual
Class Access to social capital, including wealth, power,
education, etc.
working class, owning class#SJDialogue

12. What is “privilege”?
• Unearned benefit
• Invisible/“normal”
• Grants access to power (informal and formal)
• Based on socially constructed identities (groups)
– Complicated by intersections of dom/sub
identities
#SJDialogue

13. Exploring Privilege:
Things to Consider…
• Socialization is powerful...your parents are not evil
people.
• Stay in it! Engage privilege. Avoid moving to sub ids.
• Accept, Recognize, & Name. Avoid interpersonal
awkwardness.
• Avoid blame: None of us is solely responsible and we’re
ALL collectively responsible.
• Guilt: A complicated and necessary feeling
• Acknowledge & Validate, do not Pity
• Privilege = opportunities
#SJDialogue

14. Patterns of Privilege
• Unconscious access to power and resources, including assumptions of
competence
• Often unaware of dominant group membership and privilege
• Create the rules, define what is right, normal, the “Truth”
• More comfortable with members of subordinated groups who share
similar behaviors, appearance, and values as dominant group
• Collude, and if challenge, risk being ostracized/punished
• Subconsciously (or not!) believe that dominant cultural norms are
superior and better
• Distance selves from members of shared dominant group who are “bad”
• When trying to “help” people from a subordinated group, feel angry if
members of the subordinated group don’t enthusiastically appreciate
the help
• Seek approval from members of subordinated groups
#SJDialogue

15. Reflecting on Socialization
• Which of these patterns do I recognize in
my own experiences with my privilege?
• How do these patterns influence
dialogue?
• Strategies for addressing privilege in
facilitation/dialogue?
#SJDialogue

16. Facilitation Tips
• Know yourself (and your triggers) and how
your identities influence the space.
• “Yes, and...” Validate, validate, validate!
• (Re)consider goals of social justice dialogue:
deeper understanding.
• Relate in: Share struggles with your own
privilege.
• Acknowledge multiple truths.
• Be bold & compassionate.
#SJDialogue

17. Facilitation Tips
• Manage time effectively.
• Use silence. Let people sit with their
thoughts.
• Resist the urge to fix things. Processes
are important.
• You are not a savior!
• Ask lots of questions!
#SJDialogue

18. Additional Resources
• Dr. Jamie Washington – UGA visit Nov 10
• Privileged Identity Exploration Model,
Sherry Watt, 2007
• Navigating Triggering Events, Kathy
Obear, 2008
• Promoting Diversity & SJ, Diane
Goodman, 2011
• Race Talk, Derald Wing Sue
• Each other – Pay attention!
#SJDialogue