Boston Latin School
Exploring Race & Identity Series
At BLS, our students talk about and explore identity, race, culture, and equity as they learn about themselves, their community, and the world. We would like to create some of these same opportunities within the greater BLS community through discussion starters, speakers, and conversations. These exercises are intended to reach a wide audience. Whether you have thought about these concepts a lot or whether it’s brand new to you, we hope you find the information and questions interesting, illuminating, or thought-provoking. We appreciate that each of us approaches ideas, discussions, and activities from our own backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.Cesar Chavez wrote, “We need to help students and parents cherish and preserve the ethnic and cultural diversity that nourishes and strengthens this community - and this nation.”
Over the course of the next few months, we will be presenting a series of discussion prompts and activities related to race and identity in News From the Avenue (NFTA) to help nourish and strengthen our BLS community. We will also post them on this page as they get published. We hope you participate in both individual reflection and discussions with your family, to learn, talk, listen, and share. Please share any questions or comments at bls.feqd@gmail.com.
Let’s start on common ground - our children are a talented and amazing group. One way we can support them and their peers is to learn about each other, listen to each other, and possibly step out of our comfort zone, all with an open mind. Below are a series of short films that feature everyday people as they discuss issues of race and identity in America. Choose one video below to hear from someone with a perspective that is similar to or different from one you may have - or watch them all! As you watch these videos, keep an open mind as you consider other people's perspectives. Listen carefully to each person's story before comparing to your own experience.
ACTIVITY 1: Let's Talk About Race
After watching each video, consider these questions. You may want to write down your thoughts on a piece of paper or talk with friends or family members:
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What is one thing you learned from the person telling their story?
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Was there anything that surprised you?
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What is one conversation you would like to have about race?
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
ACTIVITY 2: What is Implicit Bias?
Bias is a preference either for or against something. It involves giving preferential treatment to one thing, person, or group over another. For instance, a young male hiring manager may tend to view young male job applicants more favorably than older or female applicants, before even knowing their qualifications. In this case, he might be biased towards hiring a man. When people have a bias towards a particular thing, person, or group, they may make judgments or draw conclusions without knowing all the relevant information.
All of us have biases. When we are conscious of the bias, it is called explicit bias. But often we are not aware of our biases. When we are not conscious or unaware that we are acting in a certain way or biased for or against something or someone, it is called implicit bias.
Watch the PBS video linked below called Peanut Butter, Jelly, & Racism to learn more about implicit bias. Then answer the YOUR TURN questions.
Learn More
For more about bias, watch more videos in the Who, Me, Biased? series from The New York Times. This series takes a closer look at the unfair effects of our subconscious.
• Peanut Butter, Jelly and Racism (2 min.)
• Check Our Bias to Wreck Our Bias (3 min.)
• The Life-Changing Magic of Hanging Out (2 min.)
• Why We’re Awkward (3 min.)
• Snacks and Punishment (2 min.)
• High Heels, Violins, and a Warning (1 min.)
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How would you define implicit bias?
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What is one bias you have caught yourself having?
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How did you first figure out you had that bias?
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How might you imagine issues of implicit bias playing out in a school or work setting?
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
WATCH A VIDEO
ACTIVITY 3: The Danger of a Single STorY
When we think about our own identity, we often identify different elements that comprise who we are and different stories that help to define us. Ultimately our lives and cultures include many stories, often intertwined and overlapping. Sometimes other people make assumptions about us based on a single story of who they think we are, sometimes before they even talk to us. In her TED Talk, author Chimamanda Adichie “tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.”
Watch this TED Talk by Chimamanda Adichie on “The Danger Of A Single Story” (19 minutes) Then answer the YOUR TURN questions.
WATCH A VIDEO
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YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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If someone were to describe you with a single story, what do you think they would they say?
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What parts of your identity would be missing from that story?
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Can you think of a time where you might have neglected to consider someone’s full story?
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How might you have handled that situation differently?
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How would you describe the danger of a single story?
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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If someone were to describe you with a single story, what do you think they would they say?
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What parts of your identity would be missing from that story?
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Can you think of a time where you might have neglected to consider someone’s full story?
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How might you have handled that situation differently?
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How would you describe the danger of a single story?
ACTIVITY 4: BELONGING TO GROUPS
People in a group share something in common. We are all part of the BLS community. Having a student at BLS connects us as a group. Sometimes you may choose to be part of a group with people who share similar beliefs, values, or practices. You may also be part of different groups related to your identity.
What Groups Do You Belong To?
What groups and communities are you a part of? Try writing down as many as you can think of in one minute. Consider your religious community, cultural group, work community, family group, neighborhood, and school group. You might also be part of a group that shares a skill, interest, belief, or project.
One way to learn more about people is to spend time together. For more about the
power of “hanging out” and spending time with people from groups other than
those you belong to as a way to tackle bias, watch the following NYT video:
The Life-Changing Magic of Hanging Out. (2 minutes)
WATCH A VIDEO
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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Think about the different groups you belong to. If you are doing this with your family, have each person take turns sharing the groups they are a part of.
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Choose one group and explain what you have in common with the people in that group. How does it feel to belong to that group?
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Think about the groups of people you spend time with at home, at work, at school, and socially. Are most people similar to or different from you? How often do you spend time with people from other groups than those to which you belong?
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Did you ever reach out to someone to make them feel included in a group or have someone reach out to you to make you feel more included in a group?
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How can you practically encourage more people to get to know one another better?
Activity 5: Let’s Talk About Privilege (Part 1 of 2)
Activity 5: Let’s Talk About Privilege (Part 1 of 2)
Activity 5: Let’s Talk About Privilege (Part 1 of 2)
When people talk about race and social justice, they often use the term privilege, or benefits that a person or group of people may receive. But what exactly do we mean by the term privilege? In this first activity, you can explore the concept of privilege in general. In the second activity, you will examine personal privilege as it relates to groups of people.
How would you define the word “privilege?”
A privilege is often defined as being a special advantage, right, or an immunity that is given or available to a person/group as a particular benefit or favor. Are there certain privileges you think you have that others may not? Our students have the privilege (benefit) of attending BLS. Not all students have that privilege.
YouTube star Franchesca Ramsey and animator Kat Blaque created a video to explore the concept of privilege using a caterpillar and snail. The very short video explores some privilege that the caterpillar experiences that the snail does not based on their bodies. Watch "Sometimes You're a Caterpillar" (3 minutes) to learn more.
WATCH A VIDEO
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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When have you been like the snail with differences that others don’t understand?
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When have you been like the caterpillar with privileges others don’t have?
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Having differences or privileges doesn’t make you better or worse than others. How can you help others be more understanding of each other?
Activity 6: Exploring your personal Privilege (Part 2 of 2)
Everyone has some kind of privilege. Still, it can be hard for people to talk about privilege in relation to themselves. If you have a opportunities, options, or capabilities that others do not, you might feel guilty or angry when people point it out, especially if it is due to something you can’t control. Discussing these privileges and social inequalities, however, gives us a chance to think about how we can use our privileges and opportunities to help others.
Watch this video to learn more about the complexities of discussing privilege:
WATCH A VIDEO
WATCH A VIDEO
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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Have you ever had a discussion about privilege or social inequalities? How did it go? Did anyone get angry?
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Have you ever felt blamed for having some kind of privilege?
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What do you think the narrator means when she says “Acknowledging it isn’t about shame, it’s about challenging the system that perpetuates inequality.” What social inequalities have you noticed because of this system of privilege?
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How can you help other people get the same privileges and opportunities you have?
Delve Deeper:
In the video, privilege is described as “a special right or advantage available only a particular person or group of people.” Sometimes people break groups into two categories, “agents” and “targets.” An agent group is more likely to receive privileges and benefits in a society and may believe that their way is better. A targeted group may be seen as less than or different because of their race, gender, age, sexual orientation, role or job, and other differences. (source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/diversity/harvardresources/)
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
Look at the chart below. Consider you how you might be part of privileged or targeted groups at different times and the kinds of oppression each.
• What agent group(s) are you a part of in the list below? Did you realize this was a privileged group?
Activity 7: EQUITY VS. EQUALITY
Can you explain the difference between equality and equity? Merriam Webster dictionary provides these definitions:
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Equality: “the quality or state of being equal,” where equal means “of the same measure, quantity, amount, or number as another.”
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Equity: “justice according to natural law or right; specifically, freedom from bias or favoritism.”
By these definitions, equality ≠ equity. Equality focuses on things being the same and equity focuses on justice and fairness.
Consider the concepts of equality and equity in regard to individuals or schools. Equality suggests providing the same opportunities, resources, and items—regardless of the needs of the individual—while equity requires that we examine and understand what each person needs individually and redistribute accordingly. Both approaches may intend to promote justice and fairness, but equity recognizes that not all people, groups, or institutions begin with the same resources or have the same needs. In a classroom, a teacher might use the same instructional strategy each day, such as a teacher that uses lectures that are geared towards auditory learners. Using this same style everyday might not meet the needs of students who are visual or kinesthetic learners. Even though the students receive the same instruction, they might not all be successful. Treating everyone the same does not acknowledge our differences and it does not always provide everyone what they need to be successful. An equitable approach strives to provide each individual or group what they need for success.
To learn more about these concepts from the point of view of one student, watch this Student TED Talk, “Is Equality Enough?” (7 minutes). This student, Olivia Chapman, asks us to consider fairness versus sameness in a creative way when considering how teachers can personalize education for each student. These same concepts can be utilized when considering providing opportunities for equity vs. equality for individuals from different races, socio-economic groups, and national of origin.
To look at this concept more visually, consider the graphic first created by artist Craig Froehle (shown here with his permission). In the first image, three people looking over a fence to see a baseball game, all receive the same crate on which to stand, representing equality. The second image shows a redistribution of the crates so all can see - representing equity, or a more equitable situation.
Interestingly, there have been many reimaginations and changes to this cartoon over time. In one example, the level of the ground below the crates is changed. Another takes away the fence and calls it liberation! To learn more how the image has been changed, reimagined, and evolved over time, read this article by artist Craig Froehle called, “The Evolution of an Accidental Meme.”
WATCH A VIDEO
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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How would you describe the difference between equality and equity?
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Why do you think people might want to focus on equity instead of equality when working for social justice?
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What differences do you see among the people in your family? How can you utilize these differences as you make decisions for each family member?
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What differences do you see in your classroom, your job, or a group to which you belong? How do all the individuals in the group get what they need to be successful? What can you do to make that happen?
Activity 8: MARGINALIZED GROUPS
In the “Exploring Your Personal Privilege” activity (Activity 6), the terms targeted and non-targeted (agent) groups were introduced. Targeted groups are often seen as “less than” or different because of their race, age, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability or other attribute. When a person or group is targeted or marginalized, they are placed in an unimportant or powerless position based on an aspect of their identity, such as race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, or socioeconomic status. In this situation, a person or group is put on the margin of society and have systemic barriers put in their way, whereas non-targeted groups are more likely to receive privileges and benefits in a society and may believe that their way is better.
The Syracuse University Counseling Center explains: “Marginalization is the process of pushing a particular group or groups of people to the edge of society [the margins] by not allowing them an active voice, identity, or place in it. Through both direct and indirect processes, marginalized groups may be relegated to a secondary position or made to feel as if they are less important than those who hold more power or privilege in society. ” [Source: Syracuse University Counseling Center]
How does marginalization relate to racism?
When members of targeted groups are marginalized, they may have to fight to be heard, to be included, and to have their ideas acknowledged and valued. A marginalized group may be excluded or blocked from the same rights, opportunities, or goods and service as others. They may be discriminated against and not have the same access to jobs, health, education, housing assistance, or justice as those in power. Who are the marginalized individuals/people/groups in your community?
Subtle and Overt Acts of Marginalization
Consider this list of subtle and overt acts of marginalization. Think about how different actions and behavior can marginalize someone in a targeted group. In these situations, a person’s presence, ideas, skills and opinions were considered not all that important to or devalued by others.
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Use of derogatory language
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Assuming someone’s accomplishments are not based on merit
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Expecting individuals to act a certain way based on stereotypes held about another’s identity
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Denying someone academic or professional opportunities because of their identity (i.e. racism, sexism, ableism)
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Not providing equal access to certain resources based on membership in a particular group
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Assuming someone’s preferred [gender] pronoun without asking*
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Assuming someone’s sexual orientation without asking
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Overlooking, criticizing, or interfering with other’s cultural or religious traditions and values
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Systemic and/or institutionalized barriers to access and support
* Preferred pronoun is the pronoun that a person chooses to identify themselves. For example, if Xena’s preferred pronouns are she/her/hers, you might say, “Xena ate her food.”
Source: Impact of Marginalization, Syracuse University Counseling Center
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
Consider a time when you felt marginalized or in the Out Group. In this case, you believe that your presence, ideas, skills and opinions were not all that important to or devalued by others.
• What were the circumstances?
• What gave you the impression that your contributions were not valued?
Consider a time when you felt like you were in the center of a situation, in the In Group, and you felt like your presence, skills, and ideas really mattered to and were valued by others.
• What were the circumstances?
• How did you know your contribution mattered?
Now contrast the two situations (being marginalized or not).
• What strikes you?
• What was your level of engagement and energy in each case?
• What conclusions can you draw from the two experiences?
Delve Deeper
What groups did you identify as marginalized in your community? What can you do to be an ally to these individuals and groups? The Young African Leadership Institute offers five tips to help:
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Start paying attention to what you say.
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Be willing to accept correction.
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Be intolerant of intolerance
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Seek out marginalized voices and perspective.
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Educate your community.
Activity 9: RACIAL IDENTITY & RACISM
How would you define your race and your racial identity to a stranger? What would you say?
Even when we aren’t talking about race, we are often thinking about race. It impacts our attitudes about issues involving race (such as affirmative action and school choice), assumptions about groups of people, and fears. Race and our attitudes about race can be used to discriminate and create inequalities. These fears and misunderstandings cause people to act a certain way towards a person or group of people based on race. This racism includes prejudice, discrimination, fear or hatred that is directed towards a person or group because of their race, ethnicity, or national origin.
The New York Times published an article sharing some stories about people’s first encounters with race and racism. In a related article, they explain, “Sometimes white racial identity is seen as the “default” and people mistakenly think only minorities (African-American, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, Asian) have a race. It is important to emphasize that all people have experiences with race, whether they are overt, hidden, unconscious or implied. People might experience those encounters directly, witness them happening to others, or have opportunities, or privileges, as a result of their racial identity.”
Think about your own experience. Then take a look online to read some stories about some people’s First Encounters with Racism.
YOUR TURN: THINK & DISCUSS
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What is your earliest memory of race or racism?
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How old were you?
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What happened to make you aware of your own race and racial identity?
Delve Deeper
When people talk about race, they often assign one skin color to a race. But in reality, there is a great deal of diversity in true skin colors. In the following TED Talk, Angelica Dass, photographer, challenges how people think about skin color and ethnic identity through Humanæ, her portrait project. She set out to capture the true colors of humanity rather than the untrue colors that people associate with race.. In her TED Talk, Ms. Dass notes, “It has been 128 years since the last country in the world abolished slavery and 53 years since Martin Luther King pronounced his "I Have A Dream" speech. But we still live in a world where the color of our skin not only gives a first impression, but a lasting one that remains.”
YOUR TURN: THINK & DISCUSS
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How would you describe your skin color?
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As you move through work, school, and your community over the next day or two, look around and observe what skin colors you actually see.
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In her talk, Angelica Dass asks: When modern science is questioning the race concept, what does it mean for us to be black, white, yellow, red? Is it the eye, the nose, the mouth, the hair? Or does it have to do with our origin, nationality or bank account? What do you think it means for us to be called “black, white, yellow and red?”
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What is one thing Angelica Dass mentioned that resonated with you?
Activity 10: What is Race, Anyway?
If someone asked you to define the term race, what would you say? An article by Megan Gannon in Scientific American explains that “race is a social construct without biological meaning” and challenges scientists to look beyond biology. The Census Bureau defines race as “a person’s self-identification with one or more social groups. An individual can report as White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, or some other race. Survey respondents may report multiple races.”
The American Anthropological Association created a project called Race: Are We So Different? The project includes a traveling museum exhibit, a website, and a book, and examines race in the United States as seen through science, history, and lived experience. The creators explain that “Race shapes how one sees and is seen by others.”
The Race Project notes three basic messages about Race:
1. Race is a recent human invention.
Race is a concept that was superimposed on existing patterns of human biological and cultural variation to create and maintain power and privilege. Because race is culturally defined, how we think about and use race in the U.S. has, and continues to change over time.
2. Race is about culture, not biology.
Race is an inaccurate description or explanation of human biological variation. Race is the partitioning of people arbitrarily into groups using biological and cultural characteristics. Humans are actually more alike than they are different.
3. Race and racism are embedded in our institutions and everyday life.
Race and racism are powerful ideas that shape how one sees and is seen. These ideas often affect many of the decisions we make, and our relationships with other people.
In describing the Race Project exhibit at the Smithsonian, Oano Godeano-Kenworthy notes, “At a time when race figures prominently in political debates over inequality in the United States, the exhibit helps further the understanding of the cultural roots and systemic impact of racial discrimination on the upward mobility of various minority groups throughout American society.” Even the categorizations of color and race have changed over time. For instance, Godeno-Kenworthy explains, “Accounts such as the story of the Irish, Italians, or the Jews who, from being viewed as almost black in nineteenth-century America, were redefined as ‘white’ on the wake of World War II, illustrate the instability of racial boundaries and the arbitrary nature of racial classifications, while offering insights on how local racial categories get altered under the impact of global flows of migration.” (Source: Race – Are We So Different?)
There is a legacy of race in the United States and around the world that continues to affect us. The narrator in a video in the exhibit notes, “Deeply held assumptions about race and enduring stereotypes make us think that gaps in wealth, health, housing, education, employment, or physical ability in sports are natural. And we fail to see the privilege that some have been granted and others denied because of their skin color.” While the foundation of the concept of race is based a social construct that is created by people, the divisions and racism that have evolved from this contract are entirely real.
What is Race?
Read the ten statements from the PBS series “What is Race?” and then answer the following questions. There is more detail about each statement on the “What is Race” website.
1. Race is a modern idea.
2. Race has no genetic basis.
3. Slavery predates race (though slavery in the
United States was based on race).
4. Race and freedom were born together.
5. Race justified social inequalities as natural.
6. Human subspecies don’t exist.
7. Skin color is only skin deep.
8. Most variation is within, not between “races.”
9. Race is not biological, but racism is still real.
10. Color blindness will not end racism.
YOUR TURN: THINK & DISCUSS
• What do you know to be true about the concept of race?
• Did any of the above facts surprise you?
• What is one fact you would like to learn more about?
• What is one stereotype about a race that you have held in the past?
Activity 11: ByStanders & Upstanders
Think of a time you witnessed a someone make a racist comment, bully another person, or make fun of someone else. What do you do? Did you say something? Did you walk away? Did you pretend not to see it? Were you a bystander or an upstander? What you say or don’t say can make a difference in the situation.
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BYSTANDER: A bystander is someone who stands by and watches something happen without intervening. There may be many different reasons for being a bystander in a situation. You may determine the situation is unsafe and you should not engage. Or you may be with others and assume that one of them will intervene.
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UPSTANDER: An upstander is someone who stands up for others. It can involve finding a way to intervene, to speak up for others, to record an event, or get help when you see something unjust or unkind happening. Being an upstander can help to combat racism, homophobia, anti-semitism, anti-Muslim attitudes, or other kinds of bigotry.
THE BYSTANDER EFFECT
One factor that can impact how people react is whether or not others are around. Watching a situation unfold with others can lead to something called the bystander effect. Researchers have shown three reasons for the bystander effect:
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When many people are around, there may be a “diffusion of responsibility — that is, the lack of a sense that it is any one person’s job to step in, since there are others around who might do so”
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The second reason is called “social referencing, or the natural human tendency to look around to see how others are acting and shape one’s own actions accordingly.”
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Finally, it may also be hard to step in because you feel shy and don’t want to stand out in the crowd.
(Source: Bystander Effect in 5 year olds)
Learn more about how being alone vs. being in a group impacts how people react by watching this video called “The Bystander Effect: The Science of Empathy.”
How to stand up to racism:
Do you know what to do to stop racism when you see it happening? Standing up to racism can be hard. You may not know what to say or how to get involved. Sometimes the racist or discriminatory comments can come from family or co-workers, and you may be interrupting old patterns. Responding to an offensive comment from family and friends can be difficult and awkward, since you have a relationship with them. One FEqD member has had great success with her family by calmly saying in response to a racist remark, “Wow. I think that is an expression we can retire.” For some other real life examples of what to say or do when you hear something racist (or sexist, anti semitic, anti-Muslim, or homophobic), read a transcript of a radio program about the topic by St. Louis Public Radio: What Should You Do When You See or Hear Something Racist?
YOUR TURN: Think & Discuss
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Can you think of a time you were a bystander? What might you do differently if you were to be in that situation again?
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Can you think of a time you have been an upstander? What helped you in this situation?
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What are three things you can do to help respond to a racist attack?
Learn More
The Australia Human Rights Commission created an anti-racism campaign called “Racism: It stops with me” to encourage individuals to “reflect on what they can do to counter racism, wherever it happens. Read more about the “Racism: It Stops With Me Campaign”
For more resources on standing up to racism, consider these articles: