In 1985 when I was fifteen, I arrived to the prestigious
Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. On the first day, I was told to
attend a welcoming event. My mother had gotten back on the train to New York
City and I was left alone to start meeting people. I was nervous. This was the
beginning of a very important opportunity. I had been given a chance to learn
in one of the ‘elite’ schools in the country, which would put me on the path to
an Ivy League university, and eventually a successful career in society. When I arrived at the location, I found a
group of approximately twenty-five male and female African American students
and two Latino boys. It was the minority
group who had been recruited for having demonstrated academic achievement, many
of them in spite of their socio-economic status. Some had gotten in through programs
such as A Better Chance and some were well off, but frankly at that time I
couldn’t really tell. Then, I could only look around the room confused. There
were no Chinese or Korean. No Indians or Jews. No one from the Middle East. No
Irish or Italians. No whites. The group looked nothing like the multicultural
New York City that was until then my real America. Back then multiculturalism
and diversity did not mean just brown people. I felt very alone in that room. I
wondered where the other students were and what kind of welcoming they got on
their first day. I wondered if I'd have anything in common with these students
since these were the only ones I was being told to socialize with.
That was the first time I felt the sting of difference. It
was socially constructed and it was real and new to me. In retrospect I realize I
was sheltered from the real pain of our segregated history but that sheltering
gave me something that so many of us have lost. It gave me a sense of
entitlement and belonging, not as a minority but as a citizen of the American
community. Much later as an adult, I
learned that these types of minority welcoming events come from good intentions.
It’s a way for elite schools to create a safe space for children of color. It
is part of a philosophy that socialization is just as important as academic achievement.
How could the school imagine that this same welcoming event that made so many feel
at home would make someone like me feel terribly alone? Was it strange to feel I
could relate to any of the kids at the school, without putting heritage or
social class before their dispositions? Was it strange that I considered myself
first and foremost an honest girl with a precocious personality and that the
thoughts in my head or the types of books that I liked defined me more than
anything?
How do good intentions around diversity and equity go astray?
How might our efforts translate into the perpetuation of the very biases and
assumptions we are trying to eradicate? In my case, a school’s good intentions ended
up setting the stage for events that pushed me to leave the academy early. In
spite of my parents’ supplications, I left Exeter in search of an education
experience that would speak to my social and emotional intelligence as well
further my academic achievement. I never did go to an Ivy League but Exeter
left a fire in my belly that became the driving force behind my life’s work.
Building knowledge and authentic praxis for diversity, community and equity. How can we build community and equity in a
diverse world through education? What does it mean to engage in authentic
relationships in education so that we can transcend the social constructs of
difference towards a shared humanity?
According to Kenan Malik, the meaning of words related to
diversity and equity are constantly being transformed. Depending on the moment,
historical context and socio-political shifts, equality for example becomes not
simply about equal rights or possessing the same rights but the right to
possess different rights appropriate to difference communities. In other words,
what are we talking about-- the right to be the same or the right to be
different? Malik argues that political struggles across ethnic or cultural
divisions will inevitably fragment our thinking and create more divisiveness
because allegiance to certain groups in the socio-political context is often
translated to funding, resources and access to opportunity. Cultural identity therefore
can enforce the notion of difference because groups will assert their
particular identity more fiercely if they are competing for limited resources.
What would it look like if we considered a collective language of citizenship?[1]
Helen Trumbull, CEO of Human Facets argues that we are all
human but we are all different. We are alike some more than others and have a
natural affinity towards those we believe are part of our inner circle. She
argues that in fact, the neuropathways we use when we think about ourselves are
the same neuropathways we use when we think about those in our ‘group’ causing
us to be more empathetic and sympathetic to some vs. feelings of indifference
to the success or failure of others. Dr. David Rock describes these same
phenomena in his theory of relatedness.[2]
The decision that someone is a friend or a foe happens quickly and impacts brain
functioning. (Carter & Pelphrey, 2008). When someone is perceived as a foe,
different circuits of the brain are used as the body generates a threat
response. If that is the case, human beings are dealing with deep neurological
shifts when dealing with those they perceive to be different. How does our
understanding of neuroscience challenge our thinking as we attempt to build a
new language around collective citizenship? How can we build authentic
relationships across different groups understanding these challenges? Can we
practice a different type of engagement with others in order to mitigate these
challenges and in doing so; build a different language and praxis that will impact
thinking & perceptions for the next generations?
It seems to me that we are caught in the perennial what comes first, the chicken or the egg
dilemma. We’re not sure if the language we use controls our thinking, perceptions
and by extension our relationships in a diverse world (which we are now able to
see in the functioning of the brain) or if the anatomy of the brain dictates
how we develop language and social constructs that determine who and how we build
relationships in a diverse world. I
think it’s a little of both and we are dealing with a pernicious feedback loop.
Fortunately, like all feedback loops, it can be altered.
First, we must heighten our awareness of how language and
social constructs impact our thinking and our relationships. When we teach
children the language of race (having them check the appropriate box, for
example on a birth certificate or school form) then we are wiring them to think
this construct called race is a predetermining factor in their identity and how
they will be seen, judged, responded to, analyzed by society. After we are
aware of these constructs and how pernicious they can be on the psychology of
human beings, then we need to make a conscientious decision to engage with ourselves
and others differently, outside the confines of socially constructed identity
frameworks and language choices that constrict our thinking and by extension
behavior. This is where we find the ultimate ‘paradox of diversity.’ We want to
intervene in the face of injustice which to some extent requires an analysis of
racial disparities and yet, the very fragmentation of this process is what
perpetuates for each generation similar conditions.
How do we begin to develop and advocate for language and
practices that value a shared humanity, a global citizenship, a universal belonging? One
of the strategies I suggest in my work is to provide the members of your school
or organization with multiple ongoing opportunities to engage safely with individuals
outside their traditional social networks so that they can consider how deeply
we are interconnected and united. By deconstructing homogeneous groups and
providing forums for meaningful, authentic exchange we can begin the arduous
journey of finding something greater than our socially constructed
identities. Only with access to multiple perspectives at all levels of an
organization can we can begin to transform our language and practice for
authentic community building.
Each of us can look back at our early educational experiences
and find a story about belonging. Belonging is one of the fundamental human
needs for survival. Each shared experience leads us to a deeper understanding
of ourselves and our higher purpose as a human race. We have arrived at a new
and exciting stage in our human development where we have access through
technology to people from all walks of life, each of us eager to share and
debate issues that are so important to all of us globally. The paradox of
diversity is not new but our understanding of it is evolving at rapid speeds.
Approach diversity work from an interdisciplinary, holistic, loving
perspective. Don’t be afraid to discuss the power inherent in language and diverse
leadership, the social structures that perpetuate difference and the need to
mix it up to reinvent and innovate how we relate to one another. Dare to make a
difference by prioritizing multifaceted groups and giving a voice to the
voiceless. These are the types of initiatives that have the most merit, the ones
that emphasize our common humanity and a shared vision around a sustainable,
equitable global community.
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