October
2002
Leadership
Trenton: Orientation to Trenton - past and present
By
Pamela Sims Jones
When our director, Nelida Valentin, informed the Leadership Trenton
fellows about the "Race to the Wall" evening seminar,
we really did not know what to expect, but we knew it was an opportunity
to dialogue about the issues of racism. Prior to the July 24 event,
we received a brief summary of the seminar and its purpose. One
of the goals of the exercise would be to "deepen participants'
understanding of how social identity and attitudes affect the
treatment of various groups."
Led by Shelly Mintz, program director for Leadership New Jersey,
the exercise began outdoors, with approximately 25 fellows forming
a straight line. Ms. Mintz asked a series of questions. Your silent
answers were known by the number of steps you took forward or
backward. You suddenly knew what was going to happen but it was
still unnerving at the end of the exercise to have one group ahead
and one group behind. The group ahead, which was all white and
mostly male, turned and faced the other group, which was mostly
fellows of color; and with thirty seconds of silence, it became
very uncomfortable. There were some fellows standing slightly
in-between the two groups.
The conversation that followed was hard, uncomfortable, and tense.
Most of us don't casually sit around in mixed company, talking
about racism and discrimination, unless we're on an organized
panel or in a seminar. Comments like "I didn't know that"
or "I never thought about it like that before" were
heard, as well as "I continue to embrace and promote my culture
in spite of..." And it was really interesting to explain
and define to our white counterparts the term, "white privilege."
There were some fellows who actually started apologizing for
their status in life. Our response to them was not to be apologetic
for their economic or class status. They were reminded, however,
that African Americans, Asians, Latinos, and Native Americans
operate within a society that has made historical denial and many
distortions of our stories, and thus our existence. Bernice Reagon
Johnson puts it best: "We work in many ways so that we can
bring an end to the false and crippling concepts of cultural dominance
and superior knowledge."
According to Peggy McIntosh in her article, White Privilege:
Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, "…most people of color
cannot count on seeing the following conditions most of the time:
to be sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which they
can afford and in which they want to live; go shopping and be
assured that they will not be followed or harassed; be sure that
their children will be given curricular materials that testify
to the existence of their race; or use checks, credit cards, or
cash and count on their skin color not to work against the appearance
of financial reliability."
The ethos of any ethnic group is based on social, political,
and cultural history. It's hard to tell someone to embrace cultural
diversity when they have been disenfranchised and oppressed. Even
with the degrees, title, and society's idea of the right "zip
code," you are still subjugated to uneasy looks, stereotyping,
and various levels of racism if you have brown, black or olive
skin.
During the evening's conversation, many of us became angry and
emotional to the point of tears. It's not easy talking about the
issues of racism in any group. But in order to break down these
barriers of fear, stereotypes, distrust, misunderstanding, and
hate, we must have this dialogue at all levels of involvement.
Furthermore, we must remain conscious of the need to build coalitions
across cultural and racial borders that are representative of
community-based cultural expressions
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Pamela
Sims Jones is Deputy Director of the New Jersey Martin Luther
King, Jr. Commemorative Commission at the Department of State.
