As we come to an end of our anti-racism sessions for this year, I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge a little both the process and the lessons we have learned along the way. In case you are confused, open space technology is the name for the process we employed this year for our anti-racism groupings. It basically consists of a creating a structure where a community designs its own learning groups and its own learning plan, but then periodically comes back together as a large group to share knowledge and understandings. (The name “open space technology” is actually really misleading since it really has nothing to do with technology in its conventional sense.)
We will be collecting more formal data a little later, but in general we have found that people have appreciated the process. Some have liked the flexibility of the system, allowing people to choose the topics or groups they find most meaningful and appropriate. Some have liked the set-up but felt rushed by the schedule. Others have stated that they are generally overwhelmed and that the sessions seem to happen at busy or inconvenient times. And a few have not been big fans of the “share out” sessions because they weren’t always comfortable sharing with larger, more mixed groups.
Of course, all of these feelings are valid. We appreciate your feedback and we look forward to more as we try to decide what our next steps should be. No system or program for professional development will meet everyone’s needs, but with that said. . . this one certainly avoided common weaknesses. In part, that was because it put the onus of the learning on the shoulders of the participants. So if you felt like your group or session was not fruitful, you had every right to leave it and either find one that was more meaningful, or to even create your own. The share outs may have felt a little intimidating, but they served a couple of important functions.
For starters, they put you into contact with new people. Getting out of our bubbles helps us to experience more diversity in thought. It is also critical to creating a greater sense of community. Sharing a little of your experiences and knowledge with new people enables us to forge connections that we might not normally have. This is especially true if we establish a community where people feel comfortable opening up, where there are expectations that allow people to speak their truth, to be honest, to be respected, to be heard.
The second benefit of the share out is the ability to pass along the lessons that people have learned. For a difficult conversation-- especially ones related to race-- we know that people are entering at different places in the journey. Hearing thoughts of others, in open dialogue, offers everyone the chance to get a sense of where we are as a community in this process, to hear things we might not normally hear, to challenge us in ways that we might not otherwise be challenged.
Thank you for your willingness to come together for this. It has inspired a lot conversation and a lot of thinking. I like the idea that this was an ongoing commitment on the part of the staff and that it was not a one-and-done event, or a sit and get, rather it was something we had to do, something we had to create. And when it comes to becoming more active as anti-racists, I think it is important. We must do more than just read books and attend workshops. We now have to engage others in dialogue, to bring back what we have learned to our classrooms, and to do more to address racism in our lives.
Our recent “Your Melanin is Gold” event with Jordan and Tierra was also important. Hearing their perspectives, and those of other people within our building, offers us insight and understanding. For many of us, we aren’t sure what to do with their stories. A first impulse might be to ask them, “What do you suggest we do in this situation?” But we must also consider the impact of questions like that. These questions can be exhausting for people of color, who sometimes feel as though they are being continually called upon to explain and defend their feelings and experiences or even to solve the conditions that created them. Perhaps the better approach is to read more books, view more shows, listen to more podcasts, attend more events where you have the opportunities to hear and consider these perspectives, and where you can forge relationships with more people who are also dedicated to the cause of anti-racism.
All of this is extremely hard. But we simply cannot return to business as usual and hope for the best. Keep moving forward in your work with anti-racism and challenge yourself to stay engaged and active.
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