Welcome to Intersect Race

Before I write anything else, let me say, clearly and upfront: Black Lives Matter and Black Life matters.

As protests of George Floyd’s murder and police brutality continue, I have been reflecting on the ways in which I can continue to learn about anti-blackness and actively support antiracist efforts. For a variety of health and safety reasons, I have not physically attended protests. So, I have chosen to create this space, Intersect Race as another way to actively contribute to the movement. Below, I have shared more background and context, and I hope you will revisit regularly to join me in furthering our mutual learning and exploration of structural/systemic racism, the intersections of race and all the various identities we carry, and strategies for being antiracist.

A little about me

For those who don’t know me, I have spent the past few years developing and facilitating workshops on structural racism and cultural responsiveness, specifically targeted towards those who are working with young people in afterschool and youth development programs. While I have lived experience as an adopted Asian American who uses a wheelchair, I should also share that I was adopted by two white parents, and have essentially grown up in white culture. My personal racial equity journey began about 10 years ago when I first attended a training on structural racism hosted by the same organization I work for today. This journey has included attending trainings, reading, participating in caucuses, designing workshops, engaging in ongoing conversations on personal and organizational levels, and more.

Why host this space?

In our workshops, we often say that the work starts at the individual level, with you, and then you can look at the various arenas of change or spheres of influence where you can effect change. As a facilitator of learning, I also know that just reading or otherwise consuming new information does  not automatically lead to behavior change or improvement. Self-reflection, action, and reflection on those actions are equally essential.

Further, in my professional roles, we talk about how beyond being cognitive, learning is both social and emotional. When we learn something that contradicts something we have fundamentally believed our whole lives, we react emotionally (i.e. we experience cognitive dissonance which also impacts our emotions). When our emotions take over, we are less able to engage our rational and intellectual functions of our brain. In my opinion, this is a big part of why learning about and talking about race and racism can be so challenging, particularly for white people. It’s also why, often we have the best intentions of learning or taking action, but often discontinue the work unless pushed and supported to keep going. (Please note this is my high level and very simplified summary – there are volumes of research and books on these topics. I will share a few references and resources at the end).

Thus, it is my hope that this can be a space for us to continue the work and learning especially once the immediacy of the moment passes. It’s easy to order the books, to add podcasts to your playlist, and to donate to an organization in support of Black Lives Matter. However, committing to finish those books, to determine what actions or changes you will make based on what you’ve read, or to actually engage in advocacy efforts that might risk your position at your job or the way friends or family members view you, is not easy or painless. It will take courage and support to keep going and it can be helpful to be able to process and talk through things with others as we learn.

I am definitely not an expert. I can only speak from my own experiences and I acknowledge that as an Asian American, I cannot and never will be able to fully understand the lived experiences of my black friends, colleagues, or the black community. However, as a life-long learner and facilitator, I am committing to help support our ongoing learning together. Of course, I absolutely and strongly encourage you to learn directly from black authors, activists, and leaders – but please PAY for their services to support your education!

To my black, indigenous, and POC friends and colleagues

I appreciate you and am grateful for the conversations we’ve had and the lessons you’ve helped me to learn. While I certainly have no expectations for you to continue to support my learning or ways to improve, I absolutely invite your feedback and ideas all along the way.

To my white friends and family members

I recently was talking to one of my colleagues who shared that as a black woman, in her experience, she wasn’t used to being asked what she needs (our CEO had reached out with that question). After having had conversations with her family, she shared with me a response that ultimately spurred me to take this on. To paraphrase – white people – talk with your white people, and then have them talk to more white people and so on until we get to white legislators and policy makers and decision makers because that is the only way we’re going to really make change happen.

As I reflected on who most of my family and friends are, I realized, though I am not white, I have access to a large audience of white people, and yet I have only explicitly talked with a small fraction of them about anything related to race. I have these conversations with strangers on a regular basis for work yet have never seemed to actively talk with those in my personal circles. I admit I am uncomfortable and a little weary of opening this door, and yet, I acknowledge it has been my privilege to have been able to leave it closed for so long.

Moving Forward – Expectations & Hopes

While I have various topics in mind to write about, I would appreciate hearing your questions and wonderings. Again, I am not an expert, but will be happy to share experiences and the ways that I’ve come to understand some of the complexities of structural racism and antiracist work. I am continuing my own learning and will also share my reflections as I go as a way to model processing and incorporating new ideas or information to my daily life. My hope is that if you are reading this post, plan to return, or leave comments/questions, that you do so in ways that honor our respective lived experiences, racial and cultural identities, and the varying degrees of where each of us are at on our journey. Outside of hate speech (which will be deleted), I will commit to supporting your learning. If a comment is made that might be offensive or perpetuates stereotypes or misinformation, I will do my best to help explain the impact of such comments or offer resources to further learning.

Keep the conversation going

Please share your comments or any questions/wonderings you’d like me to write about in the future. If you prefer to share privately, you can follow and message me on Twitter @IntersectRace.

References & Resources

• Antiracism – How to be an Antiracist Book by Ibram X. Kendi
  • Watch an interview with Ibram X. Kendi to hear him speak about antiracism here
• Learning is social and emotional – this phrase is frequently used in terms of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) for children and youth, but applies to adults as well. You can learn more about SEL broadly here
• The Learning Zone Model – pushing us out of our comfort zone, but not into our panic zone. Learn more here
• Impact of Emotions (and Trauma) on our ability to learn, think, and engage socially:
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students Book by Zaretta Hammond
  • The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, & Body in the Healing of Trauma Book by Bessel van der Kolk