john a. powell

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Race Gender in 2008 The Shifting National
Consciousness

• john a. powell
• Director, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race
  and Ethnicity
• Williams Chair in Civil Rights Civil Liberties,
  Moritz College of Law
• Presentation at The 2nd National Convening of the
  Fulfilling the Dream Fund
• Monday, September 22, 2008

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Analyzing How We Talk About Race

• We often think about and talk about race within
  false dichotomies.
• 1) Black / White
• The public has generally not adopted the notion
  of a continuum
• 2) Civil Rights / Post-Racialism
• Older Americans often look at race from a Civil
  Rights angle
• Younger Americans tend to use a post-racial
  perspective
• Whites tend to be absent from this discussion
• 3) Affirmative Action, School Integration
  Race / Class
• Race and class are both multidimensional

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Hesitancy to Talk about Race

• Most people do not know how to talk about race in
  constructive and transformative ways.
• Reasons for the hesitancy include
• Fear of stigmatizing groups and creating
  self-fulfilling prophecies
• Concern about reinforcing negative stereotypes
• Fear of stimulating frames that create resistance
  to social-justice policy and encourage
  inter-group conflict
• Ignoring similar stresses of whites

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Why We Need to Talk about Race

• To not talk about race is to talk about race.
• Race plays a critical role in the creation and
  perpetuation of many social, political, and
  organizational structures that control the
  distribution of opportunities.
• Race affects all aspects of our lives.
• Where we live, who our childrens friends are,
  what social programs we support, how we vote,
  etc.
• We must address race to understand the history of
  our nations democracy and the future well-being
  of its people.

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Consequences of Not Talking about Race

• Racial disparities are masked
• Misperceptions about equality are reinforced
• Support for equitable interventions is decreased
• Diversity becomes less valued
• Color-blindness gains salience
• Inadequate proxies, such as class, become more
  visible
• Understanding of linked fate is weakened (we
  fail to see that institutional arrangements are
  functioning poorly for everyone)

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Implicit Bias

• We unconsciously think about race even when we do
  not explicitly discuss it.
• Implicit thoughts can overpower our explicit
  positions.
• People have multiple networks that may be
  activated without our awareness.
• Depending on the situation, one network becomes
  dominant over the others.
• Race is part of how we process information.
• Research indicates that we categorize people we
  see by their race in less than a tenth of a
  second.

Nicholas D. Kristof. Our Racist, Sexist
Selves. New York Times 6 April 2008
Barbara Reskin. Unconsciousness Raising.
Regional Review, 2005 Drew Westens The
Political Brain (2007)
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Race and Gender in the 2008 Election
Intersectionality

• Intersectionality refers to how various
  attributes such as race, gender, social class,
  religion, and other characteristics interact to
  shape peoples experiences and perspectives.
• The interactions and relationships that exist
  between these characteristics work together and
  thus should not be studied in isolation.
• As such, race and gender are key factors in
  shaping the human experience. The current
  political arena provides some significant
  examples of these intersections.

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Race and Gender Intersecting in the 2008 Election

• The Democratic race between Senator Clinton and
  Senator Obama was often characterized as a
  competition between a woman and a black man.
  
• It would be more appropriate to alter this
  comparison so that Senator Clinton is deemed a
  white woman.
• Senator Clintons whiteness is a part of her life
  experiences and should be recognized as such.

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Gender and Politics

• A variety of dynamics are in play with Gov. Sarah
  Palins VP nomination
• Will Palins presence on the Republican ticket
  sway Independent women to vote Republican?
• Is gender significant enough to sway some
  Hillary Democrats to vote for McCain even
  though Palins positions on key issues are the
  polar opposite of Clintons?
• Given that women are more likely to vote
  Democratic than men, will Palins presence on the
  Republican ticket have any effect?
• What effect does Palins nomination have on
  breaking the glass ceiling in politics?

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Thinking Transformatively about Race

• Transactional vs. Transformative
• A transactional approach assists individuals but
  does not alter the larger system of structures.
  It asserts that institutions are arranged
  appropriately individuals just need to
  negotiate them better.
• A transformative perspective changes the
  arrangement of societal structures and
  consequently alters relations to opportunity.

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Transformative Discourse Strategic Approaches

• Linked fate Highlight the idea that the fates
  of all people are linked
• Unity Focus on terms that bring people together
  rather than those that are divisive
• Opportunity Opportunity is a safe frame to use
  because people are not likely to present
  themselves as being against opportunity
• Use of narratives Narrative trumps numbers.

Annie E. Casey Race Matters Toolkit How to
Talk About Race. http//www.aecf.org/upload/publ
icationfiles/howtotalkaboutrace.pdf
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