I’m really sick right now and can’t do much of anything, but this is too much to set aside and then forget.
I think about race and racism a lot. It’s in my bones. It’s in my skin. It’s in my daily experience. Even, or maybe especially, here in Maine. But in the church context it can’t be about me, because if it’s about me then not only is any conversation happening for the wrong reasons (like quitting smoking because your best friend said so) but anything bad that happens becomes about me (continuing the smoking example, it’s like blaming your best friend for the fight you got into with your spouse because you were irritable from nicotine withdrawal), even if it’s not really about me. It makes starting the conversation hard. It’s why white allies are so vital to the process, especially in churches, especially when the blatant racism is muted and what’s mostly left is subtle, systemic, invisible-to-most-people racism.
And common wisdom is that even this kind of speaking up is a risk, that I shouldn’t say anything precisely because it should be about the community, started by the community, supported by the community.
Okay, but I have a resource. So I’m not organizing any conversations at church. You can do that if you want, and it is my personal belief that the church is an excellent place to make these conversations happen for us and for the whole community. I am suggesting you read this elegant, gentle, true, informative, and accessible piece by Mary Anne Mohanraj–a writer I know a little and respect a lot–because, people? We all have to start somewhere.
March 21, 2009 at 3:39 am
I found Mary Anne Mohanraj’s article to be really interesting. In looking on YouTube the other day, I was searching for my favorite vintage Sesame Street clips. One I really loved as a child was a counting to 20 animation which starts with an Indian yogi (with four arms) and continues with the numbers 1-20 against beautiful tapestry/geometrical designs. But when I went to post it, I wasn’t sure if it was culturally sensitive enough or that the designs shown were true to the culture they were hinting they were from. Because I wasn’t sure, I decided not to post it. It made me realize it’s easy to assume things like: “It’s from Sesame Street, it must be okay,” or “But it’s so beautiful artistically, it must be okay.” In working in the school library and looking at Native American sources we have, we’re also trying to find the balance of where cultural biases need addressing (do you cull books, use them to teach kids to find the biases in reading critically or just replace books as you can?) So thanks for including this in your blog. It furthered my thoughts.
March 21, 2009 at 6:20 am
It IS easy to figure it must be okay, and I still find myself sorting through my language to find the expressions that are totally inappropriate but embedded from when I was a kid (“bottom of the totem pole,” anyone?). I find that I have started to check what I’m saying and err on the side of caution which may or may not be good for poetry, but it’s certainly good for my awareness. Still and all, I mess up and have to apologize. That’s why I liked Mohanraj’s article so much–she doesn’t suggest perfection, she suggests ongoing improvement. Her Part II talks about issues around writing specifically and it’s great reading for anyone who writes anything. I particularly like her suggestion that if there’s no good reason for a character to be white…change their race. And if they should be white…make them specific-white. It’s good advice. Really drives home how much white is the subconscious default.