On June 25 and 26, Eastside Pathways, along with the Bellevue School District and community partners like Jubilee REACH, the Bellevue Family YMCA, and Leadership Eastside, attended the Courageous Conversations Regional Summit in Portland, Oregon. The Regional Summits, which are held throughout the year, are a continuation and localization of the “protocol for engaging, sustaining, and deepening dialogue about race and an essential tool for effectively examining organizational culture and addressing racial disparities.”
Attendees spent two days in either Beyond Diversity I, where they were introduced to “courageous conversation and a foundation for deinstitutionalizing racism and eliminating racial achievement disparities”, or in Beyond Diversity II, where participants are challenged to deepen their racial consciousness and progress in racial identity development.
Zach England, a rising junior at Bellevue High School and Eastside Pathways Board member, shares his experience in Beyond Diversity I:
Walking into the Pacific Educational Group’s racial equity training, I had no idea what to expect. Through asking about what I was getting myself into over breakfast on the first morning, I got absolutely no further in knowing what I was getting myself into, only the reassurance that I was going to have a great experience. The people were 100% correct in saying that it was a great experience, and I would add that it was very eye opening and will greatly affect how I live my life from this point on.
Throughout the two days, one of the main focuses, alongside unpacking racism and white empowerment, was being able to effectively have uncomfortable conversations. My experience with this entailed being singled out in front of the group with an individual who I had a question for based on one of her comments when we were talking about micro racism. I had felt that lots of comments that people would take as micro racism seemed to be more of small talk, and I asked how I could better ask certain questions, such as, “where are you from?” in a way that I can participate in fruitful conversations without coming off as offensive. Through guidance on questioning and having a “courageous conversation,” I was able to listen to someone’s experiences and learn through someone’s acquired knowledge instead of formulating a strong opinion; thinking to myself that it is weird that people would think that it is an act of micro racism to ask them where they are from.
I was given a chance to learn that every person is unique, and has had different experiences, and before jumping to where they are from, we should get a feel for who the person is, because who they are matters more than where they are from. After this conversation, our facilitator asked me, as she did for everyone else she singled out in front of the group, “Zach, that wasn’t bad, was it? You didn’t die, did you?” and my response was, “You know, I think I’m living more.” And that’s what I think this conference, or training, was all about. We learn to live more.
Tom Brewer, Director of Community Relations/Chaplain at Jubilee REACH, shares his insight of Beyond Diversity II:
It’s titled “Personal Racial Equity Purpose” (PREP) and it became my goal in Beyond Diversity II. In this second level of racial equity training we were guided through a series of exercises to improve our listening skills and practice the art of “Mindful Inquiry.” Again and again I returned to the Courageous Conversations protocol (4 Agreements and 6 Conditions) that I experienced in Beyond Diversity I, and now the facilitators urged us to go “much deeper.” “Deeper” means more introspection, more self-disclosure and more reflective listening to engage, sustain and deepen the dialogue specifically in racial conversations. In my dialogues with partners the layers quickly peeled back and tears flowed. I was not surprised, I signed up for this experience fully expecting to be discomforted in some positive ways – my expectations were fully met.
In the training exercises I experienced two other individuals and a small group in a fundamentally human way. We sought to lay aside our socially constructed, false and superficial identities seeking to hear and be heard more essentially. We were being “human” together in the best sense of the word. I must practice relating like this more zealously.
What about my PREP? I wanted to craft a concise personal, racial, equity purpose statement for my racial equity work. My beliefs, thoughts and feelings needed alignment and I wanted to answer a call to action. Gradually and increasingly the realization came that I’ll be working on this continually – it may always be a draft – and with that my “whiteness” is showing. Here’s where I am today…
Being a white man of 70 years, believing in the intrinsic value of all persons and feeling sorrowful that my dominant, white culture systemically oppresses minority people; I desire to exert my energy and apply my influence to raising the racial consciousness of my peers, challenging institutional racism and promoting racial equity in my community.
I’ve come away from Beyond Diversity II more determined to pursue racial equity in my own life circumstances and community. I am opening to the process though unsure of the implications. I know it requires intentionality, vulnerability and humility – I have so much to learn, and I want to proceed.