Learning Action: Inventory of Racial Experiences
Adapted from Katz, 2003, pp.117-118
Framing
This activity is designed to generate thoughtful discussion and analysis of particular racial dynamics in one’s past experience. The intention is to explore issues of privilege, alliance, inaction, collusion, internalized oppression, confusion, guilt and fear—all of which are common with specific instances of racism, whether witnessed or experienced. The exercise is critical for furthering self-knowledge in relation to anti-racism and therefore, the inventory can also be used outside of a group setting. However, discussing and debriefing the Action is an important part of the learning process and reveals additional insights, views or information to you while also providing you with support.
Logistics
Minimum Time Required:
Questionnaire: 40 - 60 minutes (completed before or during session)
Debrief: 30 - 40 minutes
Number of Participants: Appropriate for large or small groups, keeping in mind that the larger the group, the longer the debrief
Age Level: Most suitable for ages 12+
Suggested Material: Handout - Inventory of Racial Experiences. Participants will need writing materials.
How the Facilitator Participates
It is important for the facilitator to complete the exercise prior to facilitating it so that they can provide examples of their descriptions of racial experiences. It is also useful to acknowledge to the participants that the questionnaire is not easy and that it can be challenging to become aware of one’s own knowledge gaps.
Facilitators must be aware of and discuss some of the possible differences in the racial experiences between Indigenous people, people of colour and white people (See Internalized Oppression, Internalized Dominance, and White Privilege). This discussion will provide context and support for participants to work through the Learning Action.
How Participants contribute to the group’s learning
Participants will complete the handout and share what they are comfortable with in the debrief. Note that racialized participants might not be comfortable sharing with the group, especially if there are many white participants.
Facilitating
Ask participants to examine the experiences listed at the bottom of the Inventory of Racial Experiences handout; have them select items that are most meaningful to them. Participants complete the inventory by describing a specific event or experience for the items they have selected by answering the 5 questions at the top of the sheet. Encourage participants to be detailed in their descriptions. This process should take about an hour and can be given out before or during the session.
Whenever you choose to give out the inventory, it will be important to spend time with participants discussing your own process in completing the inventory. Describing your experiences and the feelings that came up for you is important as it can create more of an atmosphere of trust. Reminding participants that there are no right or wrong answers, and that they will not be expected to share their answers unless they want to, may also help them to be honest and go a bit deeper into their personal processes.
Explain:
The questions are meant to bring to the surface the feelings inherent in the experiences the participants describe. Ask participants to be aware of and discuss their feelings at the time of the experience and as they write about the experience. How are they feeling now as they think back on the experience? Have their feelings changed and if they have changed, how so?
The questions are also meant to help participants get in touch with their attitudes and assumptions about people who are different from them. For some participants, this will mean supporting them in looking at how their action or inaction is racist and how they might be reinforcing their own power and privilege. For others, this can mean supporting them in considering how their inaction might reinforce racial discrimination and that in some cases, they might be colluding in their own oppression.
The questions are also meant to help participants become open about their feelings and to explore racism on deeper personal levels (See Why Self-Knowledge?).
This process assists participants in continuing to develop a language through which they can talk openly and honestly about racism (See Racism, Racial Discrimination, Internalized Dominance, Internalized Oppression, Privilege, and Whiteness).
Discussion/Debriefing
Note: It is important to support participants in their process by acknowledging their feelings while also presenting them with perspectives that are different from their own. The debrief will vary depending on the group's make up and experiences.
Ask participants to share incidents that are most meaningful to them. Explore why the incident was meaningful and in what ways the incident may have changed or not changed the participant’s perspective. When unpacking participants’ descriptions, be aware of presenting alternative views. (See Internalized Dominance & Internalized Oppression). Be aware that, often, white participants want to describe incidents of racial discrimination towards white people and it is important to note the difference between racial discrimination and racism.
Discuss reactions to completing the inventory; be aware of participants’ similarities and difference in reactions. It is important to discuss what the differences are and why differences occur.
Ask participants to describe the feeling they experienced during this Learning Action and why they thought they were experiencing these feelings (feelings may range from anger, sadness, guilt, shame frustration and so on). It is important that the facilitator presents alternative actions or positive steps to move participants forward in their process to move through their feelings. This is not to say that participants should not feel their feelings, only that we do not want them to get stuck in them and be unable to move forward.
References:
Katz, J. H. (2003). White awareness: Handbook for anti-racism training. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.