This event is a collaboration between W. K. Kellogg Foundation and GRIST, prepared by Sebastian Frias, Javon Dobbs and Mónica Moreno Figueroa.
Context
The contribution proposed by Global Ties is to create a comprehensive learning experience that engages staff at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to broaden the language and practice of racial healing and equity from a US-centric focus to a global perspective. The vision for this series emerged from reflections within the International Pod on how global experiences interconnect with the National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) and WKKF’s broader racial healing efforts.
The organising team discussed the importance and value of learning from diverse perspectives on racism from various regions, and Sebastian Frias mentioned a strategic advantage of thinking outside of the US context, which is currently highly politicised and polarised.
Format
A four-part workshop series was proposed, with 101-style masterclasses sessions on understanding different global racial contexts (Mexico, Haiti, India, North Africa, Japan, China and South Africa) and put them in a global conversation and small group discussions by affinity group incorporating active listening as a collective racial healing practice throughout.
The sessions would feature academics discussing theory/context and WKKF staff responding to the learning from personal experience.
There was a discussion about involving affinity groups (e.g. the Latine, AAPI and other affinity groups) to act as partners to co-construct the proposal and as leaders of small group discussions for all people who identify with their group even if they are not members.
In each session, staff members could share their experiences related to the topics discussed if they are comfortable. Small group work will support the sharing.
Participants
All 200+ employees (exempt & non-exempt) from the Foundation would be invited to participate.
Timeline
- Feb. 12 – 12 to 2 p.m. ET: Legacies of Apartheid in South Africa – Nyasha Mboti (Free State University, South Africa) and The Structure Within: Working Through Internalized Racism and Oppression – facilitated by Prof. Mónica Moreno Figueroa (University of Cambridge, UK).
- March 12 – 12 to 2 p.m. ET: Caste-Based Inequalities in India – Jusmeet Sihra (University of Cambridge, UK) and North African and Middle Eastern Racisms – Shreya Parikh (Sciences Po, France).
- April 22 – 9 to 11 a.m. ET: Racism in Japan and the Transpacific – Yasuko Takezawa (Kansai Gaidai University, Japan) and Whiteness in China – Shanshan Lan (University of Amsterdam, Netherlands).
- May 14 – 12 to 2 p.m. ET: Anti-Indigenous Racism and Mestizaje in Mexico – Judith Bautista (Colectivo COPERA, Mexico) and Anti-Haitianism as a Form of Anti-Black Racism – Evelyne Laurent-Perrault (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Sessions
Each session will last 2 hours. It will have an introduction where Prof. Monica Moreno Figueroa, as the main facilitator will discuss the benefit of comparative and relational thinking of racism and as the workshop progresses it will reflect on previous learning and introduce the next context. The aim of the introduction part is to make evident the thread of dehumanization that logics of racism produce in different contexts, how these travel with flows of information, culture and people.
Monica will also introduce and lead the use of co-listening as a basic tool for racial healing practice to include in all the sessions. Co-listening implies setting people in pairs and giving them a prompt to speak about from their own experience, usually in reference to the topic of the talk. People share equal amount time in pairs without interrupting each other (is not a conversation), paying full attention to each other and keeping the information shared confidential.
Two topics will be presented in each session offering an introduction to the logics of racism in that region.
After each session a small group session will allow people to share their experience and thinking, as well as formulate questions.
Monica will conclude each session chairing a plenary and bringing some conclusions together on how each form of racism opens up opportunities for understanding racism.
Having co-listening moments, plus group discussion plus plenary time, would allow individual, group and collective reflective and sharing moments.