BUILDING THE WORLD WE DREAM ABOUT
A Tapestry of Faith Program for Adults
WORKSHOP 20: PUTTING ANTIOPPRESSION IDEALS INTO PRACTICE
BY MARK HICKS. GAIL FORSYTH-VAIL, DEVELOPMENTAL EDITOR.
© Copyright 2010 Unitarian Universalist Association.
Published to the Web on 9/29/2014 10:44:32 PM PST.
This program and additional resources are available on the UUA.org web site at
www.uua.org/religiouseducation/curricula/tapestryfaith.
WORKSHOP OVERVIEW
INTRODUCTION
In my vision of a beloved community, I see a dazzling, light-filled, breathtakingly beautiful mosaic, a gigantic, all-encompassing mosaic, where each of us can see, can really see, and deeply appreciate each piece. We know that each piece is of immeasurable value. We know that each piece is part of a larger whole, a larger whole that would not be whole, indeed would not BE, without each piece shining through, and being seen and appreciated as its unique self. — Marla Scharf, First Unitarian Church of San Jose, California
This workshop invites participants to put what they have learned into action and to apply knowledge, skills, and critical thinking about multicultural issues to congregational scenarios. There are two activity options presented, either of which will help participants acquire and expand skills and competencies for building and participating in multicultural community. The first is a simulation, in which participants play roles of committee members, leaders, and congregants at a pivotal moment in the life of a hypothetical congregation. The second option engages participants in creating and acting out case studies that reflect actual congregational situations. Either activity requires two full workshops to complete. You will want to consider such factors as group size and style and the learning strengths, challenges, and preferences of individuals as you choose between the two options.
The simulation option invites participants to choose a particular role and stay in character through this and the following workshop. It invites participants to improvise actions and reactions, responding both to other participants and to "wild cards" introduced by the facilitators to increase complexity and learning.
The case study option invites participants to work from a bare "what happened" outline to flesh out participant and situation background, motivations, actions, and reactions. Participants in this activity prepare and present a brief skit to highlight the dilemma and propose actions and responses consonant with antiracist/multicultural community.
Before leading this workshop, review the accessibility guidelines in the program Introduction under Integrating All Participants.
GOALS
This workshop will:
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Participants will:
WORKSHOP-AT-A-GLANCE
Activity | Minutes |
Welcoming and Entering | 0 |
Opening | 3 |
Activity 1: Simulation, Part One | 115 |
Closing | 2 |
Alternative Activity 1: Case Studies, Part One | 115 |
SPIRITUAL PREPARATION
This workshop will challenge not only the participants, but also the facilitators. There are likely to be moments when the group will feel stressed by the challenge of the activity. Remind yourself that the stress and the challenge are necessary in order for learning to take place. Prepare yourself to embrace uncertainty and to trust both what will unfold in the workshop and your ability to respond appropriately.
Using music, meditation, prayer, walking outdoors, or another familiar spiritual practice, take some time to center yourself and prepare to be fully present to the challenges, ambiguities, wisdom, and spiritual deepening as they unfold in this workshop.
WORKSHOP PLAN
WELCOMING AND ENTERING
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Greet participants as they arrive.
OPENING (3 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Welcome participants and remind them of the spirit of their covenant. Share the Goals and Learning Objectives for this workshop.
Light the chalice and share these words from writer and educator Paul Kivel:
Cultural competence is not something we have or don't have. It is a process of learning about and becoming allies with people from other cultures, thereby broadening our own understanding and ability to participate in a multicultural process. The key element to becoming more culturally competent is respect for the ways that others live in and organize the world and an openness to learn from them.
ACTIVITY 1: SIMULATION, PART ONE (115 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
Read Handout 1, Simulation Scenario and Process to the group and answer general questions. Explain that the more energy participants put into their roles, the greater the learning. Encourage participants to really get into the characters and have fun with the process. Emphasize that this simulation is a learning experience where people can make "mistakes" in a relatively safe context.
Invite participants to choose roles, or assign roles so each group has the proper number of participants:
Indicate the space/room where each group will meet, identified by the signs you have posted. Give each group the folder you have prepared for them. Explain that although the characters in each committee or group have been assigned genders; gender assignments may be changed for the simulation. The descriptions are provided as a starting place; participants should adjust their roles so they feel comfortable "being" that person and using that lens for a time.
Invite participants to move to their assigned group or committee spaces and begin the simulation.
Your role during the simulation is to monitor all areas of activity and keep a running record of interesting observations for processing at the end of the simulation. Note:
Use Leader Resource 1, Job Candidates, Leader Resource 2, Wild Cards, and Leader Resource 3, Getting Unstuck for suggestions and information to liven up the simulation and keep participants engaged.
Continue the simulation until just before the workshop's ending time.
Including All Participants
Invite other members of the group to read character descriptions to a blind or visually impaired participant. Encourage those who are reluctant or shy to make a character their own and to inhabit that person in a way that feels comfortable for them, while still paying attention to the lens that particular character would bring to the situation.
CLOSING (2 MINUTES)
Description of Activity
Instead of a formal closing, simply bring participants together and extinguish the chalice. After the chalice is extinguished, invite participants to step outside their character before leaving the workshop. Ask them NOT to work on or talk about their plans or strategies between workshops; that is why they have no Taking It Home for this workshop.
LEADER REFLECTION AND PLANNING
Take a few moments right after the workshop to ask each other:
ALTERNATE ACTIVITY 1: CASE STUDIES, PART ONE (115 MINUTES)
Materials for Activity
Preparation for Activity
Description of Activity
If you perceive that the group may be uncomfortable with the simulation or has too few people for an effective simulation, use this case study exercise instead to engage participants in a congregational problem and its potential antiracist/multicultural solutions.
Form four groups of nearly equal size. Distribute Handout 7, Creating a Case Study and Handout 8, Case Study Suggestions. Invite each group to follow the instructions and develop a case study. Tell them they may choose one of the suggested case studies in Handout 8 or create one from their own experience in the congregation.
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HANDOUT 1: SIMULATION SCENARIO AND PROCESS
THE SCENARIO
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Anytown has been growing by leaps and bounds for several years. This growth has resulted from new ministerial leadership as well as the congregation's well-publicized stances on behalf of equal marriage and in support of immigrant families. Because the congregation has taken a risky public stance, it has the esteem of social justice progressives in the community. To build on its momentum, the minister has recommended to the board that the congregation create a new, full-time, staff position: director of social justice. The Board has welcomed and accepted the minister's request to consider the new position.
INHABITING YOUR ROLE
Each of you is a member of the congregation, assigned to a specific role. Your task is to play out the scenario in real time through the lens of the role to which you are assigned. The Board is required to post the job description and process for interviewing and hiring no later than 90 minutes into the simulation. The Board may choose any criteria and process they believe are appropriate. Next time we meet, in Workshop 21, we will continue the simulation. Then, the Board will be required to hold a congregational meeting to discuss the position 15 minutes into the opening of the workshop.
Although the characters in each committee or group have been assigned genders, gender assignments may be changed for the simulation. The descriptions are meant to be a starting place, adjust your role so you feel comfortable "being" that person and using that lens for a time. You are asked to "inhabit" your character from the moment the simulation begins. Under no circumstances should you step out of character until after the simulation. All actions and decisions are to be made using the lens of the character. Think: "How would this person respond to this situation?" Refer back to the voices, issues, insights, and problems raised over the course of the program to guide your actions and responses.
Do not share character descriptions outside of your simulation group. Part of the learning is figuring out the assumptions and values of other people. Treat all participants with respect, even if you disagree with them.
WORKING AS A GROUP
Develop a plan of action:
Groups can choose any path: They can call a meeting of the Board, or they can mount a resistance movement. They can do nothing, and wait for people to approach them. They can refuse to pledge next year because they don't think the congregation has the money to support a full-time position. The Board can operate in Executive Session, only taking questions in public settings. Use your imagination and your knowledge of the lens of your particular character(s) to guide individual and group actions.
WILD CARDS AND OTHER CHALLENGES
Facilitators will, at their discretion, insert a "Wild Card" scenario into the mix to add layers of complexity to the simulation. You must respond—or choose not to respond—to this new information. Facilitators may "coach" any group that appears to be stuck. Facilitators will also play the roles of two job candidates at relevant points in the simulation.
Have fun!!
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HANDOUT 2: SIMULATION DESCRIPTIONS — MINISTER AND BOARD
The Minister
Rev. Christopher Emerson is a 43-year-old, single White male who is a third-generation Unitarian Universalist minister. He is known for his enthusiasm, charisma, and considerable oratorical skills. He spends an extraordinary amount of time doing the work of the congregation and has little personal time; the congregation has, in effect, become his family. He is a powerful presence within the congregation and community and takes up a lot of psychic space! He graduated from an Ivy League school and has many connections to the power elite in your town. He believes in creating systems of social equity, but frames injustice as a political and class issue, as opposed to internalized systems of oppression. At the end of the day, he is invested in "making results happen."
Board of Trustees
NOTE: All members of the Board have participated in antioppression/antiracism and multicultural diversity seminars. This may or may not be known to members of the congregation.
Mike Feingold, 43, a White male of Jewish heritage, is a lifelong Unitarian Universalist who was one of the founders of the congregation. He has done major fundraising for the congregation, and is toying with the idea of becoming a Unitarian Universalist minister. He is the executive director for an arts education nonprofit. He and his wife, Polly, who is white, have two boys in the second and fourth grade.
Dennis Lewis, 52, a White male, is an economics professor who joined the congregation about three years ago. He is a widowed, single father who adopted a child from China right before his wife was killed in an auto accident 15 years ago. Dennis is very reserved and conservative in all his thinking. He is very strict with his now teenaged son and has extraordinarily high expectations. He has a reputation for being somewhat awkward socially, yet his voice carries weight within the congregation.
Carla Mosby, 39, became a Unitarian Universalist as a young adult, after having been raised in the Catholic Church. She and her partner, Brownyn, both White, are a lesbian couple with two adopted children of Color, Kennedy and Kayla. Both want a high quality religious education program for their children. They also want them to feel safe as children of Color and as children of a same-sex couple.
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HANDOUT 3: SIMULATION DESCRIPTIONS — SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKING GROUP
Mandy Patel, 38, a White female, is a stay-at-home mom with four children. She is very interested in environmental issues and chairs the 7th Principle Committee for the congregation. She has a perky personality, but often takes on too much and is seen by many as disorganized.
Mike Freeman, 17, a White male, is an active member of the youth group. He notes that the youth group service trip to New Orleans last year was a life-changing experience for him. He was recruited to serve on the Social Justice Working Group after he preached a powerful sermon about how his Unitarian Universalist faith calls him to work for justice. He is not quite sure of the role he is to play in this group, and wants to avoid being tokenized as the "youth voice."
Rob Kennedy, 27, a White male, is a human rights worker by trade. He also enjoys doing carpentry and volunteers for Habitat for Humanity. He has a strong commitment to youth and often complains that the congregation never takes the views and experiences of children seriously.
Susan Roberts, 50, a White female, is a conflict resolution trainer. She has worked for the AFL-CIO as a union organizer. She is very suspicious of power, and often hijacks conversations due to her suspicions.
Dick Maasjo, 75, a White male, is a retired minister who has lived most of his life overseas. He worked for the CIA as an undercover agent. He wants to use his professional and life experiences toward the benefit of the disempowered.
Joyce Kane, 33, is a transgender member of the congregation. She just transitioned to her female self and wants to bring what she's learned about being treated as a marginal person to the social justice agenda of the congregation. Note: The person who takes this role is encouraged to choose a racial or ethnic identity for Joyce Kane.
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HANDOUT 4: SIMULATION DESCRIPTIONS — WHITE ALLIES
George Horowitz, 45, a White male, is an artist and interior designer born in the former Soviet Union. After moving to the area, he met and married a Korean woman who later died from Parkinson's Disease. The power of that experience has led him to be a crusader against social injustice towards people with disabilities.
Harmony Moon, 60, a White female, is known as the "Flower Child" of the congregation. She moved to the area to care for her dying mother, and found the Unitarian Universalist congregation to be the only sanctuary that would accept her brand of life and living. She typically introduces herself by bragging about the number of times she's been arrested for civil disobedience. Regardless of the situation, she aligns herself with the oppressed and marginalized, even when her support is unwelcome.
Chanda Blanco, 31, was born in Chile and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was ten. Few people know of her background, or that her identity was formed in a South American household. She, herself, is unsure how to negotiate that experience. Of late, she has come to understand how her white-skin privilege has shaped her life. She wants to take steps to address systematic inequality.
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HANDOUT 5: SIMULATION DESCRIPTIONS — CAUCUS FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR AND PEOPLE FROM MARGINALIZED RACIAL OR ETHNIC GROUPS
Clarence Ochoa, 41, grew up in Southern California in a Filipino home. He is a dentist who joined the congregation with his wife and two daughters. He and his wife, who is White and American-born, really appreciate the liberating theology of Unitarian Universalism, yet, they are still quite connected to the Philippines via his parents and school friends.
Stacy Matthews, 48, is a proud third-generation African American Unitarian Universalist. She has two college-age daughters, one of whom wants to be a college professor like her. She is proud of her Unitarian Universalist heritage and the ways its theology releases her from narrow-minded thinking. Her independent thinking and willingness to speak out have led to some discomfort in the congregation. She has often been critical of its practices and policies, calling both peers and leaders on the carpet when she believed their actions were racially suspect. People often think of her as an "angry Black woman."
No one thinks of human resources director Marissa Vasquez, 38, as Latina, which has made her feel extraordinarily invisible in her community and often in her congregation. Her White looks go against the stereotype of what a Latina "should look like," and as a result, she has spent her life overhearing disparaging comments about Spanish-speaking people. As a result, she resists any attempt at being "labeled" and often says, "I just want to be me."
Lily Muller, 18, was adopted from China as a baby by White parents. Her parents have always made an effort to teach her Chinese culture and language and have been actively involved in an organization for families with children adopted from China. Lily has felt some pressure from parents, school, and congregation to "fit in" with White culture and has sometimes felt cut off from her own cultural heritage. Joining the Caucus for People of Color and People from Marginalized Racial or Ethnic Groups is her way of making a statement about her own identity.
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HANDOUT 6: SIMULATION DESCRIPTIONS — RANDOM CONGREGANTS
As a group, brainstorm a list of personalities to weave into the simulation. Work together to develop character profiles, choosing gender, age, ethnic identity, interests, occupation, family status, and personality attributes. Once your group has created the character profiles, decide who will inhabit each character during the simulation. Characters in this group can work together—or not. A "random congregant" can act as a single, radical agent or join with others to advocate for a particular issue (or set of issues).
Suggested Characters/Archetypes
Some personality types to consider developing include:
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HANDOUT 7: CREATING A CASE STUDY
Your group has two choices:
Follow these steps to develop your case study narrative and characters:
You will have 45 minutes to develop your case study narrative and characters. After 45 minutes, exchange case studies with another group, so each group works with the case narrative and characters another group has developed.
Exploring and Role-playing the Case Study
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HANDOUT 8: CASE STUDY SUGGESTIONS
A. A congregation in search of a new minister schedules a Beyond Categorical Thinking workshop for the congregation. (Beyond Categorical Thinking is a UUA program that promotes inclusive thinking and helps prevent unfair discrimination in the ministerial search process.) When the workshop facilitators write up anonymous statements from a workshop exercise about reactions to calling a minister of Color or a Latina/o/Hispanic minister, the comments include "I don't like gospel music. I would be uncomfortable worshipping in Spanish. I would miss intellectual sermons." When Ministerial Search Committee members of African and Latina/o/Hispanic heritage express their discomfort and concerns about the statements to other Search Committee members, responses range from "We shouldn't judge the congregation by one workshop" to "This workshop revealed why we are not more diverse."
B. A multiracial family that has been part of the congregation for about a year approaches the minister with a request that worship and religious education reflect more multicultural diversity. They have come to the congregation in hopes of finding a theologically liberal faith community where their family will feel at home.
C. A congregation is making a hiring decision. Members of the hiring committee are strongly urged by the board and other leaders to select a candidate who is a Person of Color, with special emphasis on finding someone who reflects the predominant racial/cultural group of the surrounding community. When the final candidates are selected, there is a disagreement about whether to select the candidate who identifies as a Person of Color but is not of the predominant racial/cultural group of the surrounding community. Individual members of the hiring committee and the governing board say they want the "best" person, although they disagree about which qualities have the highest priority. Some members of the hiring committee and the governing board state that making a race-neutral decision would avoid the appearance of racial preference.
D. A congregation that has been developing a vision and strategic plan for multiracial/multicultural diversity decides to organize racial/cultural affinity groups as part of their plan. Several influential members who recall the Black Empowerment Movement object to this proposal even though members of the multiracial youth group have been advocating for such groups. A much-admired, interracial couple, who have been dedicated members for more than 40 years, are among those who work to block the formation of affinity groups or caucuses.
E. The Religious Education Committee decides to take a multicultural approach to worship and to teach diverse religious traditions. To reflect the diversity of religious and cultural traditions in the United States, they decide to add Kwanzaa and Day of the Dead celebrations to their religious education program. A member of the RE Committee questions whether this is cultural appropriation, since the congregation has no African American or Latina/o/Hispanic members. Another committee member makes the case for exposing children to diverse traditions as an educational experience and to teach religious tolerance.
F. A congregation with a significant number of Jewish members and a number of interfaith families decides to consider changing the designation of their religious community from church to congregation. One member says their spouse/partner will not come to "church," but a name change would make it possible for them to worship as a family. Another member of Jewish heritage says that it is not important what the community is called as long as the religious diversity is welcomed and encouraged. The minister of this congregation is a person of Jewish ancestry, but has not expressed an opinion about the proposed name change. Several humanist members would like to abandon all religious references in the name. Other members feel the name is part of the historic identity of the congregation.
G. A congregation with two separate Sunday services, one in Spanish and one in English, decide they want to worship together. Challenges emerge as they try to combine the two Sunday constituencies. Some people are uncomfortable worshipping in a language they don't understand. Spanish speakers want to continue to use Spanish. Some English speakers feel a bilingual service will lengthen service beyond traditional time frames they are used to. Some people of Latina/o heritage do not speak Spanish and feel the combined service is just a "politically correct" move on the part of the congregation.
H. The congregation has just called a minister of Color. The Committee on Ministry has to develop a plan to manage the congregation's expectations around this new minister, and to help support the minister's family.
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LEADER RESOURCE 1: JOB CANDIDATES
These two roles are to be played by facilitators. Do not share candidate descriptions with simulation participants. Simply act out the roles extemporaneously if you choose to visit the various groups and committees, using your appearances as "wild cards" to keep the simulation engaging.
The Job Candidates
Estella Rodriguez, 30, has a short but impressive resume as a social justice worker. A Puerto Rican from the Bronx, she was the first in her family to graduate from college; she was president of the student government during her junior year. Right after college, she started a street theater company that trained youth in social justice change initiatives and received a Mayor's Award for her activist work. Estella's religious roots are in the Pentecostal tradition, yet she holds a liberal theology and a very progressive ideology. She has just moved to this community. A problem people perceive with her candidacy is that her accent is "so thick" that many people don't understand her (choose any accent that works for you!). She has often been told that she needs to learn "how to speak real English." Wild card move: She goes to the White Allies meeting and says she fears her application won't be taken seriously because of her accent.
Chip Brightwater, 24, a White, heterosexual male, is a high-energy person with an eternal sense of optimism. Even when talking about serious matters, he refuses to see the challenging side of things, and simply dismisses people who raise serious questions. Chip worked in a soup kitchen his senior year in college, where for the first time he witnessed the effects of injustice. He says it changed his life. With his newly acquired bachelor's degree, Chip wants to convince the congregation that his serious commitment to injustice makes him eligible for the job. Wild card move: He offers to work free for the first year. He goes to each group or committee, states his case, and says offensive things to each group (e.g., to a Person of Color, "Your people have come a long way. I'm proud of you;" or, "I used to drink with a lesbian; I think you're cool", or, while shaking hands with a man or woman: "Well, aren't you simply just an attractive human being!"...etc.)
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LEADER RESOURCE 2: WILD CARDS
During the simulation, visit all the committees and groups and observe of what is happening. As committees and groups begin to achieve a sense of purpose or direction, it may be a good time to throw in a "wild card" to complicate their task. You may only have time for a few wild cards. You might find it interesting to give a different card to different groups, or drop the same catastrophe in every group. Feel free to create your own wild cards if you imagine something that would add complexity and increase learning in the simulation.
Here are some interruptions you might insert into the simulation:
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LEADER RESOURCE 3: GETTING UNSTUCK
Sometimes a group rambles or has no spark (not a good thing for a simulation!). If a group seems lost and needs a sense of direction, "coach" them toward a more active and provocative stance by suggesting that they employ one of these strategies. Note: Some of these strategies can be adapted for use as wild cards.
The Board
White Allies
Social Justice Working Group
People of Color Caucus
Random Congregants
FIND OUT MORE
The UUA Multicultural Growth & Witness staff group offers resources, curricula, trainings, and tools to help Unitarian Universalist congregations and leaders engage in the work of antiracism, antioppression, and multiculturalism. Visit www.uua.org/multicultural (at www.uua.org/multicultural) or email multicultural @ uua.org (at mailto:multicultural@uua.org) to learn more.