Positive Actions



Taken from Wing Sue, Derald, Race Talk and the Conspiracy of Silence, 2015.

What can you do?

  • Understand one’s own racial/cultural identity.
  • Acknowledge and be open to biases.
  • Be comfortable and open to discussions.
  • Understand emotions.
  • Validate and facilitate discussion of feelings.
  • Control the process NOT the content.
  • Unmask dialogue through observations and interventions.
  • Do not allow difficult dialogue to be brewed in silence.
  • Understand differences in communication styles.
  • Forewarn, plan, and purposefully instigate conversation.
  • Validate, encourage, and express admiration and appreciation to participants who speak when it is unsafe for them to do so.