Units 1 - 3

1. When did you first become aware of your own race?

2. What do you remember from childhood about how you made sense of human differences? What confused you?

3. What childhood experiences did you have with friends or adults who were different from you in some way?

4. On a scale of 0-5, how comfortable are you talking about race/racism? Explain.

0 = I would rather not talk about race/racism.

1 = I am very uncomfortable talking about race/racism.

2 = I am usually uncomfortable talking about race/racism.

3 = I am sometimes uncomfortable talking about race/racism.

4 = I am usually comfortable talking about race/racism.

5 = I am very comfortable talking about race/racism.

5. Were you able to connect with any thoughts and ideas expressed in the video?

6. As a school, how comfortable are we collectively in talking about race/racism?

7. Why did you join this book group? What are you hoping to gain from it personally?

8. What goals should we set for this group? What do we want to accomplish and/or grapple with collectively in our shared context? As a result of our work together, what are some potential outcomes you envision?

These principles were developed by Grassroots Leadership (Charlotte, NC) Barriers and Bridges program, a precursor and contributor to the Dismantling Racism process for which this workbook is designed. These principles speak to the assumptions and values that ground dismantling racism work.

1. We need an analysis of how oppression works. This is not simply about reducing prejudice. This is about radically changing the way we do things, about redistributing power.

2. There is a difference between appreciating diversity and recognizing oppression and abuse of power.

3. To build multi-cultural organizations, we have to build cross- cultural relationships one-on-one.

4. In order to do that, we have to be willing to do personal work, learn more about who we are, and change.

5. On the other hand, we can’t build multi-cultural organizations alone; we have to build a strong team of people committed to the same goal.

6. We must be open to doing things differently, sometimes radically so, than we’ve done them in the past. We may have to redefine the very things we thought were basic.

7. We need to learn that points of resistance, both within ourselves and as exhibited by others, are the sources of greatest learning. We must recognize discomfort as a signal for learning rather than an excuse for withdrawal or defensiveness.

8. We need to acknowledge that we get out of this process what we put in. We must be open to learning even if it is not packaged in ways that we expect or in ways with which we feel comfortable. We must be actively engaged in the learning process.

9. In this work we must learn to seek to understand before turning to judgment. At the same time, we can expect, and we deserve, appropriate, loving, and just behavior.

10. Change is often experienced by those in power as moving too quickly and by those with less power as moving too slowly. Change does not need to be slow, but often is.