Inclusion

Description

The artifact that I’ve selected for Learning Outcome 2 was written for C&T 807: Multicultural Education and the goal was to understand Sue et al. (2007) and McIntosh’s (1988) article and unpack the meaning in them. For me, this reflection is about understanding racial identity and cultural identity and for me it is also a reflection on male privilege. In the reflection, I quote a couple ideas and show my own experience related to those articles. The first part of the artifact relates my own identity and thoughts about race. The second part is a self critique where I push myself to do better with my male privilege.

Rationale

I selected this reflection from C&T 807 because it succinctly described my personal experiences with racial identity and discrimination. It also allowed me to look at how my own personal and professional choices discriminated against others. The reflection allowed me to understand how some of the readings in the course encouraged me to make changes in my work space and in my interactions with others.

As I describe in the rationale, the readings of Sue (2007, p.272) helped me to think about my own cultural identity, and some of the challenges with the anger I felt from racial discrimination as a young person. I engaged in critical self-reflection to situate myself as cultural Cherokee and explained what that meant to me. I explored my identity through describing microaggressions that I have experienced with my peers, including other Cherokee people. In the artifact, I also explored McIntosh (1988) to come to the realization that despite my “unprivileged” status as Cherokee, I do have a privileged identity as a male.

As a direct result of this artifact, I became more aware and committed to inclusive environments. I realized that I am much more competitive at work, an environment that does not always reward Cherokee traditional values. In that context I am much more likely to engage in conflict, and need to be much more direct. I seem to cut less slack for my peers and feel a need to assert myself professionally, this makes me less likely to promote other people’s thoughts and words. As a Cherokee man I know my social role is more passive in certain settings, and when we work with women in mixed settings I am expected to be indirect and avoid conflict. However I have noted that I am much less “Cherokee” at work than I am elsewhere. This is ironic as I work for the Cherokee Nation.

At times, even there, I adapt my communication style to meet a more culturally Cherokee expectation of behavior, but more often than not I do not show the deference to women that I do in my personal life. This has led me to not push to make space for the voices and agencies of the women around me, as I do not feel that the environment allows me to step back without political, and social consequences at the workplace. Our coursework has caused me to pause and second guess my behavior, and McIntosh’s (1988) article pushed me to reflect on my male privilege and realize how I should leverage that privilege to strengthen the opportunity of my female co-workers and provide a space for their voice to be clearly supported.

Not only did I realize I needed to correct this behavior, I became aware that I should do it in a Cherokee way. The values of our Cherokee people have few spaces to grow and flourish, the Cherokee Language Department and specifically the ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ ᎠᏂᏫᏒᏍᎩ, Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program (CLMAP), should be completely supportive of women and foster Cherokee values and behavior as well as language. Since writing the artifact for C&T 807, I together with my team have endeavored to do just that, ensuring women not only have a voice, a support to express their agency but also equal pay and status. When I have the opportunity to promote a woman language leader, I now dial back my competitive urge to take a step back and let her take the lead, as a good Cherokee should.

References

Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions

in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.

McIntosh, P. (1988). White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. White privilege and male privilege: a personal account of

coming to see correspondences through work in women's studies, 85(2), pp. 70-81. Wellesley, MA: Wellesley College, Center for

Research on Women