Pushing Back on Racism: Using Critical Reflection to Challenge Unconscious Bias

Race and Racism_ A Critical Dialogue.pdf

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The attached file here is a frank and open conversation fitly entitled Race and Racism: A Critical Dialogue. It documents an important conversation between two faculty members and depicts what is possible when two colleagues from different social context form a collaborative partnership to give insight to an issue we know exist but too often refuse to acknowledge in a way that illustrates a path to sustainable solutions. The dialogue demonstrates vulnerability and conscientiousness but more importantly reflects a refreshing honesty that can transform the mindset of any reflective practitioner looking for a key to navigate the reality of racism.

In chapter nine, Brookfield (2015) articulates that teaching about racism has two sides of equal importance. The first is teaching about his own racism and the second aspect is that of using critical lens to probe curricula, institutional policies and organisational practices for evidence of structural disenfranchisement.

The author purports that using narratives of how racism moves within him personally as an entry point to discuss racism guard against the error of proselytising and contempt towards less racially enlightened colleagues.

Additionally, Brookfield (2015) speaks to how he learned racism through the natural order of whiteness in the era and society in which he grew up. He further highlighted the impact of two important counter stories in his lived experiences that transformed his mindset and the constant challenge of confronting the movement of racism within him.

The author went on to speak to uncovering racial micro aggressions reflected in the small acts of covert exclusion and marginalisation committed by a dominant group toward a minority. He highlights whites as natural gatekeepers and leaders given their positionality and the fact that colleagues of colour need white ally to progress in the context of western societies.

Exhortations to conduct dialogue across differences are frequent, but actual instances of this are rare (Brookfield, 2015). This blog is meant to stimulate conversations about gatekeeping in higher education. As white and in the context of British Columbia's higher education, white and asian faculty members and clinical practitioners, who serve on hiring committees, ponder on what does your gatekeeping say? With the selection of team members for project collaboration, what culture is being established in institutions of work? Reflect on Brookfield's observation that "between declaring a readiness to work in anti-racist ways and actually doing this lies an ocean of experiential contradictions(Brookfield, 2015)". Does the work being done reveals alignment between the claim of readiness and enacted practices or maintaining hegemony? Is there scrutiny of reflexive actions through critical lens to answer the question of what drives actions and choices?

As a white educator, teaching about ones own racism requires tact and skill to prevent confirmation and justification for racism (Brookfield, 2015). For non-white educators who do not teach a course related to humanities, patience for the teachable moments that comes from learners own curiosity or micro-aggression mania in the classroom is imperative since raising such topic out of context could present a barrier that permanently impact the learning dynamics in the course.

References

1. Brookfield, S.D. (2015). The skillful teacher (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

2. Peterson, E. A. and Brookfield, S. D. (2007). "Race and Racism: A Critical Dialogue," Adult Education Research Conference. https://newprairiepress.org/aerc/2007/papers/81