Democratizing Discourse about Race: Race Roundtables Abigail Kolb, Ph.D & Taralyn Keese, MSW, ABD

How it Began Student concerns Looking for answers and didn’t have them Hoped they could come together as community Solution-focused

Race and Quality of Life/Health Outcomes Racial Injustice and Student Well-Being Research- 3 consistent outcomes Social setting/environment Intergenerational & life-span effects of discrimination Chronicity of discrimination Exposure to everyday discrimination = more strongly associated with race than socioeconomic status (Schulz, 2006) African American women & stress African Americans disproportionate disease and mortality. Chronic health issues Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, & psychological distress disproportionately affects African Americans (see Alang et al., 2017; Anderson, 2013; CDC.gov, 2017; Davis et al., 2003; Mays et al., 2007; Menash et al., 2005)

Student Demographics Student demographics: Income level: Race/ethnicity: 61.7% Black or African American 22.4% White 5.3% Asian 2.7% Two or more races 2.5% Hispanic/Latinx

Community Demographics Community Factors 84% of children in Clayton County live in communities that scored low or very low on child well being. The Child Well- Being Index is a tool that measures 3 dimensions of child well-being. 1. Child Measures= 7 indicators Clayton Child Score 30.6 Regional: 53.0   2. Parent Measures= 3 indicators Clayton Family Score 45.7 Regional: 62.5 3. Community Measures= 4 indicators Clayton Community Score 40.1 Regional: 62.3 Neighborhood Nexus and the Atlanta Regional Commission were the primary partners in the development of the Child Well-Being Index. The Child Well-Being Index and other data in the data snapshot come from a variety of sources and reflect the most recent available data for 2015. http://impact.uwga.org/CWB_Data_Sources.pdf

Roundtables 1, 2, & 3 Can whites be allies? – Snake analogy Activism & resistance “Before attending this event, I had never been in a conversation dealing with race with another human being let alone a classroom full of human beings. This was an opportunity that will stick with me forever….Personally, being so young and dealing with the pressure of finishing school, I sometimes feel like there is nothing I can do to help the situation of inequality in America…I now feel empowered in believing that there is something I can do to help. There were many different options given to me such as attending local marchers [sic], town hall meetings, and becoming an advocate for social change. I look forward to attending more events like this one it has given me the voice that I never knew I had. It has also shown me that there are many people who face the same challenges that I face” “I am never really exposed to the ‘white point of view’, so having a woman discusses the differences within her community was enlightening…the roundtable caused me to reevaluate my individual responsibility to reflect my communal responsibilities. I am grateful for the liberty of being allowed to be included in something like the Race Roundtable that many others may never have the opportunity to encounter” Know Your Rights training (ACLU) – 1st & 4th Amendments

Challenge: White Fragility Dwindling numbers Do not participate in discussion Resistance to hearing African American students’ concerns “I thought the comment made by Professor Keese that if one white person was in a room of black people, as long as there was one white male everyone else was a minority as [sic] inappropriate, general, and not helpful towards the discussion. In my employment blacks and whites are treated equally and neither the blacks nor the white in that example would feel like a minority. There was no mention that what started out with hopes of a more racially harmonious nation to have the first black American president- instead created a worse racial divide. I chose not to voice a contradictory voice as a minority in the room. There was an obvious climate that intimidated my disagreement with some of the propositions stated. I would have liked the discussion to be less ‘anti-white’”.

Challenge: Asian Apathy Asian students largely disengaged Most were on their computers during the sessions No participation during discussion

Challenge: Black Frustration How to manage cross racial conversations fueled by frustration from Black students that have limited understanding and tolerance for Whites who don’t “get it”. Avoiding venting and tangential commentaries Black students express apprehension that discussions will lead to change.

Future Directions Data collection Changing the name Should within race conversations precede cross-racial discussions What do students need from faculty, staff, & the university? Questions: Engaging white students? Creating safe space that promotes democratization of discourse? Faculty apathy?

Thank You! Abigail Kolb Taralyn Keese abigailkolb@clayton.edu taralynkeese@clayton.edu