Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Describing Diversity

[Tom Smyth (tom]

Sharon, thanks for having the courage to post this and be vulnerable.
Diversity is always an emotional topic.

I think there are some straightforward answers to your questions, at least
in the social justice circles I move in.

> This information is based on the assumptions of the webmasters, not
self-identification, and is given without definitions. Who is non-white?
Clearly subjective.

Yes, self-identification is important, and therefore race is somewhat
subjective, but I don't think that white people falsely identifying as
people of color is a very big problem in today's society. There have been a
few noteworthy cases (e.g. Rachel Dolezal) but generally people from the
dominant group tend to want to stay in the dominant group.

So I would suggest that if you have concerns about your webmaster
mis-identifying some people, ask them to check with the person in question.
Should be easily resolvable.

> One of our Hispanic members is convinced she has African American
ancestry—“Look at me." How would you classify our Indian members? The
British call them black. Or the "bi-racial children"? Is it fair to call
them non-white or white? And is “white” pejorative when everyone else has a
nationality? European is better and Caucasian more accurate. Are Hispanics
white or Hispanic?

I don't think you need to complicate things to this extent. What matters
most is the distinction between the dominant group (white people) and those
outside it (the most accepted term these days is "people of color" -- I
would suggest this over "non-white" as it's more positive and affirming). What
also matters is not what the British think, but what is the reality of race
and racial divides in your community and society. And as you've stated, all
you have to do is ask. If a person you assumed was "Hispanic" request to be
counted as white, of course, honor that, and vice versa.

Others in this thread have expressed nicely why it is important to state
this explicitly. I think the alternative wording you gave ("from many
ethnic, religious and cultural traditions") makes it sound like you maybe
have a few Jewish people and some Eastern Europeans. Race is important,
even though it is a social construction. Ethnicity is just as much of a
social construction as race. And make no mistake, the Black Lives Matter
movement and the accompanying social struggle currently raging in this
country are all about race, not ethnicity.

If I were in your community, I would prefer the issue of racial diversity
be not addressed at all on the website rather than use this alternative
text, as it seems to want to avoid the issue, and is emblematic of the
"color-blind" mindset that others have mentioned as problematic, and about
which much has been written. I encourage you to read up on it. I'd be happy
to provide pointers if you're interested.

Again, thank you for sharing this as it is a hugely important topic!

On Sun, Sep 11, 2016 at 12:57 PM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] 
sharonvillines.com
> wrote:

>
> How does your community describe diversity in your community. This
> sentence has been suggested for our website:
>
> >  In early 2016, approximately 20% of residents were non-white, 8% of
> adults identified as LGBT, and several of us were living with disabilities.
>
> I objected to last week when I saw it on several grounds. This information
> is based on the assumptions of the webmasters, not self-identification, and
> is given without definitions. Who is non-white? Clearly subjective.
>
> One of our Hispanic members is convinced she has African American
> ancestry—“Look at me." How would you classify our Indian members? The
> British call them black. Or the "bi-racial children"? Is it fair to call
> them non-white or white? And is “white” pejorative when everyone else has a
> nationality? European is better and Caucasian more accurate. Are Hispanics
> white or Hispanic?
>
> If I am African American, do I become a statistic? If I’m Hispanic and
> came from Scandinavia, am I twofer?
>
> The intent is clear and the definitions are probably “standard” but even
> the Census now allows “mixed”. Race is also considered a social construct
> with no validity. And we don’t think of each other that way. It
> misrepresents the community to identify members with these distinctions.
> The point is to be diverse because it not an issue, not because it is.
>
> My suggestion is more like:
>
> > We have households with members who are partnered and single; from many
> ethnic, religious and cultural traditions; variously abled and challenged;
> parents and non-parents; and of differing sexual orientations and
> nationalities.
> >
> > Some watch television and others don’t; some are fat and some skinny;
> some vegan, vegetarian, and omnivores; and parents and non-parents. Avid
> gardeners and others who just enjoy watching. Some are up at dawn to call
> for the snow plow and others rise somewhere short of noon.
>
> Some humor helps but the seemingly humorous distinctions are also
> important. When I was looking for cohousing, I eliminated one eco-village
> when the contact said, “Oh, we even have people who watch television.”
> Those are the things some people are looking for. The lifestyle issues.
> Will I be considered weird? Or sinful? Or not politically correct?
>
> The vegan and vegetarian thing is a deal breaker for some people, as is
> being an omnivore in some communities.
>
> I think how we identify each other is a very important issue and has been
> since the 1970s with the civil rights movements. It can easily separate
> rather than welcome.
>
> Sharon
> ----
> Sharon Villines
> Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
> http://www.takomavillage.org
>
>
>
>
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-- 
Tom Smyth

Worker-Owner, Sassafras Tech Collective
Specializing in innovative, usable tech for social change
sassafras.coop *·* @sassafrastech