Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Describing Diversity

[Tom Smyth (tom]

Oh, and how timely: everyone should join this live online workshop tonight:

HEALING FROM TOXIC WHITENESS TO BETTER FIGHT FOR RACIAL JUSTICE

https://compassionateactivism.leadpages.co/workshop-healing-whiteness/

I'll be there along with a bunch of others from Touchstone!

On Thu, Sep 15, 2016 at 8:37 AM, Tom Smyth <tom [at] sassafras.coop> wrote:

> 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
>
>


-- 
Tom Smyth

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