On Mon, Oct 23, 2017 at 12:09 PM, Annaka Sikkink wrote:
Hello everyone--
I can't believe there's only 2 more weeks of our discussions! This sure has gone quickly for me.
Invitation:
The Economic Justice Task Force will be meeting after church next week on the 29th. We are discussing the idea of a retreat in early 2018 to continue the work of the Allyship series. We want to provide an opportunity to discern as individuals and as a congregation how we could move forward in seeking allies, and working more effectively with allies we already know. We also want to provide another format for folks who couldn't do Sunday mornings. If anyone would like to join a planning team for that retreat, please join us on Sunday.
Can't make it Sunday, or don't want to sign up for another committee? Just send any ideas, suggestions, etc. to me or Shirley Birt.
Summary of Sunday discussion 10/22
Today we were thinking about leadership, and who "naturally" takes leadership in a group, and whether that "natural" situation is really the best for our Allyship relationships. Specifically, Step 5 suggests:
Step 5: Support the leadership of people who have lived or are living in poverty
Due to social and economic oppression, people in poverty are rarely given positions of significant leadership. Part of the work of ending poverty is reversing this pattern, starting in our own social change efforts. So it is of utmost importance that an ally respects the leadership of groups and individuals who have experienced long-term poverty, and supports their self-determination and self-efficacy. An ally who is economically privileged should as much as possible try not to exert power over the decision making of people from less privileged backgrounds.
We did a simulation activity where small groups tried to have a discussion, while systematically including or excluding certain members of the group (at random). Although our group was perhaps a bit too inclusive and patient :-) we started to see how quickly communication patterns can emerge that silence some, and privilege the speech of others. We reflected on how those kinds of dynamics in the real world are not random, but often indicate racial or class privilege.
We also discussed different notions of leadership focused on inclusion, support and listening. Finally, we discussed how important it is to be inclusive when setting goals for an allyship coalition, and I shared a story of where I missed that point when seeking to collaborate with a community organization.
Reading reflection for the coming week 10/29
The upcoming chapter is probably my favorite out of the book. It represents some significant learning for me that came out of my job assisting low income folks with job searching. We'll be talking about cultural differences and how to navigate them successfully.
Some questions for reflection this week:
1) How often have you found yourself immersed in another culture? Think beyond just travel experiences to different class cultures, religious cultures, professional cultures here at home. What was it like to feel out of your element?
2) How do you stay authentic to your own values and cultural patterns, even when that might be discomforting or disorienting to others? Can you think of a time when your food, dress, speech patterns, etc. made someone else uncomfortable? Can you think of a time when you tried to change your behavior to accommodate someone else?
3) What does it mean to be "professional" and who gets to decide what is and isn't?
Thanks everyone for your ongoing engagement. See you soon!
Annaka
Hello everyone--
I can't believe there's only 2 more weeks of our discussions! This sure has gone quickly for me.
Invitation:
The Economic Justice Task Force will be meeting after church next week on the 29th. We are discussing the idea of a retreat in early 2018 to continue the work of the Allyship series. We want to provide an opportunity to discern as individuals and as a congregation how we could move forward in seeking allies, and working more effectively with allies we already know. We also want to provide another format for folks who couldn't do Sunday mornings. If anyone would like to join a planning team for that retreat, please join us on Sunday.
Can't make it Sunday, or don't want to sign up for another committee? Just send any ideas, suggestions, etc. to me or Shirley Birt.
Summary of Sunday discussion 10/22
Today we were thinking about leadership, and who "naturally" takes leadership in a group, and whether that "natural" situation is really the best for our Allyship relationships. Specifically, Step 5 suggests:
Step 5: Support the leadership of people who have lived or are living in poverty
Due to social and economic oppression, people in poverty are rarely given positions of significant leadership. Part of the work of ending poverty is reversing this pattern, starting in our own social change efforts. So it is of utmost importance that an ally respects the leadership of groups and individuals who have experienced long-term poverty, and supports their self-determination and self-efficacy. An ally who is economically privileged should as much as possible try not to exert power over the decision making of people from less privileged backgrounds.
We did a simulation activity where small groups tried to have a discussion, while systematically including or excluding certain members of the group (at random). Although our group was perhaps a bit too inclusive and patient :-) we started to see how quickly communication patterns can emerge that silence some, and privilege the speech of others. We reflected on how those kinds of dynamics in the real world are not random, but often indicate racial or class privilege.
We also discussed different notions of leadership focused on inclusion, support and listening. Finally, we discussed how important it is to be inclusive when setting goals for an allyship coalition, and I shared a story of where I missed that point when seeking to collaborate with a community organization.
Reading reflection for the coming week 10/29
The upcoming chapter is probably my favorite out of the book. It represents some significant learning for me that came out of my job assisting low income folks with job searching. We'll be talking about cultural differences and how to navigate them successfully.
Some questions for reflection this week:
1) How often have you found yourself immersed in another culture? Think beyond just travel experiences to different class cultures, religious cultures, professional cultures here at home. What was it like to feel out of your element?
2) How do you stay authentic to your own values and cultural patterns, even when that might be discomforting or disorienting to others? Can you think of a time when your food, dress, speech patterns, etc. made someone else uncomfortable? Can you think of a time when you tried to change your behavior to accommodate someone else?
3) What does it mean to be "professional" and who gets to decide what is and isn't?
Thanks everyone for your ongoing engagement. See you soon!
Annaka