In Session 3 for Group A, we had a really interesting discussion on the intersectionality between disability, gender, faith and race, hosted by Terry Finnigan and Stacey Leigh Ross, where we unpacked our experiences and any strategies on how as a tutor do we hold opposing ideas within a classroom space. A case study was shared, where there was a conflict between a Muslim and queer student, during a pop-up show, over the content of work that was being showcased. One of my peers on the PGCert beautifully articulated how their approach would be to deal with the situation with a lot of love, empathy and compassion for all parties involved. “The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. – Bell Hooks” This is my usual style and approach, with how I choose to exist in the world and also as a tutor, that is by nature in a position of authority.
As we progressed in the session, we looked at “Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones – Shades of Noir: Journals” (pp 105), where a tutor used discriminatory language within a classroom space. We again discussed how if we were present, how would we have responded. Terry said something during that discussion which really connected with me; it is not the intention of the person, as often the intention might not be cause any harm or distress, however we do not measure the intention, but rather the impact. What was the impact of those comments on those students? Impact is measured through open dialogue and communication, and action needs to be taken to resolve any hurt or trauma. This is something I plan to integrate within my teaching and professional practice, when working with my students. Tutors (and other students) need to consider how they impact others, in order for us to create a safe space.
In the “Witness Unconscious Bias” Ted Talk video, Josephine Kwhali states that within this day age, where diversity is a core strategy and continuous discussion, especially within British universities, it is unfair to grant people the liberty of acting in a negative fashion with the excuse of unconscious biases. Although unconscious bias exists, we need to empower people and hold them accountable to meet a certain standard, as otherwise the cause for concern is, what action needs to be taken for people to realise the importance of diversity. Academic staff need to understand the criticality of the consequences of their actions, especially on POC staff and students. Unconscious bias cannot be an excuse, and action needs to be taken based on impact, not intention.
All About Love: New Visions – Bell Hooks
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones – Shades of Noir: Journals (pp 105)
Witness Unconscious Bias Ted Talk video
3 responses to “Blog 3) Race”
“The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. – Bell Hooks”
This will stay with me forever. Love and kindness have always been my way, but now there is a beautiful, articulate definition to support it. Spread LOVE!!
Thank you Kyinat.
I love your reflections on intention and impact – so relevant to all our teaching practices. Sometimes it’s hard to measure the impact, in a positive way we may only see it months later when a student has had a chance to digest learnings and apply them to their own practice and creative output. However, impact can also be very negative. It so useful for us to put ourselves in someones else’s shoes – a throw away comment can have a huge impact on an individual. As you say “Impact is measured through open dialogue and communication, and action needs to be taken to resolve any hurt or trauma.” You speak about the importance of creating a safe space for all our students to converse, debate and discuss. Thank you for your writing – you have inspired me to think about how I can create such an environment for my students and consider the impact of my own words and actions while teaching.
Hello Kyinat,
I really appreciate your insights and reflections here, I came to the comments section to say essentially what Sarah has already, in the reply above.
The notion of impact as a(soft)metric rather than the intent being the measure is a great takeaway from your thoughtful writing.
Many times, we excuse those who “didn’t mean to” or “didn’t realise” as we measure the act and dismiss the consequence in relation to this – whether it is deemed an unconscious bias, ignorance or thoughtlessness ( or all, or something else)
As you remark, action needs to be taken and you will be integrating your learnings into your teaching practice. I subscribe to an affective pedagogy and would be very interested to connect and talk further about ways in which to enact empathy and love in learning moments where this is required.