ANTI-BIAS EDUCATION GOALS
©Louise Derman-Sparks, 1992
Revised, 1997 (modified in 2007 for this exercise)
Applying the Goals for Adults
Spring 2007
The specific issues and tasks necessary for working towards these goals will vary for members of your work group depending on your CULTURAL backgrounds, ages and life experiences. Focus on the following Anti-bias Education Goal as a work group and discuss the expectations for implementing this goal in your daily life as well as the challenges you will be addressing on your journey to become an Anti-bias Educator.
Goal #1
• NURTURE CONSTRUCTION OF A KNOWLEDGEABLE, CONFIDENT SELF-IDENTITY AND GROUP IDENTITY
This goal mean creating conditions in which you are able to like who you are without needing to feel superior to anyone else. It also means enabling yourself to develop bi-culturally –to be able to effectively interact within your home culture and within the dominant culture. What is meant by group identity for you?
Goals:
• accepting differences
• asking questions of others who are different from yourself.
• feeling confident about self in order to understand others.
• “deeply” interacting with different cultures in order to understand them.
• self-reflection (i.e., who you are!) – keep a journal
• group identity (know who you are) – ask questions to your family
• self-understanding (to help you understand others)
• learning what you can about others (read, research, ask questions, don’t be afraid to have
discussions).
• put prejudices out on the table and listen with an open heart.
• help teach others to like themselves, and be accepting of all cultures.
Challenges:
• having an open mind
• self-acceptance & accepting others
• not being so self-centered - caring about strangers feelings and perspectives (other cultures)
• getting rid of the attitude that you are better than someone.
• many people are resistant to change - reconstruct their beliefs.
Ways of Achieving the Goal:
• keep a journal
• ask questions and spend time with family
• learn about others
• listening with an open heart
• help teach others about being accepting.
Goal #2
• PROMOTE YOUR COMFORTABLE, EMPATHIC INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS
This goal means developing of the cognitive awareness, emotional disposition, and behavioral skills needed to respectfully and effectively learn about differences, comfortably negotiate and adapt to differences; and cognitively understand and emotionally accept the common humanity that all people share. What do you have to do to achieve this?
• keep an open mind
• treat everyone “equal”
• understanding where the person is coming from
• don’t jump the gun and think you know what that person is all about
• be willing to take the time to get to know the person - develop a relationship with the person
• educate yourself, be open to new and different things that are presented to you.
• have an open line of communication to deal with issues
• understand people’s thoughts and situation
• think before reacting to gain understanding with people’s thoughts and ideas
• start groups to meet on current controversial topics that would help communities learn each
other’s cultures and ways which would bring change where everyone can find a line of understanding
•use positive methods that have had success in bringing awareness and knowledge to people who
are blind to a diverse society.
• we can step out of our own ideal world and look at other cultures in a positive perspective.
• accepting that everyone is different but still have an open mind to them and their needs; but
not making them feel shameful of where they came from.
• walking a mile in their shoes
•be willing to hear where they are coming from
• all people have a different story to tell and no two stories are alike; but their story may help
us understand them and where they are coming from.
• understand that people all have different past that may affect the present.
• instead of feeling sorry for their situation, put yourself in their shoes. Think about what that “person” (individually) is going through.
• listen to what others have to say instead of trying to guess or speak for them.
• share similar experiences and point out differences while accepting diversity.
• be open minded and don’t think just because something is unheard of to you doesn’t mean it
doesn’t exist
• in a disagreement or dispute, try to see both sides to a story other than leaving it as a major
difference
• instead of figuring out whom is correct realize that many sides to a situation is correct in
their own way – there’s no wrong answer
Goal #3
• FOSTER YOUR CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT BIAS
This goal means developing of the cognitive skills to identify “unfair” and “untrue” images (stereotypes), comments (teasing, name calling), and behaviors (discrimination) directed at one’s own or others’ identities (be they gender, race, ethnicity, disability, class, age, weight, etc.) AND having the emotional empathy to know that bias hurts. What steps will you take to achieve this goal?
• teach students that each child is their own person with different interests, not based on
racial or cultural background
• teach children that everyone looks different, racially and physically, therefore beauty is
dependent on one’s personality – not body
• don’t underestimate those who are mentally/physically handicapped, inferiority lies in
personality , not intellect
• teach what it’s like to walk the oppressed shoes
• best thing one can ever do is just talk, and educate these truths to the best of one’s ability
• everyone is different
• putting yourself in someone else’s shoes
• be helpful to those who need it
• speak up
• value diversity
• look passed outward appearance
•don’t put others down because they are not like you
• make “different” cool
• have open forums in order to discuss/share “differences” in identities (personality, ethnicity,
religion…differences about oneself)
• point out difference as positive, and something to be learned from
• bring to light the ridiculousness of being biased – assumptions
• learn where the bias comes from and why it hurts
• expose yourself to numerous cultures
• develop a knowledge base – knowledge of yourself and your biases – ask yourself questions
• focus on the victimized and victimizer
• be aware of differences
• be patient and learn
• act on it – when you hear children teasing, name calling – address the issue head-on
• think about how you would feel if someone called you a name – making fun of you
• think before you speak
Goal #4
• CULTIVATE YOUR ABILITY TO STAND UP FOR YOURSELF AND FOR OTHERS IN THE FACE OF BIAS
This “activism” goal includes learning and practicing a variety of ways to act: (a) when another person acts in a biased manner toward you or others, (b) when you act in a biased manner toward another person or group. Goal four builds on goal three: Critical thinking and empathy are necessary components of acting for oneself or others in the face of bias.
• think before you speak
• among friends and family, don’t make jokes or talk about other races or your own race in a
derogatory manner
• when you hear someone else putting down other races, stand up for them – don’t just go along
with it – say something
• educate yourself
• a way to do so is to question the reasoning behind the way they think and act – don’t put up
walls
• think before your react and think if the tables were turned how would you feel
• question why
• apologize, walk away, realize why you did what you did
• apologize and ask the person to tell you a little about their cultural background
• make that person aware:
(a) • asking questions to see the other person’s reasoning for such action
• explain yourself – your history, background
• understand that a person has past experiences
• express your feelings and how it makes you feel
• be knowledgeable, share your story
(b) • question why
• who is affected?
• put yourself in someone else’s shoes and try and understand
• learn to be empathetic
• be open mind
(a) I believe if another person were to act bias towards me, I would try to be kind to them in hopes that they would slowly change their views and realize that not all people are the same. Maybe ask question about why they feel that way and give them a little background story about who I am.
(b) I know in past experiences, I may have acted bias towards other people and I really had to stop and think about what effect I might have had on that person. People should act the way they want to be treated and nobody should be treated as if they were less of a person.
• Past experiences about certain people should not effect how you see all people of that race or
gender.
(a) I would try to talk to them and help them see that they are being bias because sometimes people do not see it in themselves.
(b) I will ask some of the people around me. For example, family, friends, etc. to let me know when I am acting in a bias way towards others. Then I would make sure to apologize to the person or group for acting in a bias manner and I will remind myself about the incident and how wrong it was.
• if you’re with friends, don’t make jokes or other racist comments – even if it is a joke
• not generalizing one group because of a past experience
strategies:
• call them on it – nip it in the bud - educate
• look at them in the eye and tell them you don’t like it – show them that you’re not
afraid
• defend and educate
• be more open minded – communicate: talk about issues – build relationships
• try to talk to that person in a patient manner
• be open minded: listen first then respond
• don’t back down – always try to educate them so that maybe they won’t do it to the next person
• always try to be patient, as to get your point across
• don’t be intimidated
• be open minded – when I notice I am acting in a biased manner – I try to learn more about
the person without forming misconceptions
• communication
• patience
• stand up for self and others
• be an active listener
• be open minded – see their point of view
The four Anti-bias Education Goals interact with and build on each other. Their combined intent is to empower each person to resist the negative impact of racism on their development and to grow as adults who will want and be able to work with others to eliminate all forms of oppression. In other words, the underlying intent is not to end racism in one generation by changing attitudes and behaviors, but to promote critical thinkers and activists who can work for social change and participate in creating a caring culture in a world of differences.