When Race is the Issue

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When Race is the Issue

• Henri McClenney
• Ann McBroom

2
Acknowledgment

• Leah Wing
• Deepika Marya

3
Introductions

• Find a partner
• Tell your name story to your partner
• Find another pair
• Introduce your partner through his or her name
  story

4

• The Ideal
• The Politically Correct
• The Real

• I am color-blind.
• I follow the rules.
• I am confused about the impacts of race.

5
Fairness and Mediation The Myths

• Procedural symmetry Procedural fairness
• Neutrality all voices heard

6
Narrative Components

• Characters
• Chronology
• Meaning
• Conflict Stories My goodness is connected to
  your badness.

7
Counter Narrative

• The dominant narrative is more familiar and takes
  less time to tell.
• Each story has to have an impact of the future
  mutual story.
• It is the mediators job to make sure that
  identity stories have time to surface.
• Whoever tells the first story has the most
  influence on the outcome.

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Inviting the Counter Narrative

• Signal in the opening statement that identity
  stories are welcome.
• Consider who will tell their story first.
• Consider who to caucus with first.
• Be careful not to reframe the identity story by
  de-racializing the story..

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Holding Both Stories

• The story of race will often involve shame and
  guilt.
• Responses to race stories are often defensive.
• Prepare the parties in caucus for the potential
  of a defensive response.
• Continue to hold both stories.

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When Identity Falls Off the Table

• Parties may self-censor due to lack of trust.
• A statement about identity is met with silence or
  denial.
• Identity conversation is replaced with rule
  conversation.

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Goals in Conflict Conversations

• Group with less Societal Power
• Acknowledgment
• Social change

• Group with more Societal Power
• Make it safe
• Reconcile the relationship

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Building the Bridge

• Do your own work on racism it will show
  through.
• Pay attention to structure and strategy.
• What is considered neutral, and the very goal of
  conflict resolution as defined is actually
  mainstream. Be self-conscious.