[I am including here numbers not presented that I obtained from Wikipedia’s citation of the 2010 U.S. Census.
Karen asked us three key questions; as one might imagine there were many comments, views, opinions, and thoughts expressed.
1. How often do you think about the color of your skin?
2. How do you think race relations are now compared to in the past (like three years ago)? Better? Worse? The same?
3. What are we (the white people in the class) doing with our privilege?
There was a discussion of when is a response a deflection of criticism and when can it be an opportunity to express empathy.
Some discussion centered on the Biblical story of Moses, the Hebrews, and the Egyptians. [Parenthetical note: there are no white people in the Bible.] Thinking of ourselves as Egyptians, how do we escape “the oppressor class?” The hard question was, “Can White people (in particular, White Men) change?” Saying “This isn’t us” is not enough. What actions can be taken to transform the system into one of abundance for all?
However, perhaps what is needed before action is contemplated is to immerse ourselves in what is truly “cringeworthy” in the system.
It appears that one ongoing result of our discussions will be the interaction between becoming aware and becoming uncomfortable; and that is a two-way street.
Awareness <—> Discomfort
Peace,
— Duncan Taylor
Week 2 addition: Karen distributed (and I only read it later), the following (long) article on “Slavery in the Quaker World”:
https://www.friendsjournal.org/slavery-in-the-quaker-world/?fbclid=IwAR2x5k71I6BCvsLx5Idhp9imoPBQAzFE0zITqD6aBtBfeynI7110V0u6ejg
She particularly highlighted the sections, "Rethinking the History of Slavery, Race, and Abolition,” "Protestant Supremacy,” and "From Protestant Supremacy to White Supremacy.”
