2022 Meeting Summaries
DECEMBER 18,2022
DECEMBER 18, 2022 CTTT Tucson, 1-3pm NOTES
SUMMARY, CHAPTER 8 Many thanks to Marilyn for the excellent summary of Chapter 8 of the Little Book of Racial Healing. Here are her notes:
Kennedy quote = one we’ve all heard: “Faith without works is dead.”… BUT
Intro: “Action” includes all chapters’ lessons – self education, support of others, circle exploration of healing/values - but Ch. 8 is to inspire, expand on them.
The Elements of Action
1. Continue Our Education -
- For Whites. Still be behind on considering racism mainly OUR problem?
(P. 82, burden of forgiveness, reconciliation primarily White responsibility) Seek comments, additions by group. (Whites, speak last on this.)
2. Community Engagement – TRHT Implementation Guidebook (https://wkkf.issuelab.org/resource/truth-racial-healing-transformation-implementation-guidebook.html )
Sets out step-by-step processes, specific action suggestions. Underlying all: getting to know people, building relationship
Recommend –explore this excellent guidebook as a possible future tool. Its 3 pillars – Separation, Law, Economy are ed, but bridges from study to action.
3. Truth-Telling. An essential first element for building trust
a. – requires safe space
b. – requires environment which will deal w/ address emotions, agenda-driven stories; however,
c. – agreed: ultimate goal must be restoration of community, not blame
“Reconcile, restore, return to” refer NOT to prior healthy B-W relations, but to full humanity for all. (See 4 b, below)
4. Reparations
The slavery’s consequences affect each one of us TODAY - both White and persons of color - that one didn’t personally participate in slavery is no excuse to avoid this subject. Education opportunity for CTTT to offer the community?
a. – See CTTT “Reparations:The Time is Now!” Reparations4Slavery
b. – It’s about transformation to full humanity not financial transaction
5. White Allyship, Becoming Accomplices, resources
-The White Ally Tool Kit by David Campt (https://www.amazon.com/White-Ally-Toolkit-Workbook-Storytelling/dp/1943382034)
-Showing Up for Racial Justice Justicetucsonsurj@gmail.com
-White People for Black Lives Phoenix - wp4blphx@gmail.com
Conclusion: The Big Takeaway:
As lifelong “doers,” most of us may already feel ready to tackle the suggested action work, but it will just be more of the same old do-gooder stuff UNLESS we first educate ourselves then pay careful attention to the uncomfortable steps of Chapters 6 (Circles) and 7 (Healing). Every action, even with the best of intentions, will fail if not founded upon solid, trusting, multiracial relationships. (Note this comes full circle to earlier comment about Kennedy quote.)
I believe it is crucially important that we undertake specific action to foster multiracial trust as our priority upon completion of Chapter 9 next month.
FYI - Little Book’s Recommended Reading List:
The White Ally Tool Kit, https:www.whiteallytoolkit.com
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, Bryan Stevenson
Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice, Paul Kivel
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? Beverly D. Tatum
The Debt: What America Owes to the Blacks, Randall Robinson
MEETING TOPIC: NAACP history, actions by NAACP committees, action as a topic. Dr. Cheree Meeks, President of NAACP Tucson. Many thanks to Dr. Meeks for sharing deeply. We have an opportunity to join and participate in the many actions taking place in Tucson with the intent of connection, equity, and including all at the table.
Dr. Meeks honored the legacy of NAACP, founded in 1909. The Tucson branch was founded in 1919.
National NAACP: https://naacp.org/
NAACP Tucson: https://www.naacptucson.com/
To join NAACP Tucson: https://www.naacptucson.com/membership-application
NAACP Vision:
We envision an inclusive community rooted in liberation where all persons can exercise their civil and human rights without discrimination.
NAACP Mission:
Our mission is to achieve equity, political rights, and social inclusion by advancing policies and practices that expand human and civil rights, eliminate discrimination, and accelerate the well-being, education, and economic security of Black people and all persons of color.
An important question for each: what are YOU willing to do? The answers are variable: show up, start/participate in organizations like CTTT; write letters, send money, show up at institutional functions/offices; read books; speak honestly with a friend, etc.
NAACP Tucson Committees, to name a few.
1. Criminal Justice. Any one interested in attending an information session, please contact Dr. Meeks or the local chapter at naacptucsonbranch@gmail.com
2. Housing: information and access to resources.
3. Political Action: action alerts, access to voter information/education.
4. Youth Council: Black History 365.
5. Health.
6. Women in NAACP
7. Freedom Fund
THE BIG PICTURE: Liberation, Freedom, All Human Beings treated as Human Beings. We must face our fears, and do the work. It’s not about ‘me’, it’s about Humanity.
NEXT MEETING: January 15, 2023
Chapter 9 of the Little Book of Racial Healing and on the topic of Transformation, will be incorporated into a presentation by Raquel Rubio Goldsmith and Isabel Garcia on Stop the Hate.
RESOURCES
PODCASTS
Amy Goodman with Gabor Mate.
In an extended interview, acclaimed physician and author Dr. Gabor Maté discusses his new book, “The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture.” “The very values of a society are traumatizing for a lot of people,” says Maté, who argues in his book that “psychological trauma, woundedness, underlies much of what we call disease.” He says healing requires a reconnection between the mind and the body, which can be achieved through cultivating a sense of community, meaning, belonging and purpose. Maté also discusses how the healthcare system has harmfully promoted the “mechanization of birth,” how the lack of social services for parents has led to “a massive abandonment of infants,” and how capitalism has fueled addiction and the rise of youth suicide rates.
NEWSPAPER:
“German court convicts 97-year-old ex-Nazi camp typist”
· https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/20/german-court-convicts-97-year-old-ex-nazi-camp-typist
· “How a peacemaking circle program born in the Yukon became a key element in North American justice reform”
VIDEOS
· The horrors of the Native boarding school era have gone unacknowledged for too long. Arizona was home to 47 boarding schools, second most in the nation behind only Oklahoma.
NBCUniversal News Group launches 14-part digital series on racial healing: Series will culminate with MSNBC and Telemundo Town Halls on the National Day of Racial Healing Jan. 17.
· You Will Be Someone’s Ancestor; Act Accordingly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfTTRsaYSDU
BOOKS:
Young Adult Literature:
Cheree mentioned Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Two others are:
· The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (tackles a lot of issues around race and the difficult events that propel one person to activism.
· Monster by Walter Dean Myers that gets to the psychological harm of racism.
Becoming Abolitionists
POLICE, PROTESTS, AND THE PURSUIT OF FREEDOM
CLASSES
(From Marge and mentioned at the meeting)
The National Portrait Gallery class I took this month was an incredible way to discuss race through art.
Perspectives: The Atlantic's Writers (https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/perspectives) had us look at a portrait of Frederick Douglass (one most of us had never seen before). The intention with the first portrait was to have us first See and Wonder. After which we would Connect that image to another.
First the discussion of our See. The group's visual observations included: He was young. He was dressed formally. There was no background.
Then our Wonder questions: Where was he in his career? What does the shadow represent? What was the purpose of the portrait? (We found out later this portrait was used for an engraving that would appear in his autobiography).
The discussion moved on to the Connect. This section invited us to Extend and Challenge using a more contemporary photographic portrait of Asa Philip Randolph. We compared this second In-Action demonstration portrait to Douglass's formal portrait. We commented on those walking the line, the signs, a couple on the sidewalk looking on.
We discussed visual components -- again the See. Then Wonder. Then the Challenges that arouse from seeing this photo. What puzzles us? (Observing the formal clothing, about the struggle never ending...)
The facilitators ended with:
"Given our conversations, what new ideas do you have about why it's important to connect past to present."
It was a diverse class with educators from all over the country and the conversation was wonderful. I wish I could have captured it all. The app with commentary and current writers' reflections isn't working on my laptop, but we did get to peek at that writing in relation to these two portraits that we looked at. I think when they get the technical squared away, it might be a wonderful way to structure a conversation...
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
TOPIC: Presentation by Marge, Chapter 7, Working Toward Healing, from the Little Book of Racial Healing.
QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION
1. What does your vision for a healed and transformed world look like?
• Some comments made while considering the questions:
• Reconnect self-parts: the inside and the outside our ourselves.
• Serious consideration of what role hierarchy plays in inequity and lack of inclusion.
• Come in deep contact with our own wounds – don’t expect others to do this hard work when we don’t.
• Consider what ‘create a new narrative for yourself’ means.
• Reflect on the ingredients that made Woodstock full of freedom, love, music, taking place in nature.
• Stop discriminating about other species.
• Government created problems; government needs to fix.
• History, truth for ALL is necessary.
• Develop skill to transform conflict. Most important is active LISTENING.
• Live with and in heart.
• We are on life-support; help others heal.
• Encounter your past to stop, in Resmaa’s words, ‘dirty pain’.
• This work is both individual and communal.
• Denial doesn’t work.
• Imagine a world without defensiveness.
• Transformation and healing rely on equal housing, food, meaningful and fairly paid work.
• Nation states must give real apology for errors, accountability and redress.
• Address our own racism and how it plays out.
2. What works for you here at CTTT Tucson and what would you like to see that we don’t do?
• Have a program on racial justice and climate.
• Working our way through the Little Book is excellent.
• Specific people, specific stories of expertise.
• Getting to know one another is so good.
• More field trips! Trayce is looking into a group watch of Till.
• Economic, science and security are not in the Racial Healing and are important to consider
NEXT MEETING
Next meeting: December 18, 1:00pm-3:00pm. Many thanks to Marilyn for volunteering to present Chapter 8 of the Little Book of Racial Healing. Dr. Cheree Meeks, President of NAACP Tucson, will share.
RESOURCES
BOOKS
The Other Wes Moore, One Name, Two Fates, by Wes Moore.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The “compassionate” (People), “startling” (Baltimore Sun), “moving” (Chicago Tribune) true story of two kids with the same name from the city: One went on to be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated combat veteran, White House Fellow, and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison.
In development as a feature film executive produced by Stephen Curry, who selected the book as his “Underrated” Book Club Pick with Literati
From the Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves by Dr Shawn Ginwright. “Most of our work is focused on eliminating those things that cause us harm. Addressing racism, fighting sexism, and reducing violence are all important. However, reductions in these things are not victories in and of themselves because eliminating things that harm us is not the same as creating things that heal us.”
“Dealing with our addictions – maybe for perfection or always being right – our insecurities, and our unresolved conflicts is way harder than making people aware of the dangers of climate change or fighting against racist policies.”
PODCAST
Berne Brown with Dr. Shawn Ginwright on the Four Pivots book. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/the-four-pivots-reimagining-justice-reimagining-ourselves/
ACTIONS
Trayce shared about having attended a land acknowledge statement meeting. It was pointed out that part of this important activity is knowing when the treaty was signed and what was the content. In addition, are those original terms in place today.
OCTOBER 16, 2022
We come to the table to connect, deepen relationships, and to heal to the best of our ability. We bring a range of emotions when we come to the table. We seek our truth and we acknowledge the discomfort and pain that is a part of this work. At this meeting we explored reparations, we looked at our origin stories, our prosperity story and then we imagined switching our skin color to envision what those stories would have been.
TOPIC
The Racial Wealth Gap: Understanding the Economic Basis for Repair
Presented by Lotte Lieb Dula (CTTT Denver) and Briayna Cuffie (CTTT Annapolis).
Gratitude to Lotte and Briayna for presenting this vital topic with so many resources toward action. Writing about and sharing our prosperity narratives is such a good way to deepen into the racial wealth gap. We are fortunate to have your web page to reference.
SEPTEMBER 18, 2022
TOPIC: Little Book of Racial Healing, Chapter 6: Circles, Touchstones, and Values. Many thanks to Sydney for giving us such a good summary and program from Chapter 6 of the Little Book of Racial Healing.
INTENT: To “do circle”, reflecting on circle process and CTTT Touchstones BRIEF INTRODUCTION of chapter 6.
BREAK-OUT GROUP QUESTIONS:
1. Racial healing is deeply complex and emotional work. How do we best embrace the opportunity to show up for this journey - to share our stories, listen to other experiences speak to what we have learned, and show what we can do to support racial transformation? (pg. 49-50)
2. Have you experienced fear or anxiety that might prevent you from sharing your truth? What creates safety so you can do the work in a circle and stay at the table?
AUGUST 21, 2022
TOPIC: Little Book of Racial Healing, Chapter 5: Making Connections
INTENT: To examine our personal and family histories as they relate to making connections today.
BREAK-OUT GROUP QUESTIONS (from Chapter 5):
1. What do I believe has been the impact, on different people from different backgrounds, of living in a society built by the stolen labor of enslaved people on land stolen from indigenous peoples?
2. If my family was in North America during the time of enslavement, how does it feel to be associated with the oppressors? How does it feel to be associated with the oppressors if my family was NOT in North America then?
3. If my family was in North America during the time of enslavement, how does it feel to be associated with people who were oppressed? How does it feel to be associated with people who were oppressed if my family was NOT here then?
4. What does this mean for me if I don’t self-identify as African American or European American? Are there other historical and current injustices that have affected my life?
5. What forms of race-based trauma, and other forms of trauma, have been experienced by me or my people/ancestors? What forms of race-based trauma, and other forms of trauma, can I imagine have been experienced by people with different backgrounds than mine?
JULY 17, 2022
TOPIC: Little Book of Racial Healing, Chapter 4: Uncovering History
INTENT: to examine our own personal histories as related to some real American history and to learn more about each other in the process.
We had a rich sharing about individual and family history and how it intersects with social and community history. Many of us grew up in families that did not encourage openness or story-telling. Coming to the table is a safe place to listen deeply and share one’s own truth.
JUNE 19, 2022
TOPIC: Community Dialogue
Marge Hoey and Catherine Tornbom (CTTT Tucson members):
"Discovering Our Racialized Biases with Significant Public Events."
In what ways do BIPOC and white people see a violation of a social norm differently due to different history and different dialogue?
MAY 15, 2022
When you are accustomed to privilege, equality and equity feel oppressive.
TOPIC: LITTLE BOOK OF RACIAL HEALING
Lisa presented Chapter 3 of Little Book of Racial Healing: Restorative Justice
TOPIC and DISCUSSION: 100 Years of Law and Racism
Many thanks to Isabel Garcia, Tucson, for her presentation about law and racism.
APRIL 17, 2022
TOPIC: LITTLE BOOK OF RACIAL HEALING
• Shelly presented Chapter 2 of Little Book of Racial Healing. We had a discussion about the meaning of ‘healing’. Thank you, Shelly! And thank you for: ‘Trauma is in the tissues; the tissues are the issues.”
MARCH 20, 2022
LITTLE BOOK OF RACIAL HEALING
• Shelly presented Chapter 1 of Little Book of Racial Healing. We had a discussion about the
meaning of ‘healing’.
TOPIC and DISCUSSION: Racism in Theatre-making
By Alba Jaramillo, actor and theatre-maker, Tucson Discussion following presentation:
What is one thing you might think about or do differently based on today's presentation?
FEBRUARY 20, 2022
TOPIC: Reflection, Relationship toward Action
In breakout rooms, we discussed
• What about CTTT Tucson works for you? What doesn’t?
• When and how do we move toward action? What part would you like to play?
• Where and in what ways do you see CTTT Tucson partnering with other Tucson community organizations/actions?
JANUARY 16, 2022
TOPIC: National Day of Racial Healing: January 18, 2022, Kellogg
Download W.K. Kellogg Conversation Guidelines: https://healourcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/ndorh-2019-homeconversation-guide.pdf
Topics of discussion about possible CTTT involvement for the next 12 months and toward National Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation 2023 and beyond.