IDEA Toolkits — Step 1: Cultivating Buy-In
Step 1: Cultivating Buy-In
We need to acknowledge that race is a difficult thing to talk about and requires courageous conversations. Approaching the topic with an open mind, willing to listen to different perspectives while being aware of the impact of our own social location is critical. We believe in learning in a supportive community where we can both make mistakes and hold each other accountable.
We need to:
Name the Stigma
It’s hard to talk about race. It can bring up a lot of worry, fear, anxiety and nervousness. Race and Disability Canada conducted a survey of disability organizations, which showed that 62.5% have not taken specific initiatives to address the intersections of race and disability. The reasons shared included lack of capacity and funding, along with lack of prioritization.
Our research, including focus groups with disability sector leaders, shows that in general, non-racialized people do not know how to talk about race.
People struggle with:
What language to choose
Uncertainty about the history related to race
Not wanting to say something wrong
Not wanting want to be called out or be called a racist
Courageous conversations
What is a courageous conversation?
Courageous conversations are led by leaders who facilitate spaces where everyone is welcome and encouraged to speak their truth and acknowledged and respected.This brave space is different from a safe space as what may be safe for one person, may not be safe for someone else, especially when it comes to talking about race.
A brave space means us as leaders showing up willing to be uncomfortable. It means showing up willing to be vulnerable and open about what we think and about what we know and don’t know. When we step outside our comfort zone, we are able to deeply learn and grow.
Courageous conversations allow us to have open dialogue where we can hold different viewpoints with non-judgement and interact in a respectful way even when we disagree. It’s normal to make mistakes. We can’t control other people’s reactions to our mistakes. A mistake isn’t a reflection on our character or our expertise. We can both give ourselves some grace and can learn from our mistakes.
Put this into Practice
Practical steps you can take:
Go to your team meeting and ask:
Why is it difficult to talk about race?
What do we need to feel comfortable talking about race in the organization?
Have a notetaker capture the ideas your team shares. Then implement them!
Follow up with Race and Disability Canada after your meeting to debrief and get suggestions around next steps
As a leader, how do you initiate a courageous conversation in your organization?
Plan the time in advance so everyone is prepared.
Have a clear goal for the conversation.
Create a brave space through clear community agreements (e.g. listening fully and agreeing to disagree)
Ensure the agreements are honoured throughout the conversation.
Appreciate everyone involved for the willingness to have the conversation.
Resources
Access learning resources on our website to deepen your understanding of systemic racism and navigate conversations about race.
Download the Toolkit
Get the PDF version of this toolkit to easily save and use as a valuable resource for your organization.
Acknowledge Power Dynamics
Social location: the social position or power an individual holds in society and is based on social characteristics considered important by society. You can think about this as your position in society, the privilege you have, and the marginalization you may experience, depending on which element of your identity is at play.
Power: the ability to influence others’ behavior or decisions. This influence can come from different sources, like knowledge, personal charisma, or access to important resources.
Privilege: unearned power, benefits, advantages, access and/or opportunities that exist for members of the dominant group(s) in society. Can also refer to the relative privilege of one group compared to another.
Marginalization: Marginalization refers to the treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral.
Historical marginalization: The various forms of exclusion of particular groups of people in the past that continue to have negative impacts today. For example, Residential Schools for Indigenous people and Black enslavement in Canada.
Social Location
Definitions:
Why it matters:
Our social location informs our perspectives, experiences, and power. All of these aspects impact the way we approach the work we do.
Activity: Power Wheel
Find where you are on the power wheel.
The closer you are to the center of the wheel with any aspect of your identity, the more power you have.
You will see that some elements of your identity give you more power than others.
For example, if I am a white woman, my skin colour gives me more power than people who are racialized, but I have less power as a white woman than as a white man.
Intersectionality
This term was coined in 1989 by professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. It is the recognition that an individual belongs to multiple identity groups and cannot separate oneself from any one of the intersecting identities. The combination of these intersecting factors results in individuals experiencing the world in unique ways. Individuals from multiple ‘minoritized’ groups can be subject to multiple forms of oppression.
For example, if I am a Black woman, my experience in the world will be different from both the experiences of a Black man and from a woman who is not Black.
Reflection Questions
Looking at the wheel, which parts of your social location have given you more power? Which parts have given you less power?
How do you think the different aspects of our social location affect the way we do your work?
Put this into Practice
Practical steps you can take
Be aware of your social location in your workplace interactions. Look at ways you might amplify the voices of people who have been historically marginalized in certain aspects of social location in your workplace, eg. race and disability
Credit: Wheel of Privilege and Power, Government of Canada
Resources
Access learning resources on our website to deepen your understanding of systemic racism and navigate conversations about race.