44. How to Talk About Race and Racism
After the tragic murder of George Floyd, many people worldwide woke up to the importance of discussing race and equity. With a desire to respectfully navigate these critical conversations, many clients sought host Alejandra’s communication advice. As a result, Alejandra promotes literature to further the dialogue, such as Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race.
Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race is a powerful book from start to finish. By reading an excerpt from the introduction, Alejandra highlights how well Ijeoma Oluo articulates her complex experience as a Black woman in the United States. Although it may be challenging to put yourself in the shoes of another, it is crucial to work past your defensiveness and accept the truth of another group’s reality. Ultimately, if non-Black people research before discussing difficult topics and commit to unlearning dangerous norms, we can create a better world for the human family.
Tune into this week’s episode of the Language Alchemy Podcast for a critical conversation on race and racism. Learn more about the lessons Ijeoma Oluo teaches, how to move past your triggers, and why we should be willing to feel uncomfortable when discussing systematic oppression.
Quotes:
• “I want you to know that if you think that talking about race and equity is hard, that is completely accurate. It's hard for many reasons. One of them is because when you have a conversation about race, you need to be willing or at least aware that you will be talking about history about racial oppression, social constructs, unconscious biases, unjust and pain generating systems and structures, and political and economic power especially in the United States.” [Alejandra] (2:08 - 3:06)
• “You have to be willing to get messy and come out of these conversations with perhaps more questions than answers with the likelihood of no immediate resolutions other than the commitment to stay in the conversation for the benefit of all beings.” [Alejandra] (3:24 - 3:42)
• “We must all traverse if we want to bring more peace, justice, and equity to our human family.” [Alejandra] (5:21 - 5:29)
• “We cannot understand race and racial oppression if we cannot talk about it.” [Alejandra] (10:11 - 10:16)
• “These conversations aren't easy. Neither is growing up or evolving, but you and I must learn to have these conversations if we'd like to have a reality without racism and racial oppression.” [Alejandra] (18:14 - 18:30)
Links:
To visit Ijeoma Oluo's website, click here: https://www.ijeomaoluo.com
To purchase Ijeoma Oluo's So You Want to Talk About Race book, click here: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781580058827
To ask your communication question, click here: languagealchemy.com/podcastquestion
To join the mailing list, visit: languagealchemy.com
Podcast Music composed by Gary Lapow: open.spotify.com/artist/1HlMhcNfKIELxYil5mVqDI
