Silence is akin to consent

[Starry Messenger]

Last edited Sat Oct 3, 2015, 08:29 PM - Edit history (1)

https://medium.com/@rweingarten/silence-is-akin-to-consent-c239c80b9069

https://goo.gl/KaQdNR <<--DU friendly link, just the same as above, but using an url shortener.

I had a hard time picking out a section from this address from Randi, my union's president. I think it is a good read!

<snip>

This is all of our fight. Please — imagine what it means to be followed in stores by security personnel or suspicious clerks. Imagine insinuations that you got into college or got a job through affirmative action, not achievement. Imagine that you got thrown into jail because you didn’t use a turn signal. Imagine being suffocated by police officers for selling cigarettes. That’s racism. That is bias. That is reality for a lot of black and brown people in America.

As a woman, as a Jew, a lesbian, a labor leader in a time of great anti-union animus — I know that other people project their biases on me. But it is nothing like the experience of our brothers and sisters of color, especially black and brown men and boys.

We need to understand the ways, large and small, that white people are privileged. Studies show that when identical resumes are submitted for a job opening, other than a name like “Brendan” on one and “Jamal” on the other, you know that Brendan gets called back more often than Jamal.

White Americans can go a long time without ever thinking about the color of their skin. Black and brown Americans have no choice but to confront issues of race every day. Most white Americans haven’t had to and, honestly, haven’t wanted to confront these uncomfortable realities. But we must.

The assumption of innocence. The benefit of the doubt. Walking without worrying. These should not be hallmarks of white privilege. They are human rights — human rights — that should be enjoyed by all. How can we move forward if those of us who have enjoyed privilege our whole lives don’t at least try to understand the reality of those who have not, and try to address it?
We can change laws. We can change policies.

<snip>

[Number23]

1. Starry, there's something wonky with your link!

[Starry Messenger]

2. It's DU's code, I think, it breaks at the "at" sign.

I'll try something else and see if we can trick it. I think it worked, try the second link up there!

[Number23]

4. It works now! And that was beautiful. K&R

[Starry Messenger]

7. Yay! Glad it worked!

[nashville_brook]

3. i can tell you that w/in my last two fields i've hired for I needed more

non-white applicants (any, really). putting this out there b/c it think it's a good opportunity. both the progressive c3/c4 world and marketing comms worlds that i've traveled in actively seeks a broad diversity profile. it just happens that in the last few years there's been few people applying where i live. i'm sure that will change b/c more young people are choosing these fields now, and maybe it wasn't the case the a while back.

i can tell you that the opposite was the case in my last hiring situation, where i didn't think i could fill my position b/c the only people applying were white guys.

not entirely helpful b/c these aren't highly sought after jobs, but i'm sure some people here on DU are actually interested in these kind of jobs and should know that diversity is cherished in these fields.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. I've been in telecom about twenty years

The first 16 - sales, marketing, marcomm, product management.

Now I'm in finance. Narrow piece that focuses on compliance.

I'm going to go ahead and agree with you. Especially with the vertical and segment marketing that goes on these days - sometimes you need someone who is "of a group" to find the right message to appeal to the group.

[kwassa]

5. I like Randi. I'm in the other union.

NEA.

[Starry Messenger]

8. I like Lily, your president too!

I saw her and Randi speak together on a Netroots panel about two years ago, on school shootings.

[qwlauren35]

9. You had me until the end.

We have tried laws and policies. There was backlash... and we went backwards. Even the Voting Rights Act got struck down. Made me seriously question the Supreme Court.

I honestly don't know what it's going to take to address this.

Someone on GDP (yeah, why go there...) said that the word "privilege" is the problem. It conjures up images of financial advantage, and some white people have no financial advantage. I think the word "advantage" would have been better... but the fact is, a lot of white people don't like this topic. No matter how its phrased.

At any rate, it's a nice clip... I just don't see the solutions from laws and policies. Not saying it won't slap a band-aid, but that's about it.

[Starry Messenger]

10. I don't know what the answer is either.

I am not sure if there is any one right answer. As unionists, we are reformers, so that's our lens.

I can only speak for CA, since that is where I do political work. I don't know if any of the policy changes will lead to lasting change or not, but time will tell.

We are trying things like justice reform, automatic voter registration and all mail ballots, a police database to track arrests and keep data on the racial biases. Schools have moved to decrease suspensions of Black and Latino kids.

Like I say, I don't know what things like these will do in the long term, but feels like it is worth trying, so we can find out.

[qwlauren35]

11. Interesting tactics.

I hope they create change, and people will see and adopt them.