Comedians Take On Reverse Racism

I saw this video the other day on a Ph.D Group on Facebook.  It is the comedy act of Aamer Rahman as he uses comedy to explain Reverse Racism and what it would take for him to exhibit reverse racism. 


The video is an unique way to explain Reverse Racism and to challenge injustice!

 

Joy DeGruy "A Trip to the Grocery Store"

I saw this video the other week from CrackingtheCodes.org and it shares the story of Joy DeGruy and here experience while shopping at a grocery store with her sister-in-law.  The sister-in-law uses her privilege to challenges the system of racism and the clerk's behavior.  The video challenges me as I think about my various forms of privilege, and to bold enough to challenge injustice!

Together but yet unequal??

As I read the higher education articles assigned for this week: Higher Ed: Engine of Inequity and Separate & Unequal , it reminds me of segregation.  The fight for integration enabled a few “token” students through the door – in an attempt to dispel the myth that we are no longer functioning in a separate but equal paradigm.  Some claim we live in what they call a post-racial society –"a country where race no longer matters, where racism no longer exists"¹.  There is a thought that if a few people have made it, the rest shouldn’t have an issue making it too – without really addressing systematic issues.  (Some crazy pull-yourself-up-from your bootstraps mess.)  

This neglects to recognize the systematic failures of the K-12 system; that is perpetually providing a second class education – where there are families who cannot afford to live in better school districts or have one parent homeschool their children.  In reality, the question is no longer solely about race but one of socioeconomic status.  One where we have developed a class-like system based on the have and have not’s.  However, systematic injustice aligned with race magnifies the issue to allow for it to appear to be solely a race issue.   

In our effort to quickly solve the problem,we attempt to apply simple solutions to this wicked problem.  The problem isn’t just about addressing why the top select 468 institutions are perpetuating white privilege; when in fact we fail to address why K-12 has systemically failed to prepare all students regardless of race, socioeconomic status, or geographic locations with the same education.   It’s like we are fighting the old chicken and egg argument within education.  What came first – the failures of the K-12 system or the selectivity of higher education?

¹ from http://www.tolerance.org/lesson/what-does-post-racial-mean-anyway

The Butler

What?

This past weekend, I went to the movies for the first time in what feels like a century.  Okay really it wasn’t that long ago but let me first say, the price of a movie ticket is ridiculous.  I saw a matinee and it cost me $9.00, seriously!!! I mean back in the day, it use to cost $6 at the most and they aren’t offering anything more than they were back what a year or so ago.  

Ok wait, I digress…  So I went to see The Butler, a movie loosely based on a former White House butler.  The movie follows the life of Cecil Gaines as he serves from the Eisenhower administration to the Reagan administration.  The movie provides an unusual opportunity to view the White House through the lens of the butler.  

So What?

As we study diversity in a global society, this movie highlights many of the historical aspects that impact discussions around diversity.  The movie begins in the 1920’s, after slavery ended but highlights the struggle between whites and blacks.  The director makes a point to connect events of the day, such as the student-led lunch counter sit-ins, school desegregation, and Freedom Rides.  

The movie also examines class issues and underscores the tension between those with power versus those who serve.  As quoted in the movie, “the black domestic play an important role within our history.”  They in essence defy racial stereotypes and gain the respect of those in which they serve.  Cecil used his position to fight for equal pay while his son took a more radical approach in order to fight for all men to be seen as equals.    

Although the movie is loosely based, it challenged me to think about who has power to make real change within our country – the leader or the common everyday individual.  Often we expect the leader to take the stand and force change but clearly our history has taught us the real power often lies in the hands of individuals, who have taken action and made a difference in the direction of our country.  There are countless heroes who sat, stood, rode, spoke up and even died to provide us with many of the rights we have today.  However, I wonder what impact a president’s action or inaction potentially has in determining how long another American has to suffer injustice. 

Now What?

As I left the theater, I was quite inspired.  It amazes me that someone who has such a background role as a butler can impact history.  Presidents and their political beliefs come and go; but the butler stays on for years.  They have a unique opportunity to interact and challenge leadership in ways we will never fully understand.  Although, I am not a butler, in essence my work in diversity is often seen as the behind the scenes work within higher education.  The movie challenges me to push forward, to continue to do the work, to defy stereotypes, to challenge, and support another generation.

Michael Vick: Authentic Leadership

What?

Recently, I came across a docu-series, The Michael Vick Project.  As I watched each episode, I reflected on Michael Vick’s life and how it exemplified several of the leadership theories covered in this week’s readings.  Michael Vick started his career as a student and football player at Virginia Tech and appeared to be soaring when he was drafted into the NFL to play for the Atlanta Falcons in 2001.  No one could imagine six short years later, Vick would experience his greatest fall from fame, when he was indicted for dogfighting.  Vick’s professional career could have been over after serving 23 months in a federal prison but instead he made it his mission “to get it all back, not the money or fame but to restore his family’s good name.”

So What?

As I watched the series, I realized how Vick had worked to transform his life into being an authentic leader.  His prison sentence was a critical life event that provided an opportunity for Vick to change his life course.   Vick opens up his docu-series desiring to be a better person, to acknowledge his wrong doings and then to work to ensure others did not follow down his path.  This aligns with how authentic leadership challenges leaders - “to do the right thing, to be honest with themselves and others and to work for the common good” (p. 270).  In order to meet these goals, he publicly accepted responsibility for harming animals, he then began to work with the NAACP, the Humane Society and the City of Philadelphia to speak to young people.

A second leadership example I recognized was Ladkin & Taylor’s (2010) point on how authentic leaders are not focused on impression management.  Naveena Prakasam (2012) explains “impression management encompasses social interactions where an individual modifies their behavior in order to evoke certain responses from the audience.”  Some people would argue that Vick only modified his behavior because he was caught.  However throughout the docu-series, he speaks about his desire to get out of the business and not understanding his own appeal to the criminal behavior.  He also talks about how getting caught and going to prison was the wake-up call he needed, it was his critical life event.  Some leaders would shape and spin negative publicity.  Vick used it as a teachable moment and reminder to make better choices.   

Now What?

Vick’s life is the basis of the five characteristics of authentic leadership:  Purpose, Values, Relationships, Self-Discipline and Heart.  He incorporates each of these characteristics into the work he does.  Michael Vick and his story is a reminder that when you take responsibility for your action, there is redemption.  When we are giving a second chance, it is our responsibility to lead authentically.  As Northouse writes authentic leadership develops over a lifetime!