Critical Self-Reflection on the Topic of Racial Identity: Modeling Introspection for Our Children | Interview With Lisa Dominguez Abraham | Episode 84
For this episode, Lisa Dominguez Abraham joins us to discuss the topic of systemic racism and particularly racial disparities in education. She invites us to practice critical self-reflection and to consider how, as members of the white presenting population, our position and privilege impact the people around us so that in turn, as parents and grandparents, we are better prepared to raise the next generation to be more aware of how they exist in the world.
“I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth.”
- Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, 1989
This episode begins with an overview of Lisa’s unique perspective on the education system from her work with diversity inclusion and as a Professional Development Coordinator at the junior college level. Although she's not an expert on the areas of equity or systemic racism, Lisa shares what she’s seen and learned as well as what we can do to elevate our own self-awareness. She invites us to consider what it means to be what Robin DiAngelo calls "part of a racially socialized group," acknowledging that regardless of what we desire or how we feel inside, the way that we present to the world largely affects the ways in which we are allowed to move through it.
Critical self-reflection is essential to increasing our awareness of the ways in which our actions and intentions are perceived by others. As parents, we are responsible for helping our children locate themselves in the world in terms of their relationships to their families, their communities, and the natural world, and part of this awareness includes their racial identity and privileges. While these topics might feel uncomfortable, we believe that it's invaluable for parents to model for their children that this is a continual journey of personal growth and evolution.
This episode is vulnerable and far from perfect, but we want to share more of these important conversations with you. If you have any feedback or questions about this episode, we would love to connect with you to further the conversation.
Resources From This Episode:
Lisa Dominguez Abraham: https://www.lisadominguezabraham.com/
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Lisa Dominguez Abraham is an English professor at Cosumnes River College, a school that has been noted as one of the 10 most diverse community colleges in the nation. She currently serves as the Professional Development Coordinator at CRC. Her poetry collection Mata Hari Blows a Kiss won the 2016 Swan Scythe Chapbook Contest, and her full-length book of poetry, Coyote Logic, came out from Blue Oak Press in 2019.
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