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It
is an honor toprofile Lillian Roybal Rose for this month's LJS newsletter. A
Senior Associate since 1995, Lillian is a phenomenally skilled educator,
trainer, author, and consultant with over 30 years of experience working with
cross cultural communication. Lillian and Nanci's paths first crossed in 1994
when Nanci attended one of Lillian's workshops. Nanci approached Lillian afterwards
saying she wanted to learn how to teach what she just experienced. Initially, Lillian
brushed her off thinking "she's only 26!" but as Lillian describes it, "Nanci
was persistent and one day the moon was full and the tide was high, so I
invited Nanci to start traveling with me and assisting with workshops." Before
long, Nanci and Lillian's relationship shifted from teacher and student to colleagues.
In
2006, a series of personal events, including being diagnosed with breast
cancer, the death of her father, and caring for her aging mother, helped Lillian
to realize that she needed to scale back on her professional endeavors. While
searching for greater balance between work, play, and rest, Nanci and LJS
offered her a viable solution. "Nanci came up with the idea to switch roles,
her business would do all of the hard work and I would get to do all of the fun,"
says Lillian who loves being able to assist Nanci and the other LJS Associates.
Lillian grew up steeped in the spirit of political activism. Her father was the
first Latino to be elected to the Los Angeles City Council in 1949 and the
first to be elected to the US Congress from the state of California in 1962. Her sister was the first
Latina to serve
in the US Congress and has done so for the past 16 years. Surrounded as she was
by community and political involvement, Lillian says she grew up watching how
"when good people got together to fight an injustice, invariably the energy used
to fight against the injustice turned inward and we started fighting
ourselves." It wasn't until Lillian came across Dr. Erica Sherover-Marcuese and
her "Unlearning Racism" workshop that she found a framework and the words to
describe what she experienced growing up. She acknowledges this discovery as
the "jumping off point for my life's work." From that initial exposure, Lillian
developed and expanded her training work with a focus on exposing and
ameliorating internalized oppression.
In talking about
her life's work, Lillian says the most profound and powerful thing she's
learned is, "your social justice movement can only be as healthy as you are. If
we don't do our own healing, we end up re-enacting the very thing we are
fighting." At LJS, we are so privileged to be working alongside Lillian and are
grateful to continue learning from her pioneering work to fight internalized
oppression and increase cross cultural awareness and understanding.
Join LJS for our powerful public workshops!
Bridgetown, Barbados
International Association of Facilitators Caribbean and Latin
America Conference
September 23, 2009
"You Don't Know What You Don't Know: The Facilitator's Path
to Authentic Cross-Cultural Practice"
September 24, 2009
"The Invisible Participant:
Register HERE Or contact Kati for
more information.
Download this Newsletter (PDF) |
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"No Tolerance"
by Nanci Luna Jimenez
A
runner friend of mine recently chastised me for wearing headphones when
I go running. He explained that by doing so, I deny myself uninterrupted
time to think and the quiet space to pay attention to my breath. Not to
mention, he continued, the music or news that consumes my attention when I'm
out on a run keeps me from noticing my environment and from being truly
present. (A value that he knows I hold very dear). I had to
admit he was right.
My headphones provide a distraction. They help the time to pass more quickly
and keep me from noticing that I still have another 30 minutes to go. They mask
my labored breathing (and embarrassment that comes with it!). After further
reflection, though, I realized that I mostly use the headphones to
"protect" me from sexual harassment. The headphones create
a barrier that keeps me from feeling targeted and from being present--especially
if being present means dealing with verbal harassment or catcalls.
I often wonder: what would it be like to go out for a run knowing I would
be free from harassment? Headphones offer the illusion of a
"harassment-free" running zone. They serve a purpose
similar to "no tolerance policies" or "hate free" zones
that are increasingly popular in organizations.
Usually the campaigns to create these zones happen in response to a grievous
incident of harassment. In theory, "no tolerance" policies
are supposed to create a safe space for groups targeted by hate or
harassment-racial, sexual, religious or sexual orientation, to name a
few. Posters and signs that clearly state "no hate will be tolerated
here" are visibly placed to reinforce the institutional view that this
type of behavior will be dealt with swiftly, publicly, and decisively.
The signs communicate that these behaviors are not part of the
"norm" of the institution and will not be validated or excused.
Many members of targeted groups experience some level of relief at seeing these
signs. More importantly, these posters are important symbols that an
organization recognizes that this type of harassment exists, is willing to work
against perpetuating these behaviors, and will support targeted groups and individuals
when they stand up against mistreatment. It is important to not
underestimate the impact--both symbolic and lived--of such statements.
They can counteract the attitude that you are simply
"over-reacting" when you experience outrage at being called a name or
interrupt an offensive joke. As a target, your reaction is understood and
validated within a larger institutional framework that acknowledges how these
interpersonal interactions are an expression of prejudice. There is less
of a tendency for a targeted person to personalize his or her reaction
("Nobody else seemed to be upset by that, what's my problem?") or to
internalize that she or he is the problem and it's an individual issue ("Maybe
it's just me; I bet this doesn't happen except when I am around").
The messages to individualize, personalize and isolate are
all-too-easily accessible for targeted groups--especially when there is no external, outward collective outrage or
action to offset this response pattern.
While this acknowledgement is a powerful first step, there are some potential downfalls to 'no tolerance policies.'
These policies can appeal to
organizations because they provide reassurance that daily
interactions with colleagues and fellow students, due to the posters, are "prejudice-free."
People can see themselves as different from the kinds of people who would perpetuate such behaviors--as if we are all not susceptible. This allows
organizations to adopt the attitude that they have done everything
"right" and that if these behaviors continue to surface it is the
fault of an individual perpetrator, not the result of a larger systemic or
institutional problem. In this mindset, if the individual is properly
reprimanded, the perception of a liberal, tolerant progressive environment goes
untainted. This is not to excuse the individual or deny his or her agency
in perpetuating these acts of harassment; it is to understand that the root
causes run much deeper than an individual's experience. At worst,
this approach does not address the underlying causes of these behaviors and
attitudes. At best, it can perpetuate a state of denial.
How can we use "no tolerance" policies to also explore our own
intolerance, without fear of reprisal or punishment? What would need
to be in place in an organization to address the root institutional causes of
these behaviors--not so that they
go underground or become hidden, but so that they are dealt with, in the
open? What kinds of conversations would we need to have with each other
to admit where we each carry prejudice? What would make this dialogue
possible in your organization?
Recently I did one of my favorite runs along the Willamette River in Portland,
Oregon. I've run there countless times--alone,
in groups, and with friends. As I made my way down the sidewalk, I saw
two men walking toward me. As I went to move around them one of the men
moved to the outside, forcing me to run in between them. My first thought
was that they were nicely giving me the right of way. You can probably
imagine my shock when, as I jogged between them, I felt the pinch of a hand on
my rear end. To be honest, it took me a minute to realize what had just
happened. My outrage only surfaced as my disbelief waned. I
stopped in midstride to confront my harassers and as I turned, they realized
that I was furious. The men took off running.
I had my headphones on.
I invite you to start a conversation in your workplace or
school about the value and drawbacks of "no tolerance" policies. Please post your thoughts on our blog at www.lunajimenezseminars.com/blog -- I look forward to hearing from you.
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