We will explore how the division of humans into racial categories has become deeply imbedded in our minds and our psyches throughout history. This workshop will begin with the viewing of a 54-min video, Race - The Power of an Illusion, which examines how the idea of race was constructed in the United States, while also explaining how race very much matters in today’s society, especially in regard to shaping life chances and opportunities. The workshop will help to uncover how race resides not in nature, but in policies, economics, and culture. It will explore concepts such as structural and institutional racism, bias, and white supremacy culture. Participants will receive a baseline understanding of informed, factual, and historical information, in addition to tools and strategies to bring self-awareness and support racial equity and inclusion in the workforce and the communities we serve.
Part 1: Participants will be directed to view a 1-hour video, RACE: The Power of Illusion, to prepare for the second component of the course. The viewing must take place between the first hour of the training.
Part 2: Participants will meet with the instructor as a group in the Zoom meeting room after the video viewing for the remainder of the last two hours of the course.
By the end of this workshop, participants will have gained:
- Knowledge about how humans created racial categories and why
- Knowledge of the 4 levels on which racism operates
- Knowledge about white supremacy culture characteristics
- Strategies for antidotes and ideas for anti-racist behaviors
- Knowledge about cognitive bias and its pervasiveness