The Power of Language and Identity in the Pursuit of Excellence in Diverse Communities

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The Power of Language and Identity in the Pursuit
of Excellence in Diverse Communities

• john a. powell
• Williams Chair in Civil Rights Civil Liberties,
  Moritz College of Law. Director, Kirwan Institute
• March 11, 2006

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Realizing Vision

• The first step to successful change is
  identifying the needs/problems/challenges/opportun
  ities
• What is the vision to take us from where we are
  to where we want to be?
• Who are our partners?
• Then can we design plan to achieve our vision,
  understanding that as impediments are recursive,
  this process must be ongoing

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Overview

• Framing
• Language, symbols, structures and institutions
• Our current paradigm
• Individuals, the community, the region
• Disparities in our current paradigm
• A new paradigm
• Shared fate
• Need for interconnectedness and separatenes
• Next steps
• Thinking and acting regionally and locally,
  defining vision, coalition building

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Framing
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Framing

• There is a complex relationship between language,
  symbols, structures and institutions
• All of these constitute larger frames which shape
  and define reality
• They are transmitted on an unconscious level
• They are racialized
• They are deliberately constructed and used to
  reinforce the racialization of society
• The meaning of frames is privileged
• In order to shift or alter those frames, we must
  begin by identifying precisely what that
  representation is, what it consists of, and how
  deeply it is held

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Framing Language

• Language is symbolic it is not about words, but
  the meaning they convey
• This meaning is privileged
• Our language today is seemingly race-neutral
• Beginning in the 1960s, racism was deliberately
  codified in the color blind language
• Racism was cloaked in words such as welfare,
  states rights, and being tough on crime
• De jure racism become de facto

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Racialized Effects of Frames

• Proponents of colorblindness are overlooking and
  reinforcing a racial agenda
• Our institutional arrangements, symbols and
  structures are doing the race work without
  naming/ consider our school, where we live
• There is an artificial divide between race and
  class
• Why do so many people support policies against
  their economic interest?
• Why is it so difficult to build
  multiracial/multiethnic coalitions?
• Racial attitudes improved and coalitions occurred
  most during the 1950s and 1960s-when race was
  talked about explicitly

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Race as a Transformative Bridge

• How do we move from a divisive racial agenda to a
  transformative racial agenda?
• Moving beyond disparities
• Targeted universalism
• This explicit racial focus and frank conversation
  can bridge historical divisions
• And we can begin examining what this racialized
  framework is costing ALL of us
• Socially, psychologically, spiritually,
  economically

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Using Race to Reshape our Communities

• Two paradigm Separate/private Linked/public
• Racism is about trying to delink our fates
• Justice progress requires recognizing our
  interconnectedness, and our shared fate
• This can bring about coalition based on values
  and new interest. This is about a
  transformation, not only of ourselves, but also
  of our community. Our language, structures and
  practice

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Our Current and New Paradigm
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Current Paradigm Individual

• Hobbesian, isolated view
• Perceives individuals as autonomous-independent
  selves
• Egoistic, possessive, separate, isolated,
  rational
• Notion of scarcity (declining middle class)
• Role of state protect individualism and
  individual property
• In this paradigm, society is fearful of itself

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Current Paradigm The Community

• This paradigm reflected in our spatial
  arrangement
• The identity of the south suburbs is centered on
  negativity
• Dominant focus on weaknesses
• Perception of the region as distressed, and not
  worthy of investment
• Separate, fragmented visions and goals

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Current Paradigm Regional

• Fragmented
• No recognition of a shared fate
• Perceived resource scarcity
• Zero-sum game
• Suburbs are competitive within the metropolitan
  area

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Disparities in This Paradigm

• Racism is not largely not recognized l
• An issue of personal prejudice
• Subjective
• Caused by a racist actor
• Intentional
• When structural racism is recognized, it cannot
  be addressed because communities are isolated and
  regions are fragmented

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Disparities in This Paradigm

• In this paradigm, openly discussing race is often
  seen as divisive, and is avoided
• Class is used as a surrogate
• When racial disparities are addressed, they
  conversations can be
• Disempowering- can trigger guilt and helplessness
• Factious- bars opportunities for coalition
  building
• This creates false separations and negates shared
  humanity, ultimately leading to
• Increased isolation
• Fear of the other

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Effects of our Current Paradigm

• As a result racial justice is put on the
  defensive
• Our region remains fragmented and divided
• This limits our opportunities to collaboratively
  re-envision the Southland area to include
• A positive identity- focus on strengths
• Recognition of our linked fate

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Understanding our Shared Fate
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A New Paradigm

• Are we too individualistic or can we transcend
  this disconnectedness?
• We believe it is possible through
• Collective imagination
• Reframing our regional identity
• A New Paradigm!
• What is the alternative vision?
• A model of connectedness
• Individuals and regions as part of something
  bigger
• Inter-being, unified, not egoistically separate
• Collective action

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A New Paradigm

• Within this paradigm our communities
• Recognize the interconnectedness of our being,
  and our fate
• Reject the myth of scarcity
• Focus on growing resources for all, not fighting
  over existing resources
• Are collaborative focus on coalition building
• Strengthen our democracy

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A New Paradigm

• Within this paradigm our communities (Cont.)
• Are the natural extension of a overarching,
  shared vision and framework
• Focus on targeting within universalism
• Reconceptualize society to promote the
  political, economic, spiritual, and psychological
  health of ALL

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Disparities in the New Paradigm

• Racial disparities are a result of the
  complicated relationships between, structures,
  institutional arrangements and meaning
• Within this paradigm disparities can be used as
• A Lens Providing a means to recognize broader
  inequitable institutional patterns and social
  arrangements
• A Tool Informing the reorganization of these
  arrangements

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Shared Fate

• At the heart of this new paradigm is a vision of
  shared fate
• This has been interpreted by some to be
  synonymous with self-interest
• This is too narrow-as institutions/conditions
  shift, so will individual or group interests
• Need an overarching collective vision of shared
  fate not predicated on narrow personal or
  group-based interests

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Improving the South Suburbs

• To improve the south suburbs, we must situate
  them within the greater Chicago region
• This model is necessary with the economic
  competitiveness in todays globalized economy
• The region can not compete globally, if the
  regions communities are competing internally
• The community must think about the region and the
  region must consider the community

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Focusing on the Region

• Why is the region important?
• The spatial orientation of todays economy,
  housing market, infrastructure, and labor market
  are no longer locally focused
• Local initiatives are not enough
• Local conditions are under the influence of
  regional forces outside of local control

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Focusing on the Region

• Why is the region important? (cont.)
• Regional structures and market conditions impact
  neighborhoods and require new approaches
• Resources are allocated on a jurisdictional
  (local) level
• Opportunities are allocated on a regional level
• Traditional decision-making is on the local level
• Rational (local) Decisions Unreasonable
  (regional, jurisdictional) Structures
  Unreasonable Results/Racial Hierarchies

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Going from Good to Great Next Steps
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Going from Good to Great

• Now that we have this framework of shared fate,
  how do we go from Good to Great?
• Think and act both regionally and locally
• Collective vision
• Coalition building
• Anchor institutions
• The turning point

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Think and Act both Regionally and Locally

• Building a community of opportunity requires
  understanding the relationship between
  local/regional/global and institutional trends
  robbing communities of opportunity require
  solutions
• Think about what initiatives will open access to
  regional opportunities and bring opportunity back
  to inner city communities and inner suburbs

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Going from Good to Great

• Collectively define a vision
• Proactive rather than reactive
• Example The Cleveland Race and Regionalism
  Project-The African American community grew tired
  of being reactionary to regional plans, is now
  working to construct their own vision
• The vision MUST consider the entire region
• Opportunities are distributed regionally
• Everyone should live in a community of
  opportunity-where you live shouldnt dictate your
  life chances

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Going from Good to Great

• This vision must recognize the parameters of
  reality without being constrained by them (e.g.
  structural racism)
• Metropolis 2020- Over 100 of the regions largest
  employers realized that in order for their
  businesses and the region to be successful they
  needed to get behind regional affordable housing
  plans
• They now factor affordable housing supply and
  regional transit into new investments and
  business expansion in the region
• They also lobby for statewide initiatives to
  promote affordable housing in job rich communities

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Going from Good to Great

• Remember there are no magic bullets!
• Relationships between structures, institutions,
  arrangements and meaning are interactive and
  recursive
• Progress must be monitored so that efforts in one
  area do not cause retrenchment in another
• Reform is not top down, but moves in multiply
  directions. The communities and region already
  have the right people now we need to work
  together coalition building!

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Coalition Building

• Coalition building
• Bridge traditional institutional, class,
  geographic, racial, ethnic and denominational
  boundaries
• Coalitions which recognize our shared fate
• Coalitions enable communities to amplify their
  voice and strive for great changes
• In general, successful and lasting multiethnic
  and multiracial coalitions require an engaged
  leadership and follower and structures

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The Power of Coalitions

• Coalitions can be powerful in creating great
  changes that would be beyond their capabilities
  if they acted alone
• MOSES in Detroit Regional coalition of churches
  which has produced numerous land use and
  transportation reforms in South East Michigan
• Recently, a wide coalition of churches
  (representing thousands of religious
  institutions) and social justice organizations
  have joined to advocate for federal support to
  rebuild and assist Katrina Victims in the Gulf
  Coast

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Supporting Key Community Assets and Anchor
Institutions

• Support and strengthen neighborhood anchor
  institutions
• Support key institutions that can draw people
  into the neighborhood and provide stability in
  distressed areas
• What are anchor institutions?
• Significant community or regional institutions
  that serve a specific community or regional need
  and become magnets for other opportunities
• Areas near these institutions become dense
  clusters of opportunity conversely, losing these
  institutions can destabilize multiple opportunity
  structures

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Look for the Turning Point

• The Turning Point
• Instead of focusing on the tipping point, we need
  to better define what neighborhoods require to
  reach the turning point
• What convergence of positive actions will
  accelerate the neighborhoods revitalization?
• Pushing development beyond the turning point
  threshold requires an intervention strategy to
  positively transform the neighborhoods physical,
  social, economic, and political environment

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Concluding Thoughts

• The obstacles we face can seem insurmountable,
  however
• Through a new paradigm and with coalition
  building we can make great strides in addressing
  the race and class disparities in our nation
• Strategic transactional change, can ultimately
  accomplish transformation
• Eyes on the prize(s)
• Remember- We Have, and Can Make Progress!

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• We are all caught up in an
  inescapable network of mutuality, tied
  in a single garment of destiny. Whatever
  effects one directly effects all
  indirectly.
• -The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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