wordshavepower

Being thankful for all the gestures, just because someone thought about you. Tune in every Saturday morning at 9am eastern time on wherever you listen to your podcast. www.relationshiparena.com

How do we deal with the weapons that are formed against us in life?

This is a quote by filmmaker, Ken Burns, from an article on Forbes.com. ⁣
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The context of the quote is not the point I wish to make or describe in this post. ⁣
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But what I would love to put a few words on, is the truth of: the power of words. As written, or by listening to them in a conversation, in a play, in music or so on. ⁣
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Maya Angelou has also said something beautiful about the power of words and here it is (had to google it after I read this quote myself): ⁣
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“Words are things, I’m convinced,” she said. “You must be careful about the words you use or the words you allow to be used in your house.”⁣
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“You must be careful. Care about calling people out of their names, using racial pejoratives and sexual pejoratives and all that ignorance,” she said. “Don’t do that.” ⁣
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Words, she felt, have to power to seep into everything around you. “I think they get on the walls, they get in your wallpaper, they get in your rugs and your upholstery and your clothes,” Dr. Angelou said. “And, finally, into you.”⁣
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I’ll really recommend you to YouTube ‘The power of words - Maya Angelou.’ She describes it so beautifully in words. ⁣
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So, I guess my point here is: writing, singing, performing a play or presenting a show (any kind) does make a difference. ⁣
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So be careful about your words, but also: go inspire! Because words; can change minds. xx J⁣
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⁣⁣⁣⁣** DM/EMAIL me if you need help with making your dreams come true. ⁣⁣⁣
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@xxjasminsoe / www.xxjasminsoe.com

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Dr. Nika White

 

Dr.Nika White a thought leader in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion talks with me about race in South Carolina and her earliest memories of racism as an African-American woman. This is a very powerful discussion with real solutions.

 

Keypoints:

 

In order to have a meaningful conversation on race, across race, we need to be focused on cultural competence as opposed to being  “politically correct.” The emphasis on “political correctness,” hampers openness, listening to each other and can be a barrier to conversations on race and other differences.

 

There more kinds of privilege that need to be acknowledged and recognized. When privilege is not recognized, it can lead to bias, assumptions and biased behavior. At different times, different privileges are more prominent and have a more profound impact on people’s lives.

 

The point of talking about privilege is not to create shame or guilt but to have greater clarity in the conversation on race and foster more inclusion. Privilege is about the cards we are dealt that give people an automatic advantage in certain situations. Once we recognize our areas of privilege we can use those privileges to ensure equity and inclusion for everyone.

 

Diversity has a lot of layers beyond race; age, sexual orientation, socio-economics, etc. that need to be included in the conversation. For some people it’s easier if we begin by talking about the other dimensions and then talk about race.  Everyone must be included. If we don’t address issues of privilege we will not be able to stop racism.

 

White men can play a key role in change and creating opportunities for everyone else. There are great people of all backgrounds working in the diversity, equity and inclusion realm. It’s not just people of color doing it.

 

Nika shares a story of being in a meeting when a white man tried to shut her down. Another white man spoke up in support of her. Don’t wait for people who are the targets of biased behavior to say something. Speak up right away. We all need to play a role in building equitable workplaces and communities.

 

When people don’t see a problem when there is bias, they are perpetuating the problem.

 

[caption id="attachment_950" align="alignleft" width="150"] Dr. Nika White[/caption]