privilege
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice Vocabulary
We have compiled this vocabulary sheet to provide you with some basic definitions of key words and phrases. This vocabulary sheet represents how we at the Avarna Group commonly talk about DEIJ concepts and are a reflection of our learning over the years. However, this is not meant to be a definitive list and we have provided other resources in this vocabulary sheet that provide more definitions, particularly from impacted communities themselves. Moreover, language and ideas move faster than we have capacity to update this sheet. Please use this information as a starting point for understanding rather than a definitive resource.
Privilege 101: A quick and dirty guide
This article from Everyday Feminism outlines the basics of privilege and how it manifests. Read online here.
DownloadWhite Fragility
Robin DiAngelo discusses the concept white fragility, which refers to, “a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves.” DiAngelo’s work is often cited when explaining white reactions to issues surrounding race.
DownloadConcise history of black-white relations in the US
A short cartoon strip that describes the relationship between black-white relations in the US and how oppression is normalized. View here.
Download‘We need co-conspirators, not allies’: how white Americans can fight racism
In the wake of racial violence in 2015, activists call for white co-conspirators, not allies. Allyship implies a mutually beneficial benefit and support one another; however, one protestor argues that the black community is not obligated to support the white community. Instead, they urge both black and white communities to work towards a common goal: racial justice. Read here.
Intersection podcast
We could try to describe this podcast, but their own description says it best: “New Republic editor Jamil Smith explores how race, gender, and all the ways we identify ourselves and one another intersect. He brings in journalists, activists, politicians, and everyday folks like you to fuel the conversation.”
Listen here.
Are you an environmentalist or do you work for a living?
Richard White explores the tension between people who identify as environmentalists and outdoor recreationists with those who work in the same places (namely, loggers and miners). In this exploration, he unveils contradictions that lie within the American environmental consciousness. Read here.
Iceberg of Diversity Activity
This activity explores the meaning and implications of diversity, including visible and invisible facets of diversity and how we make assumptions about people based on what we see.
DownloadOutsider Stories Activity
This activity is useful for building empathy within participants who do not often find themselves in situations where they are an outsider. By getting participants to reflect on situations in which they were an outsider, they can better relate to others who might feel this way because of exclusive cultures and behaviors within your organization.
DownloadThe Power House Activity
This is a relatively safe approach to exploring privilege and power structures in a way that minimizes feelings of resentment and empowering participants to be allies. Use this as an alternative to the Privilege Walk if you want to lower risk. But realize that this activity is too safe in that it doesn’t require that participants talk about their lived experiences of privilege.
DownloadWhite Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
This seminal work by feminist Peggy McIntosh continues to be the source for the “go to” activity on privilege-the “Privilege Walk.” Social justice facilitators typically ask participants to line up, then ask each of the questions in the series posed by McIntosh, with participants stepping forward if their answer to the question is yes and backward if their answer to the question is no. The activity can be high-risk, so don’t facilitate it unless you are with a group that has established mutual trust and rapport, and unless you can frame it up in a way that inspires learning and behavior change, and not shame and resentment. For more information about the activity along with a customized list of questions geared toward participants in the outdoor and environmental space, please search our list of activities.
DownloadTips for having difficult conversations
We have compiled some tips and helpful phrases that can help you have that difficult conversation with someone, regardless of your relationship to them.
Download