On October 16, 2009 and again on October 22, 2009 I had the opportunity to participate in two important programs on the subject of race in Michigan. I am going to share some of my observations with AAUW members by means of the AAUW of Michigan state website blog.
James Baldwin wrote: Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
It seems to me that statement is a succinct description of the efforts of the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion to work toward creating a more inclusive social fabric in Southeast Michigan. On October 16, 2009 at the Wayne State University Law School a Mock Trial on Race and Housing was held. All the elements of a courtroom were present, including a judge (Judge Victoria Roberts), a jury, a plaintiff and attorneys for the plaintiff as well as for the defense.
The plaintiff, Marvin Miller, alleged that the Federal Housing Administration’s mortgage insurance practices prevented him from purchasing homes in 1949 and 1960. He alleged that in 1949, the FHA’s continued endorsement of racially restrictive covenants prevented him from purchasing a home in an all-white neighborhood and that is 1960, the FHA’s practice of “redlining” – refusing to insure mortgages in certain areas based on their racial composition, again prevented him from purchasing a home.
Despite impressive arguments on the part of the defense, representing the position of the FHA, the jury brought back a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. They awarded him a fictitious sum of $250,000 as compensation for the long-term loss of homeowner equity he was denied when he was rejected from obtaining an FHA insured loan to purchase a home.
In the afternoon, following the announcement of the verdict, a Race & Housing Conference was held at the McGregor Center on the Wayne State University campus. I attended the workshop entitled “Fair Housing, the History of Detroit Communities and Urban Renewal.” Handouts that illustrated the consistent, pervasive use of discriminatory practices were shocking in their blatant use of language. In a description of public schools, for example, that are “like a select private academy” there “can be no mixing of children of different color … the colony here has been permanently restricted as to race … the entire school district is reserved exclusively for Caucasians.”
For more information about the Mock Trial, or to follow the locations for the traveling exhibit about segregation in Metro Detroit, go to (www.miroundtable.org). There will be another chance to participate in a Michigan Roundtable event on February 12, 2010 at Cooley Law School where there will be Part II of the Mock Trial. Mark your calendar and plan to attend.
On October 22, 2009 I attended a Race Relations & Diversity Task Force presentation at The Community House in Birmingham entitled Recognizing Privilege: Confronting Racism in the 21st Century. The speakers were from the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance Anti-Racism Team, and they talked about the ways white society benefits from Institutional Racism both consciously and unconsciously.
Several handouts were provided on the subject of white privilege. One of them was titled
Being a Strong White Ally
What people of color want from white allies
Respect
Find out about us. Don’t make assumptions.
Don’t take over. Stand by our sides.
Provide information. Don’t assume you know what’s best for me.
Take risks. Make mistakes.
Understanding. Talk to other white people.
Teach your children about racism. Interrupt racist jokes and comments.
Speak up. Be supportive.
Don’t be afraid of my anger.
Put your body on the line.
One of the suggested books that deals with the subject of racism is: Between Barack and a Hard Place: Racism and White Denial in the Age of Obama by Tim Wise. In his book, Mr. Wise talks about “enlightened exceptionalism.” The term describes the way in which white people “allow for and even celebrate the achievements of individual persons of color, but only because those individuals generally are seen as different from a less appealing, even pathological black or brown rule.”
Future programs sponsored by the Race Relations & Diversity Task Force include:
Five Women, Five Journeys – How Different Are We?
Tuesday evening, November 17, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at The Community House. A panel of women from different faith traditions – Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Baha’i, and Hindu – will reflect on the changing roles and expectations of women and discuss their own personal stories. There is no admission fee for this program.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.
Keynote speaker: Judge Denise Langford-Morris. Tickets are $25.00. It is a plated breakfast and reservations are required by January 8, 2010.
Barbara Bonsignore
November 13, 2009
Posted under Social Justice
This post was written by BarbaraB on November 13, 2009
