tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328381307768368007.post5182241581157161149..comments2023-07-06T09:47:04.970-04:00Comments on Words from PK: Guest speaker: The Promise of All Lives MatteringKerryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05955740811885385846noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328381307768368007.post-18079231003377544882017-03-11T12:24:05.387-05:002017-03-11T12:24:05.387-05:00Yikes - I don't think I ever saw this comment ...Yikes - I don't think I ever saw this comment two years ago! I am so sorry! Yes, your additional suggestion is extremely important. Social inequality works on multiple levels, and interpersonal interaction is an important one. Your comments do suggest some very concrete ways we can push back against interactional racism, so thank you!<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17188269416343741948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6328381307768368007.post-29903177304313393002015-04-17T17:13:48.320-04:002015-04-17T17:13:48.320-04:00Dear Amanda, As I already e-mailed you, I enjoyed ...Dear Amanda, As I already e-mailed you, I enjoyed this sermon very much and thanks for giving me the reference to it as I would like to share with some friends. <br /><br /> I would like to add just one other suggestion among those that you provided in this excellent piece. It was an action introduced to me during an affirmative action training session when I was a librarian at Iowa State University. Of course the object was to attract more minorities to a lily white academic institution. And though it might have worked I think we still had a problem of keeping minorities there once we got them there.<br /><br /> But I appreciated this particular idea and have tried to practice it myself and it is this: The discomfort shown by some White people on the street when they encounter a minority may not be conscious but it is clearly displayed with averted eyes, harshness of voice, and avoidance. Therefore the opposite--EYE CONTACT, A SMILE, AND A HELLO work to counteract the previous negative experiences that negate the person's sense of worth. Because of the negative repercussions of being ignored or avoided throughout their life, what seems to us to be a small gesture has a much bigger positive effect than we might think. <br /><br />It was also suggested that when speaking with a minority individual that we consciously smile more and speak more gently than we would with our friends and acquaintances. This needs to be done to counterbalance our unawareness of the harshness we may be using in the first place. <br /><br />Thanks again for the great talk and for making it available on line through your friend. M Mosellnoreply@blogger.com