Recognizing Privilege: How Our Background Can Change

the Way We Work on Policy

PLAN Fall Institute 2011

Thao Nguyen, Senior Outreach Manager

National Women’s Law Center

Privilege Exercise

How did it feel to do that exercise?

How do you feel about where you were standing?

What do you think this means about the way you examine, advocate for, and communicate about policy issues that you work on?

Why Are We Talking About This?

What We’ll Be Doing

Privilege Exercise

Looking at a historical case study

Talk about using a racial equity impact analysis

Go through a more recent case study in groups

Discuss how to bring this to our organizations

Case Study: The GI Bill

Created in 1944 by President Roosevelt for World War II veterans.

The GI Bill’s most famous provisions included: Low interest, zero down payment home loans for servicemen Provided tuition for education and technical training (veterans

accounted for 49 percent of college admissions at the program’s peak).

Because of the GI Bill, 7.8 million World War II veterans had participated in an education or training program and 2.4 million veterans had home loans backed by the Veterans' Administration (VA).

Philip’s Story

Child Born Father’s GI Bill: FHA Consequences Consequences Right After Status & VA loans for Child’s for Child’sWWII Education Well-being in

Adulthood

Low-income, White Able to use Family borrowed Philip getsWhite veteran, high low-interest from home equity professional

school mortgage to support child’s job, buys owndiploma, from provisions to college education house, Philadelphia move family (first in family to inherits

from public go to college) appreciatedhousing to house segregated whensuburban fatherhome ownership dies

Thomas’s Story

Child Born Father’s GI Bill: FHA Consequences Consequences Right After Status & VA loans for Child’s for Child’sWWII Education Well-being in

Adulthood

Low-income, Black Could not access Family could not Thomas worksBlack veteran, high home loan b/c of afford to send in minimum

school racially-restrictive child to college; wage jobs,diploma, from underwriting high school continues toPhiladelphia criteria; family diploma is from live in family

remained in rental under-resourced home, housing in the city segregated school considers

joining the Army, has toborrow $when fatherdies to givehim decentfuneral

Juan’s StoryChild Born Father’s GI Bill: FHA Consequences Consequences Right After Status & VA loans for Child’s for Child’sWWII Education Well-being in

Adulthood

Low-income, Latino Could not access Family could not J uan worksLatino veteran, high home loan b/c of afford to send in minimum

school racially-restrictive child to college; wage jobs,diploma, from underwriting high school continues toTexas criteria; family diploma is from live in family

remained in rural under-resourced home, rental housing language marries

segregated and newcomer racially Latina, sends segregated part ofschool family’s limited

income to herextended familyin Mexico

Fast Forward to Today…

Philip’s Children: Thomas’ and J uan’s Children:

Philip gives children his father’s They have no houses to appreciated house inherit

They live in thriving communities They live in disinvested communities

Their college education’s paid At work, they complete college on work study and by home equity student loans, with subsequent starting debts to

pay back

Philip establishes trust fund Thomas and J uan have few personal assets to leavefor grandchildren grandchildren

How to tackle the problem, rather than becoming the problem…

What’s different about work that uses an

embedded racial inequities lens?

• Makes the case differently

• Shapes the message differently

• Does the actual work differently

Where We Might Be…

• Divisive, rhetorical, and individually focused messages

• Across the board aggregated data or quick assumptions on the basis of simple disaggregation

• Typical focus on the individual

• Generic, across-the-board outcomes

• Color-blind approach

• Good people with good intentions

Where We Want to Be

Leading with values that unite instead of divide; bundling solutions with problem descriptions; leading with structural and embedded issues

Data are always disaggregated by race and deeply analyzed

Focus on structural explanations for racial disparities (i.e., polices and practices)

Equitable outcomes

Race-informed approach

Assessing our capacity to do work that uses an embedded racial inequities lens

Do we have the right competencies? Are we making the right investments? Does our organization operate in ways that eliminate embedded racial inequities?

Racial Equity Impact Analysis Who are the racial / ethnic groups affected by the policy /

practice / decision, and are they at the table?

How will the policy / practice / decision affect each group?

How will the policy / practice / decision be perceived by each group?

Does the policy / practice / decision ignore or worsen existing disparities, or produce other unintended consequences?

Based on the above responses, what revisions are needed in the policy / practice / decision under discussion?

Putting it to practice

Let’s Talk About the Mandatory HPV Vaccine Law in Washington, DC

The DC City Council passed a law requiring all girls in DC public schools to get the HPV Vaccine before entering 6th grade.

Prominent Washington Post writer issued scathing editorial opposing the plan; wrote that mandate implies that girls of color are promiscuous and parents of color are irresponsible.

Only DC and Virginia have HPV requirements for school attendance and Virginia tried to rescind theirs; fast tracked as compared other mandatory vaccines.

A Plan for a D.C. Do-OverPresuming the HPV Vaccine furthers the

important public health goal of reducing cervical cancer disparities, what could the DC Council have done to get community buy-in?

Please put aside the serious controversy on the safety of the Vaccine for now.

What would be some key factors making sure that parents accepted and girls received the Vaccine?

Your Plan Should Include…

What are your potential audiences? Who do you need to influence?

How do you reach them, keeping in mind limited resources?

What are some of your key messages? Who are the best messengers?

Now, about bringing it home…

The Difficult Question

How can we start talking about racial, economic, and other

inequity issues at our organizations when we are working on policy issues?

RESOURCES

Race Matters Toolkit, by Annie E. Casey http://www.aecf.org/knowledgecenter/publicationsseries/racematters.aspx

Racial Equity Impact Toolkit, by Applied Research Center http://www.arc.org/content/view/744/189/

More resources! http://www.racialequity.org/resources.html