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SPCL 7922 Multicultural Counseling and Consultation (Elizalde-Utnick): Module 3: Privilege, Oppression, & Social Justice

Fall 2024

TASK LIST TO PREPARE FOR CLASS SESSION

Please complete the following PRIOR to our class session:

1. Readings/Videos

READ the assigned articles and take notes

Prilleltensky

Nadal

VIEW Peggy McIntosh & White Privilege, How Microaggressions are like Mosquitos, and Black Customer Racially Profiled

2. Brightspace Journal

Go to Brightspace and complete the "Exploring Privilege, Microaggressions, & My Social Interaction Patterns" journal.

3. Prepare for Quiz (RAT#3)

The 5-question multiple-choice quiz will be on the assigned readings and videos.

4. Submit The House We Live In Paper on Brightspace by Saturday, October 4

APPLICATION ACTIVITY: SPOT THE MICROAGGRESSION

Spot the Microaggression…

Match up each statement with possible interpretations listed below it. You may connect some statements with more than one interpretation. If you can, try to come up with a more neutral statement.

“You are a credit to your race.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

[White Professor to Latina student during class] “What do Latinas think about this situation?”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

[To a woman with a headscarf] “What are you hiding in there?” / [Store manager to employees] “Keep an eye on the Black shoppers.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

“Can I touch your hair? You look so exotic.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

“I don’t see color.” / “The only race is the human race.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

[To an Asian student] “Can you help me with my math homework?”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

[A White woman to a Black woman] “As a woman, I understand what you experience as a minority.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

“ANYONE can succeed if you try hard enough.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

“Why are all Black women so loud?”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

“You don’t even seem Black.”

  1. Your identity or experience as a person of color is invalid. / Your experiences as a minority are no different from anyone else’s.
  2. I can’t be racist, because I’m oppressed like you.
  3. Your appearance dictates your skills or knowledge.
  4. People from your group are more likely to be criminals or terrorists.
  5. Everyone from your group acts or think the same. / Your experiences are interchangeable with anyone else in your group.
  6. I am not racist.
  7. I don’t expect people from your racial background to be intelligent or successful, but you are.
  8. You don’t look like you belong here.
  9. You don’t fit my stereotypes about your racial group.

ACTIVITY & VIDEO: HOW PRIVILEGED ARE YOU?

SUMMARY

In this session students will continue to reflect on their own intersecting identities to explore the concepts of privilege and oppression. Students will explore the way in which microaggressions are tied to implicit bias.

SESSION SLIDES

VIDEO: Peggy McIntosh - How to recognize your white privilege — and use it to fight inequality

Video: How Microaggressions are like Mosquitos

VIDEO: MICROAGGRESSIONS IN ACTION (9:07)

Black Customer Racially Profiled In High End Store | What Would You Do?

JOURNAL REFLECTION

Exploring Privilege:

1. Complete this self-test to see how privileged you are. Remember that privilege comes in different forms. Take the test and find out! Click on the "How Privileged Are You SELF-TEST" link below to take the test.

How Privileged Are You SELF-TEST 

(in case the link doesn’t work, go to: https://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/how-privileged-are-you

2. After you complete the self-test and read about your resulting level of privilege, go to the next link below and watch the video.

https://youtu.be/0UmowwMivyU

3. Reflect on the video and your test results.

  • In what areas do you have privilege?
  • In what areas do you lack privilege?
  • How was the experience of taking this test?
  • What thoughts went through your mind?
  • How did you feel while you were taking the test and then while reading the report?

Exploring Microaggressions and Social Interaction Patterns: 

1. Have you chosen to be involved with people or groups who were culturally different from yourself? Why or why not?

2. Consider a meaningful time when you avoided becoming involved with people or groups who were culturally different. What were the barriers? What were your fears? What (if any) aspects of your identity stopped you from becoming involved?

3. Have you ever been the victim of a racist, sexist, or homophobic slur? What was the context? How did it make you feel? How did you respond? (adapted from Gallardo, p. 132)