An uncomfortable conversation about Systemic Racism in Marine Education
Image source: https://twitter.com/ShaunWoodly/status/1278712593734041601
DEI Dispatch Column by Dr. Dijanna Figueroa and Dr. DJ Kast
Systemic racism shows up in various fields and organizations in overt or covert ways.
Systemic or institutional racism is defined as the reinforcement of oppression through hegemonic white structures in laws, policies, practices, ideologies and social institutions like education, healthcare and beyond
(from Be About It: Unpacking White Privilege, Bias, and Anti-Racist Instruction, a virtual conference on white privilege). This system of oppression is based on prejudice and power. Recent events have spotlighted the prevalence of racism in society and have led to a call for action.
Individuals, families, organizations are finding themselves in deep conversations about racism, diversity, equity, and justice. We hope that this moment in history will lead to real actionable change within our society and within the field of marine education.
NMEA needs to take a hard introspective look at how white supremacy, white norms and white perspectives dominate its own organizational structures, practices and assumptions of its members. We need to be able to identify the ways that we are systemically fostering an environment that is unwelcoming to people of color. Based on a self-reported study in 2018, NMEA and its membership is still predominantly white (84%), and there are a total of five Black members. After reviewing the data and the history of the Expanded Audience scholarships, we wanted to investigate why this might be happening and what type of action can be taken to make the NMEA community more inclusive, equitable and accessible.
The NMEA Expanded Audiences co-chairs interviewed experts in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion, and leaders of organizations whose work breaks down barriers and creates spaces for communities of color within this marine education field. We interviewed two DEI experts: racial justice educator and writer Debby Irving (author of Waking up White), and Robin DiAngelo (author of White Fragility). We also interviewed two marine education leaders who provide space for people of color: Nevada Winrow (founder and CEO of Black Girls Dive) and Earl Jones (Program Manager for Ernest Everett Just Foundation). We asked them questions about systemic racism, white supremacy, allyship, privilege and how to take action. A compilation of their responses in regards to systemic racism is below and we will be doing follow-up articles relating to white supremacy, privilege, allyship and the actionable steps one can take to make an impactful difference.
Systemic Racism
What are some specific examples of how systemic racism plays out in educational settings?
Debby Irving (author of Waking up White)
“When I think about looking for [systemic racism], whiteness and white supremacy [in an educational setting] is structured around hierarchy.
A few are controlling the narrative and access to resources within the organization and we must work to flatten the hierarchical structure either through the organizational chart, or in practice with cultural challenges.”
Systemic racism can play itself out in covert ways in how the guidelines for professionalism that affect our day-to-day work are embedded in “white norms.” What are white norms you may ask?
Perfectionism
Sense of urgency
Timeliness
Quantity over quality
Worship of the written word
Power hoarding
Fear of open conflict
Individualism
Right to be comfortable
Specifically, when addressing white norms, Debby mentioned: "rigid adherence to agenda (prioritize the agenda instead of tuning into the people in the room), the expectation of comfort, material and psychological privilege, looking smart and like you have it all together, and assuming a position of authority in social spaces.”
REFLECTION
Do you see these things playing out in your role as an informal, non-formal, formal educator? How do you see these norms playing out for you when you're interacting with communities of color?
Nevada Winrow (founder and CEO of Black Girls Dive)
Nevada Winrow shared stories of some of the covert instances of systematic racism she experienced trying to access the marine biology and marine education fields as a woman of color and for the women of color she represents with Black Girls Dive.
”When I was growing up, I was “constantly asked to take the swim test. I lived in a community where we had a pool and I was there for five consecutive years and every time I showed up to the pool, I had to retake the swim test.”
Nevada describes the culture on a dive boat: “The people of color are the last ones selected as a dive buddy, and there is an assumption that you don't know what you're doing and that they [the white people] don't feel “safe” diving with us. It happens more frequently than you expect it to, and this is still happening today.”
Nevada has been asked if she was exclusive by calling her organization Black Girls Dive. She has started delivering a go-to response: “You don’t show up to a Susan B. Cohen breast cancer conference response asking about diabetes or other diseases. [The people who asked] tend to crawl away. Your issue is not about it, it's about the race.”
REFLECTION
Examine covert and overt instances of racism that you have experienced, observe or maybe even caused.
Earl Jones (Program Manager for Ernest Everett Just Foundation)
“Everyone in our organization is African American, which provides a special insight into this issue. We all have lived with this problem all of our lives and, through our Youth Mentoring Programs, try to build in our youth an awareness of the issue along with personal strategies to navigate in this environment.
We fight it and call it out when it is blatant; however, when it is systemic—embedded in hearts, minds, and often policy and covert conduct—it is very difficult to fight.
We can only build an awareness that it exists along with impacts, which is what recent and ongoing protests across the world are doing. White supremacy can be considered the worst and most overt form of systemic racism. Some white people consider themselves genetically and culturally superior to minorities in order to justify keeping minorities in a subordinate and disadvantaged condition. Our mission is to develop youth with a keen awareness of this landscape and with high self-esteem and confidence essential to survive and thrive.”
REFLECTION
What steps can we take to be anti-racist, fight racism, and call it out when it is blatant, even though its systemic and embedded into our minds, laws, policies and practices?
We want to leave you with a call to action:
LEARN:
Learn about systemic racism and the impact it has on the organizations you are involved with and your own practices as an educator, communicator, or scientist.
ACT:
Take action and actively work against racist practices, policies, culture, and ideologies.
DISMANTLE:
Disrupt the default mode of institutionalized oppression. Dismantle the structures that were designed for whiteness to gain power by making space for people of color
COMMUNICATE:
Continue this uncomfortable conversation with people in your network who are about this work.
In closing, please continue to join us as we explore topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion and examine race, privilege, oppression, white supremacy, and allyship.