When Starbucks announced that it would conduct a companywide racial bias training following an incident of racism in one of their stores, we saw an opportunity to promote a productive discussion with our community. But we realized that the discussion needed to reach further than our circle. The nation needed to engage in the conversation about racism and bias to unpack what’s been brewing.
These incidents are not isolated. Flagrant displays of racism are recorded so frequently that news coverage feels trite. But the frequency of these incidents should not bore us. They should inspire us to take some action, if not to organize in opposition of racism, at least to talk about why racism persists.
In that vein, we hosted a series of virtual discussions via Facebook to make the conversation about inequity actionable using tools from our I’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital Course. Throughout the day, participants submitted questions, comments, and engaged with Point Made Learning staff on social media. Staff at NYU Silver School of Social Work, YMCA and other organizations joined in groups to take our digital course and discuss its content with their peers. As LeRhonda Greats added during our Facebook Live, “talking is ACTION, so is listening.”
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You may have heard in the past few weeks: we’ve expanded our I’m Not Racist… Am I? screening-workshop model. Now, schools and organizations can use the film themselves as a tool in their antiracism work. We’re still taking the film out ourselves, too. But our new YOULead program makes seeing the film more affordable. And it includes a 3.5-hour online antiracism course and facilitation training. We hope this builds an even bigger team of leaders ready to strengthen more communities around the country.
Now It’s Your Turn to Lead Antiracism Dialogue
“I’m Not Racist… Am I?” has screened nearly 400 times, bringing antiracism discussions to communities all over the United States.
If you sign up for this program, we’ll first provide you with access to our new online course – I’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital. Then, you’ll go through a video conference coaching session with one of our master facilitators to prepare you for showing the film and leading post-screening discussions in your community. Once you complete all of this, you’ll get:
A 5-day license to screen the film as many times as you want, for as many viewers in your community as you’d like.
Lifetime access to our Look Deeper curriculum, which includes film clips, bonus videos, discussion guides, and lesson plans.
Our plan is to give you what you need for sustained antiracism work and continued engagement with the subject matter.
We first announced this program a few weeks ago so we’ve now had a handful of organizations go through it. And we think it’s working! Keep reading to find out more.
If you’re ready to sign your organization up for YOULead, send us an email: programming@pointmade.com
Notes from the Field – LaTasha DeLoach, Iowa City
Approximately 120 community members attended our first screening of I Am Not A Racist…Am I? Attendees were very diverse in age and were overall representative of the Iowa City community. Following the screening and an hour and a half facilitated discussion, attendees were asked to complete a brief survey about their experience (See the attached survey on page 2). Overall, survey results were very supportive of the film. 100% of respondents said they would recommend the event to their friends and family. Attendees were also asked to rate various aspects of the screening on a scale of 1-5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best). Below are the average scores for each component of the event:
Content: 4.85
Logistics & Organization: 4.76
Engagement & Conversation: 4.5
Location/Date/Time: 4.47
Attendees were also asked to comment on their favorite part of the event. Majority of comments were on the content of the film, how thought provoking it was, and how much they loved the focus on youth. They also enjoyed the discussion.
Below are a few of the responses we received:
“I’d heard about it – great film. Great to see this from the eyes of teens – ingenious way of getting us older folks in.”
“Enlightening! Hearing different points of view. Made me examine my own thinking.”
“The ideas it uncovered; the pressing for discussion.”
“It was funny, relatable which made it easier to digest as a white person.”
“The opportunity to learn more about racism and its effect on society and individuals. The maturity of the teens involved was impressive.”
“Great film and great chance for community to come together and learn from each other.”
“Great attendance! I go to similar community events in town often and don’t see this many people or range of ages. Whatever you did to get word out it worked.”
When asked how the event could be improved, most attendees mentioned needing more time for discussion and having the screening at an earlier time, on weekends, or doing it more often. Some of the attendee comments include:
“Need to know more about how the systemic oppression works.”
“Take it to the schools.”
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If you’ve been wanting to incorporateI’m Not Racist… Am I?into your antiracism work, but haven’t been able to make our model fit with your budget and objectives, we hope this new program makes sense for you. If you’re ready to try YOULead, send us an email: programming@pointmade.com
This fall, after three years and more than 300 – and counting – I’m Not Racist… Am I? live screenings around the country, we are launching INRAI Digital, an online course built around the film and all the lessons we’ve learned on the road with it.
This fall, after three years and more than 300 – and counting – I’m Not Racist… Am I? live screenings around the country, we are launching INRAI Digital, an online course built around the film and all the lessons we’ve learned on the road with it.
This program is for companies wanting to provide their employees with an engaging way to develop a deeper understanding of racial equity and inclusion – in a judgment-free, private learning experience that can be done at their own pace.
Highlights include:
Three hours of content in eight learning modules, featuring segments of the documentary, along with lessons, quizzes, and reflection exercises.
Stories of young people going through a learning process that will inspire users to approach lessons on race and racism with a growth mindset, rather than being told what to do and what to say by “talking head” experts.
Compelling narrative thread throughout the course keeps users engaged – [tweetshareinline tweet=”this is the type of diversity training they’ll want to do.” username=”PM_Learn”]
We’ll say up front that this program isn’t for everyone. It takes people beyond the edge of their comfort zone and we believe that, at this point, only companies and organizations really looking for something innovative and out-of-the-box will be interested.
But if you think your colleagues working on diversity and inclusion might be interested in learning more, watch the three-minute video below that describes the course. And then contact us for a free demo.
